Microsoft Linux is not what you thought (or hoped) it would be

2 years ago 303

Microsoft Linux has arrived, but it's not what you imagined. Jack Wallen shares his instrumentality connected this caller accomplishment called CBL-Mariner and adjacent shows you however to physique it.

Illustration: Lisa Hornung/TechRepublic

When I woke this morning, I admit I checked extracurricular to spot if pigs were flying, oregon if it was raining a plague of locusts. Neither of those things was happening, and yet the intolerable inactive happened. Said impossible? It was yet revealed that Microsoft does, successful fact, person its ain spirit of Linux.

SEE: Kubernetes: A cheat expanse (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Before you get excessively excited astir this, we're not talking astir an operating strategy that would yet supplant Windows arsenic the de facto modular desktop platform. I won't lie... that's precisely what I was hoping for. Or astatine the least, I was hoping Microsoft would recognize the Linux kernel mightiness beryllium a amended enactment to service arsenic the instauration of Windows.

Nope. Wrong again.

Instead, what Microsoft has released is called CBL-Mariner. If you've been paying capable attraction to what's going connected astir the IT landscape, you tin astir apt marque a beauteous coagulated conjecture arsenic to what intent CBL-Mariner serves.

It's a cloud/edge-specific organisation designed to supply "a accordant level for these devices and services and volition heighten Microsoft's quality to enactment existent connected Linux updates."

CBL-Mariner is Microsoft cashing successful connected Linux astatine precisely the close time. Linux is astatine the bosom of astir each large exertion connected the forefront of IT. Edge, containers, Internet of Things, Kubernetes... it's each Linux, each the time. And CBL-Mariner has been engineered with the thought that a tiny acceptable of halfway packages tin code the "universal needs of first-party and borderline services." And if CBL-Mariner's halfway acceptable of packages doesn't conscionable your needs, the developers person made it casual to furniture connected apical of the default services.

CBL-Mariner is simply a lightweight Linux organisation that tin beryllium utilized for conscionable astir thing you request (so agelong arsenic it isn't a desktop). There's a catch: Unlike astir lightweight, container-based Linux distributions, determination isn't an ISO for you to download and install; instead, you physique CBL-Mariner connected apical of Ubuntu. Oddly enough, the GitHub instructions telephone for utilizing Ubuntu 18.04 alternatively of the existent LTS 20.04. It tin beryllium installed connected 20.04, but alternatively of installing python-minimal, you instal python2-minimal. Even so, the installation of CBL-Mariner is not for the faint of heart, truthful you truly request to beryllium dedicated to either wanting to spot what it's each astir oregon judge that Microsoft tin physique a amended instrumentality big for Linux. You'll request to springiness yourself 30-60 minutes to physique the platform. Here's what you request to do.

How to get Microsoft's CBL-Mariner Linux up and running

First, get a mentation of the Ubuntu Linux desktop up and running. Log successful and unfastened a terminal window. There you'll tally each of the pursuing commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:longsleep/golang-backports sudo apt-get update sudo apt -y instal marque tar wget curl rpm qemu-utils golang-1.15-go genisoimage python-minimal bison gawk sudo apt -y instal pigz sudo ln -vsf /usr/lib/go-1.15/bin/go /usr/bin/go curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh sudo sh get-docker.sh sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

At this point, log retired and log backmost in. Go backmost to the terminal and proceed with the CLI magic:

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner.git pushd CBL-Mariner/toolkit git checkout 1.0-stable sudo marque package-toolkit REBUILD_TOOLS=y popd git clone https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-MarinerDemo.git pushd CBL-MarinerDemo cp ../CBL-Mariner/out/toolkit-*.tar.gz ./ tar -xzvf toolkit-*.tar.gz cd ~/CBL-MarinerDemo/toolkitt sudo marque representation CONFIG_FILE=../imageconfigs/demo_vhd.json

That last bid volition instrumentality sizeable time, but you'll upwind up with the VDH record (located successful ~/CBL-MarinerDemo/out/images/demo_vhd/) you tin past usage to make a virtual instrumentality with the likes of VirtualBox. Once you footwear the VM, you'll find yourself successful CBL. Log successful with the credentials root/p@ssw0rd.

And that is what it takes to get Microsoft's CBL-Mariner Linux up and moving truthful you tin commencement kicking the tires.

My instrumentality connected CBL-Mariner

I applaud Microsoft for realizing that to support moving guardant successful the endeavor backend the institution had nary prime but to make a mentation of Linux for containers, IoT, edge, etc. There was nary mode Microsoft could vie successful that abstraction with Linux.

But here's the thing: At the moment, it seems CBL-Mariner is lone intended to beryllium utilized internally. As the GitHub leafage states: CBL-Mariner is an interior Linux organisation for Microsoft's unreality infrastructure and borderline products and services.

SEE: From commencement to finish: How to deploy an LDAP server (TechRepublic Premium)

That doesn't mean Microsoft won't yet marque this halfway organisation much easy disposable to the masses. And that's key. If CBL-Mariner is to instrumentality off, beyond Microsoft internal, they're going to person to marque it disposable arsenic an ISO representation and not necessitate users to physique it manually. Although it didn't instrumentality maine overmuch effort to physique the VHD record for VirtualBox, those without adjacent a modicum of Linux accomplishment mightiness person trouble. I volition say, however, immoderate occupation you mightiness person successful gathering CBL-Linux, it's worthy the effort. This container-based organisation is rather bully and would service galore an endeavor concern well.

In the end, if you don't caput taking the clip to physique a lightweight Linux organisation manually, CBL-Mariner is simply a task you should decidedly wage attraction to. Even astatine this aboriginal stage, CBL-Mariner is fast, unchangeable and secure.