System-Related New Features

There are many new features to Red Hat Linux 6.1 that are not just part of the installation process. Some new features are tools or applications that you can use, others are new versions of the kernel or desktop environments. This list is to provide a little more information about what to expect from Red Hat Linux 6.1 once you are actually using the OS itself.

Automatic hardware detection on boot
Linux 2.2.12 kernel
Support for LDAP authentication
Glibc 2.1.2
XFree86 3.3.5
Pentium and Pentium II optimized kernels
Optional interactive boot sequence

Let's look at each feature in more detail.

Automatic hardware detection on boot

New to Red Hat Linux is Kudzu , a tool that automatically detects any new hardware on your system upon rebooting. A dialog box will appear identifying your new hardware and Kudzu will then ask if you would like to configure the hardware at that time. Kudzu will make it both convenient and easy for you to install and configure new hardware components on your Red Hat Linux system.

Linux 2.2.12 kernel

Red Hat Linux 6.1 includes the latest stable version of the 2.2.x Linux kernel.

Support for LDAP authentication

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a directpry service protocol designed to handle account information services. The protocol runs over Internet transport protocols, such as TCP, and can be used to access stand-alone directory servers or X.500 directories. The LDAP directory service is based on a client-server model.

Glibc 2.1.2

The latest version of Glibc (version 2.1.2) is included in this Red Hat Linux release.

XFree86 3.3.5

Red Hat Linux 6.1 contains the latest version of XFree86 (version 3.3.5 which supports many new drivers).

Pentium and Pentium II Optimized Kernels

Pentium and Pentium II Optimized Kernels are now available in Red Hat Linux 6.1. These kernels have been recompiled for chip specific support.

Optional interactive boot sequence

New to Red Hat Linux 6.1 is the ability to enter into an "interactive" mode upon booting and selecting which services are started individually. This is a helpful way of catching error messages or even changing the start-up services temporarily to test certain configurations you may have.