Why does FAS use a Linux server instead of a Windows server?
As discussed above, the FAS system fully supports Windows applications and a Windows graphical interface for the FAS software at the workstation level. At the server level however, FAS uses Linux (and Unix with older systems) instead of Windows. The primary reasons for this choice are reliability and security. In general, a Linux/Unix server-and consequently a business management system built around a Linux/Unix server–will be more reliable and more secure than a Windows-based server and network. FAS users routinely go weeks, months, or even years without having to reboot their servers, which run 24 hours a day, often for as long as 8, 10, 15 years or longer. Most web servers, which have extremely high requirements for performance and reliability, are also based upon the Linux operating system. Companies doing large volumes of transactions simply can’t afford to experience repeated system crashes that frustrate customers who would be forced to wait while sales clerks “reboot” their PO
