IBM News

Linux in the On Demand Era

November 2002

The industry is being rocked by a profound change in computing, in how it is used by business and how it is being paid for and accessed.

It is against this backdrop that Sam Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation has declared that we have entered an "On Demand" era, where companies that employ open IT tools to stay flexible and adaptive will have an edge over those that are rigid and inflexible.

Linux plays a key role in this "On Demand" world. It is an open-source operating system, constantly being improved and fine-tuned by legions of individuals to meet the needs of business. Linux has disrupted the business-as-usual practices of proprietary vendor platforms, and replaced it with a cross-vendor ecosystem that offers customers the ability to integrate an end-to-end infrastructure with unprecedented flexibility and choice. Linux is also reliable, available at no cost, or at a very low cost, and runs on more hardware architectures than any other operating system in use today.

If there is a need, businesses can change the source code themselves to suit their own situation and fit particular niche needs within their organizations, without asking IBM... or anyone. And Linux is complemented with enumerable open tools and technologies that are freely available. It is the very essence of "adaptive," and can help businesses gain the competitive edge they need to survive, and thrive in the current tough economic environment.

Easy to deploy, easy to manage, secure, open and flexible

Linux is the only OS to run on every hardware architecture. This means Linux can be adopted as the one OS platform across an entire organization, making it the operating system of choice for infrastructure integration. In addition, as an application development platform, Linux results in faster deployment times for applications, lower application deployment costs and fewer IT staff... companies don't need "experts" for each of their competing operating systems.

In recent months, its flexibility has caused Linux to grow in popularity as a rival server operating system to Windows and Unix. In 2002, Linux is having what many business analysts are calling a "breakout year" in the enterprise. This is evidenced by increasing Linux server shipments and server market share, the broadening acceptance that Linux is enjoying in the enterprise, the keen interest our competitors have taken in Linux, and even by the shift in composition in audience at Linux tradeshows from technical enthusiasts to serious business people who have problems to solve.

A snapshot poll conducted by CIO.com asked the question: "Five years from now, which operating system will dominate corporate systems?" The response: 48% Microsoft products, 45% Linux, and 7% Other (CIO Online, 9/23/02). Even a year ago, this type of mass support for Linux would have been unthinkable.

IBM has played a key role in bringing this business focus to Linux.

Why Linux, why IBM?

Linux and open standards are key components of On Demand business.

Business is becoming aware that dependence on proprietary operating systems and solutions can create inflexibility... both in the technology, and in the technology vendor. With Linux, there are no dead-end application migration or integration scenarios, no vendor lock-in that can interfere with execution and business goals. IBM was the first to see the potential benefits of Linux for e-business.Here's why IBM is now in a unique position to lead:

• Anticipating a world of business requirements and standards-based computing, IBM declared support for Linux in four years ago - long before it was fashionable to do so. Since then, we have made it a top priority for development efforts. Many of our competitors have only just noticed that Linux is a major force in the IT industry.
• Businesses can today use IBM Linux Virtual Services, from IBM Global Services, to access the on demand processing and storage power they need, when they need it, paying only for what they use. Linux Virtual Services "On Demand" run Linux in a secure hosting environment, and are among the first of many IBM "On Demand" utility model initiatives.
• Through workload consolidation, IBM eServer systems running Linux allow customers to move workloads from several distributed servers onto very few, or one. In addition to ending "server sprawl," businesses gain the benefit of being able to quickly deploy additional Linux servers on the "consolidated" server. Linux server consolidation is available on all IBM eServer platforms: zSeries, xSeries, iSeries, pSeries. Consolidated servers are easier to administer, and businesses save time on system design, integration, testing, configuration and deployment. This flexibility translates into speed to market, and cost savings that can be passed on to customers.
• Autonomic technologies such as Linux-enabled Blue Gene, and Enterprise Workload Manager are under intensive development. Autonomic technologies let customers focus more on solving businesses problems and reducing cycle time, and less on technology enablement, replacement and management.
• The xSeries Enterprise X-Architecture (EXA) on xSeries x440, contains several examples of how IBM has migrated mainframe technology to the Linux platform. Customers can start with 2-way Symmetrical Multiprocessing (SMP), then scale with modular 4-way nodes up to 16-way in an On Demand operating environment. This permits customers to plan for growth in a flexible and open-ended way. The x440 will be used as a flexible platform for 64-bit Intel processors as well.
• IBM Tivoli management tools are helping make networks self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimizing and self-protecting; and Tivoli has already enabled substantial portions of their management portfolio on Linux.
• On mainframes, iSeries customers can run Linux with logical partitioning within the system - up to 31 Linux partitions on the larger iSeries models and up to thousands of Linux virtual servers and partitions on zSeries. This offers new flexibility to businesses and mainframe customers, who can now leverage the power of Linux in their back-end deployments and applications.
• IBM pSeries advances 64-bit Power4 servers run Linux in several different ways, and IBM has just announced that pSeries will be shipping the p630 and p650 models in Linux-ready configurations. This will substantially improve the ability of Linux to perform in the 64-bit space, while providing substantial cost savings over the AIX pSeries offerings. And we'll be 49% less expensive with our 1-way Linux pSeries Ready Express configuration than the HP equivalent IA-64 4-way SMP, their model RX 5670. We’ll be 15% less expensive than Sun’s V480 4-way SMP as well.
• IBM BladeCenter gives customers the flexibility to intermingle and hot-swap Linux blades in "On Demand," while continuously running blades with other operating systems, even different types of processors. The basic 7U BladeCenter unit holds 14 blades, and up to six of these 14-blade units may be stacked into each 42U rack. The number and type of blades can be changed as the needs of the business change, and may even include operating systems and processors from competing vendors in the same chassis, making the BladeCenter a powerful and flexible tool for Linux integration.
• IBM Director, running on Linux and Windows, permits simplified central hardware management, and uses artificial intelligence to predict failures and recycle "aged" software automatically. It's another example of how IBM autonomic technology helps keep systems running smoothly.
• IBM offers Linux on all of its servers: zSeries, pSeries, iSeries and zSeries, and each of these brings different technical advantages to Linux. IBM has also deployed it's middleware: DB2, WebSphere family, Domino, and Tivoli on Linux. The Eclipse platform is deployed on Linux; as is the Globus toolbox for Grid computing.
• IBM has Linux enabled and optimized it's storage products for Linux. Included are Shark Enterprise Storage Server, the Modular Storage Server (MSS), sourced from Compaq, FAStT200 and FAStT500 disk-storage servers, and LTO tape solutions.
• Customers benefit from the fact that IBM is currently running Linux internally on more than 1,200 servers, including those supporting ibm.com.
• IBM has Linux skilled consultants worldwide to help customers design, build, or enhance their Linux solutions. Consultant offerings include Linux solutions for e-business (for general Linux e-business needs), Workload Consolidation, High Performance Clustering. and Managed Operations Services... for customers who want to outsource the support and management of their Linux environment.
• IBM has 250 software engineers at the Linux Technology Center who are participating members of the Linux community. They are making significant contributions to develop and extend the enterprise capabilities of Linux, and they've been doing this for several years.
• IBM has facilities around the world to help customers design and deploy Linux solutions (Linux Integration Centers), help ISVs transition their applications and systems to Linux (IBM Competency Centers), and provide ISV's easy access to hardware and software to test their applications (Solution Partnership Centers). And IBM has recently opened Linux Centers of Competency specifically catering to customers in the Financial districts of New York and London.
• IBM currently has 4,600 Linux customer engagements. These installations range from small business configurations, to distributed enterprises and workload consolidation installations involving hundreds, or thousands of servers.
• For four years now, IBM has been enabling independent software vendors products to deploy on Linux, many using IBM's powerful Linux-enabled middleware. IBM now has over 4,800 business partners that support Linux and nearly 4,000 Linux applications listed in the IBM Solutions directory. Through our business partners or IBM Services, we can help customers plan and implement a total Linux solution, using Linux-enabled hardware, software and services.
• IBM Global Services has unmatched reputation and experience to help customers solve business problems, using Linux, and also has extensive relationships with Red Hat, and members of the United Linux consortium including SuSE, SCO, Connectiva and TurboLinux to provide customers with choice and flexibility.
• IBM has a full portfolio of Linux related education and training courses available in 20 countries and 5 languages. The courses include Linux certification, programming, system administration, and specific technology focus areas such as Linux clustering and database management.
• IBM SupportLine for Linux offers 24x7 remote support from trained engineers. The 800 number Linux SupportLine provides fast and accurate problem resolution, and access to IBM skilled Linux specialists who can supplement internal staff, and support across the four major distributions of Linux: RedHat, SCO, TurboLinux, and SuSE.
• Over 5,000 IBM employees, more than any other company, are currently working on Linux development, research, services, and sales.

The increase in Linux popularity for businesses has caused many competitors to take actions to capitalize from the rising tide of interest. HP/Compaq, and Dell have invested in Linux, and Sun claims to have embraced it as well. Even Microsoft has stopped marginalizing Linux and has recently toned down its strident criticism of the operating system.

But while our competitors struggle to align their offerings with a world that's embracing Linux, IBM's On Demand vision has raised the bar again. As we welcome our colleagues to the party, we challenge them to match the breadth of hardware, software, support, services and solutions that IBM brings to the new era of on demand computing.