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This story was printed from Enterprise,
located at http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise.
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SuSE infuses Blue blood into Linux
By David Berlind, Enterprise
March 22, 2002 10:18 AM PT
URL:
I don't know about you, but every time I read a story about IBM big iron running
Linux, I get confused. Can I walk into a datacenter,
find the mainframe's CD-ROM drive, and install Linux off my Red Hat CDs? Can I go to
eBay, pick up a big honkin' S/390 for a few hundred bucks, load StarOffice, and have
the fastest word processor in the world? Would that make me
some sort of freak?
Part of the confusion stems from the alphabet soup of IBM's system lineup.
If you want to buy a new system from IBM, your choices fall into one of
four groups: The zSeries, which typically runs z/OS, are the mainframe systems.
They're powered by
31-bit hardware. (Yes, that's 31.) Next down the line is the iSeries; these are the
old AS/400s, with IBM's PowerPC chips inside. The same
chips also are inside IBM's pSeries, which runs AIX, Big Blue's flavor of Unix.
Finally, there's the xSeries -- all the Intel-based stuff.
In some way, shape or form, Linux runs on all of them. Those shapes and
forms depend on IBM's open source code, and what Linux distributors like
Red Hat and SuSE do with the code. There are two primary ways Linux runs on IBM's big
iron. One way is natively. In other words, no other operating system or
special software is required. It's the equivalent of wiping all traces of
Windows off your computer, and replacing it with Linux or some other
operating system. Linux can run natively on IBM's zSeries (the mainframes)
and xSeries (Intel-based systems).
The other way is in a partition. For example, the native OS can be used to
carve out a chunk of resources (like storage) and dedicate these resources
to a separate instance of the native OS or another OS that IBM supports
(like Linux). As a side note, the Datacenter Edition of Windows 2000 Server does this
sort of partitioning, but it only allows you to run Windows in
each partition. In most partitioned environments, the partitions don't
interfere with each other. In essence, each partition is emulating a
stand-alone computer running whatever OS was loaded into it. IBM has
supported partitioning of its big iron into these sorts of virtual
computers (IBM calls them "logical partitions" or "virtual machines") for
what seems like forever. Whereas Linux can run natively on IBM's zSeries
and xSeries, it can only run in partitions on the iSeries and pSeries.
One cool twist on the zSeries mainframes is that they can be partitioned
physically as well as logically. This means that the mainframe can be
carved into separate physical systems, each of which can run an OS (like
Linux) in the native mode.
Why would IBM support this? It's pretty simple. Because Linux is a Unix
variant, many enterprise applications can be ported to the open source OS.
Once they're on the Linux code base, porting them to IBM's
big-iron-specific Linux distributions is trivial. An example, according to
SuSE vice president for Technology Partners Jurgen Deck, is Software AG's database
ADABAS/D. "Once Software AG ported the database to Linux," Deck says, "It took
about a half a day to get it running on an IBM mainframe."
Windows, Unix alternative
That sort of commonality within the IBM family kills two birds with one
stone. First, it gives IBM customers a smoother migration path, regardless
of which direction they are sizing (up, down, or lateral). Second, it
creates some awfully compelling alternatives to Windows and competing Unix
solutions -- particularly Sun's solutions. For example, for businesses concerned about
the scalability or
reliability of Windows, IBM provides an option for trying Linux on an
Intel platform such as the recently introduced and very scalable x440 servers. To this
IBM adds the ability to move up the food chain to something with
a reputation for being bulletproof -- like a pSeries, iSeries, or zSeries
system. With the partitioning that's available on the bigger iron, IT
shops can consolidate 10 Linux computers into one system so that all of
them can leverage the availability and scalability features of the host.
So where does SuSE fit into the picture? The open source nature of Linux
gives IBM a chance to bend an OS that it doesn't own around its other
intellectual property. This option is not readily available with Windows
or Java. Windows is under the tight grip of Microsoft. Java is theoretically
"bendable" through participation in the Java
Community Process, but that still doesn't compare to how easy it is to get
Linux running on IBM mainframes the way Big Blue wants. Who's going to
argue -- especially when IBM open sources all the code to make it work?
While IBM open sourced the code to run Linux on its various systems, it
doesn't actually sell its own distribution of Linux. IBM has left it up to
other distributors to pick up that open source, incorporate it into their
distributions, and compete by offering something special beyond the code
itself.
SuSE, a German company that both Intel and IBM have small minority stakes
in, does this by offering IBM's customers peace of mind. According to
SuSE's Deck, that peace of mind comes in the form of a "single throat to
choke if something goes wrong." In addition to making sure that Linux is
running smooth as silk on all of IBM's platforms, SuSE also makes sure
that IBM's customers don't mistakenly move their Linux installations out
of lockstep with what's supported by companies like Oracle and SAP. "Considering the
pace at which changes, patches, etc. become available
for Linux, that's easy to do" says Deck. "We make sure that users don't
suddenly find themselves in a situation where they are running enterprise
applications on uncertified versions of Linux -- a situation which would
void their support." Essentially, SuSE is providing a set of very
controlled high-end Linux versions that are guaranteed not to upset the
production environments relying on them.
So, does that clear things up? Is that the sort of strategy and
flexibility you're looking for from a technology partner like IBM? Or are
you waiting to see if Linux gets more traction in the datacenter before
considering it? Talkback or write to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and let me know what
you think.
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Lionel B. Dyck, Systems Software Lead
Kaiser Permanente Information Technology
25 N. Via Monte Ave
Walnut Creek, Ca 94598
Phone: (925) 926-5332 (tie line 8/473-5332)
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sametime: (use Lotus Notes address)
AIM: lbdyck
