>>> On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 6:52 PM, in message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Alan Cox <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Cost savings. On discrete boxes (Intel or LPAR) run multiple applications >> on > one Linux. Adding >> another box costs money. Adding an application to an existing box costs > zero. On virtual systems >> (z/VM or VMware) run one application per Linux. It doesn't cost anything to > define > > 2GB PC systems cost what $500 ? thats "no cost" in most books. I really
We're not talking about PC class equipment, but server class. Much more than $500. Even so, that's not the main cost factor, it's software licenses. Oracle, WebSphere, DB2, etc., are all big ticket items that are licensed by processor. Installing multiple ones on a virtual machine on the mainframe provides isolation as well as license savings. > don't think cost is the big factor - managability is a big big concern > and the cost trade offs of managing virtual systems versus a new PC or > two apps per PC (remembering PC tools and admins are not used to > virtualisation) almost instantly override it. That's why we use automation and commercial management tools as much as possible, when they're available. We tend to get anywhere up to 100 servers per admin ratios in that environment. If you divide up the tasks relating to virtualization and assign them to the z/VM folks, then the Linux admins don't have to worry about it so much. > Also most PC systems are running environments where the failure case is > "nuisance", "oh bother", "can someone reboot it" not "million dollars an > hour". That dramatically changes the view and management of risk > neccessary for those systems. I have yet to run into a case where Linux on z/VM was being used for such applications. It seems that most CEOs/CIOs are taking the position that if they're going to deploy on that platform, they expect enormous returns on investment. So, the applications that are being deployed are very important, and downtime for them is very expensive. Mark Post ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
