Linux on the System z: Which Linux is
Right for You?
A profile of Linux distribution partners.
April 2006 | by Ed Gauthier
In early 2000, customers became aware
that Linux* was able to run on IBM* mainframe computers. With their
reliability, security, and scalability, coupled with their suite of virtualization
features and functions, customers saw mainframes as an ideal place to run multiple
Linux servers to make more efficient use of their computing resource.
Customers began experimenting with
early adopter, no charge versions of the operating system that were available
from Marist College in Poughkeepsie N.Y. However, when customers wanted to use
Linux on their mainframes to support business applications, they started
looking for commercial distributions, backed by quality vendors to entrust with
their mission critical workloads.
IBM System z* is fortunate to have
the support of two premier Linux distributors. Novell* SuSE and Red Hat* offer
System z customerscustomers quality engineering, a variety of support options,
and timely updates to their versions of Linux to help customers get the most
out of their mainframes while supporting Linux applications.
Which brings us to the question that
most customers ask when they are planning to use Linux on a mainframe to host a
business application: "Which one is right for me?"." With that
in mind, IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition, approached IBM distribution partners
Novell SuSE and Red Hat and asked them to prepare a short description of their companies,
their commitment to Linux on mainframes, features, and anything else they thought
IBM customers would like to know to make their decision easier. We were pleased
to get responses from both. We'll begin with a few words about Red Hat from
Mark Spencer - a Red Hat solutions architect - and we'll move on to Ray
Lazarine - product marketing manager for NovellSuSE.
Mark Spencer on Red Hat
Red Hat has long been a player on
IBMon IBM mainframe platforms. Since the turn of the Milenium, Red Hat has been committed
to providing a stable open source platform on the mainframe. From the S/390*
platform, and continuing on to today's System z architecture, Red Hat has continued to provide a
platform for the delivery of mission-critical applications. This is manifest in Red Hat's
commitment to a unified code-base, a cornerstone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux
stability and predictability. This means that Red Hat uses the same source code to deliver Red Hat Enterprise
Linux on a System z9* as it does on an X86 or X86_64 platform.
Red Hat is dedicated to delivering a predictable
Linux platform for mission-critical application deployment. Through it's
partnership with IBM, as well as the ISV community, Red Hat has become identified with Linux. This
partnership provides a proven Linux computing environment clients have come to
expect from IBM and Red Hat.
By utilizing the same Linux operating system as
used in the distributed computing environment, clients can further lower their
total cost of ownership (TCO) by taking advantage of the fact that they only
need to train systems administrators on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, rather than
multiple operating systems. This focus on a single operating systems allows clients to develop highly-skilled
systems administrators who are capable of running Red Hat Enterprise Linux on
whichever platform their business requires.
In addition to its hardware commitment, Red Hat
delivers a full solution stack to System z platforms, including software that
allows for the virtualization of storage. Red Hat's Global File System (GFS) allows multiple nodes to share
a single file-system, in with both read and write capabilities. This allows for
the deployment of clustered database-based applications, as well as enabling
the clustering of other services such as NFS.
Not long ago - and even continuing today - the
big buzz-term in our industry was was "open source." Conventional wisdom
stated that, as a consultant, you asked your clients not if they were using
open source software in their environment, but where. Today, clients are asking
about virtualization. They are keenly aware of virtualized servers and are
starting to become more aware of the possibilities of virtualized storage as
well. They strive to maximize their technology investments while lowering their
computational costs.
Many Red Hat customers are examining ways to
continue to scale their environments. Again, conventional wisdom drives them to take
advantage of grid computing methodology. This is the so-called
"scale-out" or "distributed" model. In such a model, the
reasoning goes, if you need more computational horse-power, you simply add more
nodes to your grid. The obvious rebuttal to this methodology is that each
additional node requires incrementally more power and cooling, as well as adding
to the administrative overhead. These three items contribute directly to a rise
in the TCO of the solution, while keeping the return on investment (ROI)
constant.
The opposing methodology of "scale-out"
is "scale-up" where, by adding more workloads to existing
computational resources, clients can raise the ROI of their computing
investments. The more work a single node can accomplish with the same power,
cooling and administrative overhead, the TCO lowers, but the ROI rises.
However, many clients have valid concerns about "having all of their eggs
in one basket".
Fortunately, IBM and Red Hat have the a solution
which will allow clients to take advantage of both "scale up" and
"scale out" methodologies, with the combined effect of lowering the
client's TCO, while raising their ROI.
Taking advantage of IBM's built-in virtualization
technology, z/VM on IBM's System z architecture allows clients to not only
"scale out", implementing many virtual nodes within the z/VM*
environment, but it allows them to "scale up", driving up the
utilization rates of their existing hardware investment. This has the
net combined effect of lowering the TCO of the solution, all-the-while
increasing ROI.
A good example leveraging mainframe
virtualization strength is the use of IBM's HiperSockets that allows that allows fast
communications between the virtualized nodes, without having to change the
guest kernel at all. This allows for the creation of solutions with massive throughput, allowing for the
creation of highly-scalable deployments of enterprise applications.
Ray Lazarine on Novell
Novell, Inc., founded in 1983, is a provider of
infrastructure software and services to over 50,000 customers in 43 countries.
With more than 20 years of experience in data center, workgroup and desktop
solutions, the 6,000 Novell employees, 5,000 partners and support centers
around the world are meeting customer requirements for identity-driven
computing and Linux solutions. By providing enterprise-class software and
support for commercial and open source software, Novell delivers increased
operating flexibility and choice at a lower total cost of ownership.
Novell entered the Linux market through its
acquisition of Ximian (Linux desktop software vendor) in 2003, and SUSE* Linux,
one of the leading enterprise Linux companies, in January of 2004, and
ultimately bringing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to the market.
Novell began shipping SUSE LINUX Enterprise
Server 9 in August of 2004. Since then, we've been hearing from our customers
and partners that SUSE Linux is a strong foundation for open source computing
in the enterprise.
Some of the key features of SUSE LINUX Enterprise
Server 9 include:
· Common
Criteria Evaluation Assurance 4+ certification, the highest security certification
level available today
· SUSE
LINUX Enterprise Server 9 also Enablingenables you customers to deploy
mission-critical applications by including scalability, reliability,
performance, and clustering services
· All
Complete supported on of IBM's System z9 platforms
· Our Linux
platform also includes Rrobust platform support for Linux applications delivered
by third party ISVs
Novell and IBM have been working together for
years on enabling the IBM mainframe IBM mainframe platform to run Linux. Our
partnership has resulted in a growing acceptance of SUSE Linux as a primary operating system of
choice for mainframe customers. In fact, customers are now able to deploy SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server on IBM's zSeries System z platform, to leverage
capabilities in the areas of:
· Business
Resilliency, including high availability, disaster recovery, serviceability, reliability,
Hiperswap, XRC and PPRC
· Security,
including privacy, regulatory requirements, identity management, zSeries* hardware
quality of services, ethical hacking by research, HiperSockets and, as mentioned,
Common Criteria Certification
Novell and IBM are now working together to
support the launch of Novell's next release of the SUSE Linux platform, SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server 10, scheduled for availability in the second quarter of
2006. Planning is now under way between Novell and the IBM zSeries System z
team to execute joint marketing campaigns that will drive further adoption of SUSE
Linux and the zSeries platform in the datacenter.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 is a secure,
reliable and flexible server operating system for enterprise computing. Backed by Novell with a
seven-year lifecycle guarantee, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 offers improved
performance and scalability, comprehensive open
source functionality, enhanced virtualization capabilities and support for a
broad range of software applications and hardware platforms, including IBM's
System z.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
platform is created using a Novell development and testing methodology - Autobuild
- which ensures that all Linux software code that Novell releases meeting meets
strict technical standards for reliability and integrity. Using AutoBuild,
Novell is able to create and deliver important software updates in hours,
rather than days or weeks. AutoBuild also allows Novell to create SUSE Linux
Enterprise for multiple platforms simultaneously. As a result, you can create a
more efficient IT infrastructure because you will run the same Linux operating
system on your mainframes, grids, clusters, workstations and desktop systems.
Novell's AutoBuild methodology
ensures that you can deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 on all of the most
important hardware architectures used in business with confidence, including
the System z platform from IBM.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 also
provides open application programming interfaces (APIs) and other development
tools that simplify Linux integration and customization. As a result,
businesses can lower operational costs across servers, increase computing
utilization, and protect corporate data.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 helps
enterprises reduce cost, improve system performance and increase flexibility
through a combination of software and services designed for today's mainframe
requirements in the data center. It also provides an open foundation for a
variety of server workloads, including enterprise database deployment, line of
business applications, and mission-critical software applications.
With SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and
IBM System z9, customers can build the data center of the future - today.
For Additional Information
Novell and Red Hat are IBM's
Strategic Alliance Partners for Linux and - in collaboration with IBM
developers and our Linux Technology Center - have each earned the respect of
IBM customers and have established
themselves as leaders in delivering commercial Linux distributions. For further
information about Red Hat Linux, visit www.redhat.com, and for
more information about Novell SUSE
Linux, visit www.novell.com.
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