IBM Links Linux To Midmarket
Its push in that direction continues today. This summer, Big Blue expanded its Linux reach with a technology solution it is heralding for midrange computing and application-development needs. The solution is anchored by a new version of its J2EE-based WebSphere Application Server (v. 5.02), which comes atop Linux and, for the first time, runs on the company's pSeries and iSeries servers.
For several years, IBM has offered Linux on its Intel and mainframe servers; this latest move signals its desire to shore up the middle. "We call it our triple play," says Bob Sutor, director of WebSphere infrastructure software at IBM, of the new product combination. "What you get in this offering is flexibility...you can choose to run the applications that you have where it makes the most sense."
For partners, the hardware/software configuration offers more options to sell into organizations with a heterogeneous IT infrastructure. It also addresses the need to scale applications beyond the capabilities of Intel-based Linux servers, but stops short of requiring the muscle of the mainframe, according to IBM officials.
Sutor says the combination should appeal to companies that are running Web-server farms or developing distributed, Web-based applications for a Linux environment that also demand fast I/O throughput and processing speed. Some solution providers agree.
"That kind of solution works great for ASPs," says Kevin Carlson, founder of ISV and outsourcer Verteris, which develops applications and services for the legal and financial industries. "These systems are the old AS/400s, and that lets you run several different instances of Linux at once. Plus you get WebSphere and the ability to use some open-source tools. It's good for hosting companies."
Sutor contends that the troika of Java-based app-dev platform, open-source OS and midrange-server solution packs a punch that other vendors don't deliver. Sun, for example, possesses the J2EE app-server and midrange hardware power, but only offers Linux on its lower-end, Intel-based servers. For mid- to high-end needs, solution providers must go with Unix as the OS. And Microsoft, of course, doesn't offer J2EE or Linux at all.
Linux is gaining ground as a server OS choice in a variety of industries, particularly as companies seek to run their applications on lower-cost hardware or across an infrastructure made up of a patchwork of OSs and systems. Sutor says IBM is seeing a lot of Linux traction among financial-services firms, which tend to be early adopters of newer technologies and place a high premium on scalability and performance. Other key areas include manufacturing, as well as the government sector.
Carolyn A. April ([email protected]) is senior writer at VARBusiness.