LINUX EVOLVES AS THE DATABASE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO GROW
by Jeff Jones, IBM Data Management Solutions
The speed at which the concept of e-business is evolving is perhaps most
dramatically reflected in the accelerating acceptance of the Linux operating
system in commercial business environments. Companies, particularly large
ones, must simultaneously deal with increasing IT user populations, exploding
amounts of electronic business information, and integration of new (Linux) and
existing (OS/390) applications. With the delivery of DB2 Universal Database
(DB2 UDB) for Linux on S/390 and zSeries servers in December 2000, IBM enables
companies to take best advantage of their enterprise information assets in
this time of rapid change.
For large customers, the attraction to DB2 UDB for Linux on S/390 and zSeries
has several components. First on many IT professionals' minds are reliability
and high availability. IBM brings together three systems with sterling
reputations in this area: S/390 and the new zSeries servers (the hardware),
Linux itself (the operating system), and DB2 Universal Database (the database
management software). Uniting these strengths is possible now for the first
time.
A second attraction is cost-effectiveness, particularly for customers with a
prior investment in S/390. S/390 and zSeries systems can be partitioned into
a large number of small Linux systems each running DB2. Application workloads
across many smaller servers can be consolidated onto a single operating
platform. Any existing capacity on a S/390 server can be used, so additional
hardware expenditures are not required necessarily. The open source nature of
Linux and its cost-effective distributions from partners like SuSE and
TurboLinux add to the equation. DB2 UDB for Linux is priced on S/390 and
zSeries just as it is on Intel-based servers, providing more savings.
For some, the attraction is both reliability and cost-effectiveness. "By
porting to DB2 Universal Database on Linux for S/390, we have achieved the
level of reliability and stability necessary for running highly available
applications in an environment that demonstrates close to 100 percent up-time.
And because many of our staff are already familiar with the Linux platform, we
have decreased training costs and time considerably," said Art Weeks,
Production Services Manager of County of San Mateo, California.
A third attraction is the ease with which existing and new applications and
information can be woven together to provide new e-business capabilities.
Existing applications on DB2 for OS/390 that are required to run a business
can simply and quickly share information with new applications emerging on
Linux, all on the same S/390 or zSeries server, thanks to DB2 Connect software
available with DB2 UDB on Linux. Customers of IBM's IMS database system can
also share information with Linux applications via the new IMS Connect
feature.
"We can consolidate most our Web applications and eliminate the need for
costly Windows NT servers. And...our connectivity speeds between the
applications and the data have increased significantly," said a spokesperson
from Grede Foundries Inc.
The convergence of increasing demand for information, of growing acceptance
for Linux, of availability of IBM's DB2 Universal Database for Linux on S/390
and zSeries servers, and of support from business partners and independent
software vendors provides an unprecedented occasion for enterprises to grow
rapidly and excel.
DB2 Universal Database (DB2 UDB) for Linux:
DB2 for Linux Timeline
- December 2000 -- IBM first delivers DB2 for Linux on S/390 and zSeries
servers (DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1)
- December 2000 -- IBM first delivers DB2 for Linux on clusters of
Intel-based servers (DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1)
- September 2000 -- IBM first delivers DB2 for embedded Linux (DB2
Everyplace
Version 7.1)
- July 1999 -- IBM first delivers DB2 for Linux on Intel-based servers
(DB2
Universal Database Version 6.1)
About the author:
Jeff Jones is senior program manager in IBM Data Management Solutions, the
home of DB2 Universal Database. He serves as a spokesperson for IBM's data
management software portfolio to the customer, press, and industry analyst
communities in addition to serving on the editorial board of directors for DB2
Magazine. He has twenty-one years technical, staff and managerial experience
with IBM. Prior to his current position, Jeff was a brand manager for IBM's
data replication and database systems management middleware. He has also
served in the DB2 for OS/390 product group, in IBM's Research Division on
experimental engineering graphics and analysis projects, and on engineering
and logistics application projects for IBM Storage Systems. Jeff is located
at IBM's Silicon Valley Laboratory in San Jose, California.
Contact Kim Kent, Brodeur Worldwide for IBM Software, 617-587-2848,
kkent@brodeur.com.
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