Linux Supplement:

TURBOLINUX RELEASES z/Linux 6.5 FOR IBM zSeries AND S/390

Turbolinux, a leading provider of Linux distributions for enterprise and Internet infrastructure, announced the release of its z/Linux 6.5 for IBM zSeries servers. Re-hosting enterprise middle-tier applications on z/Linux running under z/VM (Virtual Machine) combines the uptime of Linux with the unified management, monitoring and control inherent in z/VM that far exceeds any operating environment found on distributed systems. Even the largest enterprises can exploit the superior reliability that results, while also reaping tremendous cost savings from consolidating from dozens of servers to one machine.

"Our customers increasingly demand flexible industrial-strength infrastructures upon which to run their businesses -- Turbolinux z/Linux 6.5 on IBM eServer zSeries computers provides all this and more," said Ly-Huong Pham, CEO of Turbolinux. "Leveraging z/VM, the mainframe can be partitioned into hundreds of 'virtual servers,' each running an application independently. Businesses can exploit an architecture designed for high-availability to reduce costs without sacrificing server autonomy -- gaining an edge in a competitive marketplace."

Mainframe Power And 24 x 7 Support

IBM and Turbolinux recognize that customers wanting to run Linux on the mainframe need both VM and Linux skills. "We wanted to ease the concerns of Linux and z/VM administrators," said Hervey Allen, systems engineer at Turbolinux. "A company wanting to adopt Linux for its mainframe or, conversely, wanting to consolidate client/servers onto an S/390 or zSeries machine, can rely on Turbolinux's integrated VM and Linux support. Through a strategic partnership with Sytek Services, a premier VM consulting firm, Turbolinux is able to provide 24 x 7 support from a single point of contact and responsibility. And we offer more than just find/fix support -- including hands-on systems and performance assurance as well as update and application counseling."

z/Linux includes much more than a Linux distribution. The Services Delivery Option (SDO) offers a custom z/Linux installation on VM distributed via tape. Customers receive a fully-loaded tape that is easily copied to their own z/VM environment for immediate use. This instant deployment means that Linux administrators need not learn VM and that VM systems programmers are not forced to learn Linux to get the z/Linux environment functioning quickly. In addition, Turbolinux will provide full support and the SDO to S/390 users who have installed different Linux distributions, such as SuSE.

Simple, Complete, Manageable and Production-Ready

With a unified console for all administrative tasks, systems administrators are able to deploy, monitor, and manage all Linux images from a single screen. Configuring and deploying each completely new Linux environment to run under VM requires a few simple commands, taking a few minutes to create, allowing administrators to create new servers on-demand and deploy on the fly without the need to purchase and configure new hardware.

z/Linux running under z/VM reduces the skills and time required for tuning, because any of the resources allocated to a virtual machine, like CPU cycles, can be changed on the fly. Plus, the huge headache of software distribution and versioning is solved. Only one copy of each application is required, supporting 100 or more 'virtual servers'.

VM is a production-ready operating system, having been available for over 30 years. Customers can confidently host Linux applications knowing that it is a safe and secure environment.

Economies of Scale

The total cost of ownership for a traditional server farm with 3500 - 7500 discrete systems is approximately $1500 per square foot, per month and requires 20,000 square feet in order to house all the equipment. But, a server farm running z/Linux on an S/390 can house up to thousands of systems in just 400 square feet. Compared to a distributed solution, the initial investment can be as little as one-tenth, with ongoing costs as little as one-third.

Applications Available Today

There is a wealth of applications available for the S/390 mainframe and most customers will find that all their current middle tier applications can be re-hosted to Linux with minimal effort.

About Turbolinux Inc

Founded in 1992, Turbolinux develops Linux-based software solutions for Internet and enterprise computing infrastructure, including reliable, available and scalable operating systems for workstations and servers and software clustering solutions for computing traffic management and peer-to-peer distributed computing. Backed by more than $95 million in investments from some of the world's leading technology companies, including Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, NEC, Novell, Oracle, SGI and Toshiba, Turbolinux is headquartered near San Francisco with offices around the world. For more information, visit the Turbolinux Web site at www.turbolinux.com.

Contact Moira Campbell, Upstart Communications, 510-457-3133, mcampbell@upstart.com.