“The Linux operating system is about to gain several eagerly
awaited improvements in performance and scalability that should
make it a more viable enterprise operating system. But analysts say
some key features will still be missing.”
“The kernel’s key advances include improved support for multiple
processors and better memory utilization. However, a journaling
file system-an important part of leading Unix systems that
preserves data in the event of a crash-is unlikely to be part of
the new kernel, analysts said.”
“The 2.4 kernel’s increased support for symmetric
multiprocessing should let the OS take advantage of eight-processor
servers as well as improve its performance on four-way systems,
said Tony Iams, an analyst at D.H. Brown Associates. … The new
kernel also is expected to let the OS utilize more than 4 GB of
system memory on Intel-architecture servers. … “There’s a fair
amount of headroom on the Intel architecture that Linux isn’t quite
capable of exploiting yet,” Iams said. “If the SMP range and memory
range are there, those will be very important in boosting the
scalability of the system.”