“Running Linux on mainframes could help enterprises extend their
data workhorses into a platform for e-business. While mainframes
are the heart of many e-businesses, the ability to port Linux to
IBM’s System 390 could breed a new class of applications, while
giving many shops extended utilization of the systems.”
“Analysts said running Linux on the S/390 offers several
potential benefits. The most tangible is moving tasks such as Web,
file and print serving to the mainframe, which would consolidate
servers and take advantage of spare processing cycles on the
mainframe, said Pierre Fricke, an analyst at consultancy D.H. Brown
& Associates.”
“Performance won’t be limited by network bandwidth,” Fricke
said. “Now you’ve got memory-channel bandwidth, which in the 390 is
legendary.” The software and back-end connectors IBM is
offering are the keys to running e-commerce transactions on the
mainframe, he said. “With Websphere on Linux along with connectors
to data on OS/390, you’ve got a very interesting foundation for
e-business and b-to-b transactions,” Fricke added.”