By Brian Proffitt
Managing Editor
Linux has been available for IBM’s Power architecture for some
time, but until recently, there has not been an abundance of
Power-ready applications for the 64-bit platform. That, however,
all changed today, with the announcement of WebSphere, DB2, and
Tivoli Security availability for the Power4 processor.
The WebSphere Application Server will now support IBM eServer
pSeries and iSeries machines running both Linux and IBM’s Power4
microprocessor.
IBM is not shy about announcing the potential target of this
expansion onto their native 64-bit architecure, either: they want
Sun Microsystems customers, and they want them bad.
Scott Handy, Director of Linux Software Solutions at IBM, was
very quick to point out this new product combination’s advantages
for BEA customers, particularly those running atop Sun’s Solaris
operating system.
“We can do a lot more tricks with Linux than Sun can do with
their… implementation,” Handy said. He added that migration from
BEA to WebSphere would be very simple, since essentially it would
be just moving from one J2EE environment to another.
WebSphere, Handy explained, “reaffirms IBM’s committment to Java
and to Linux.” This committment to Java has won them a lot of
support for the open-source application development platform, as
Handy maintains that recent market data he has indicates that
WebSphere has passed BEA in the market. Being Java-based allows
more independent software vendors (ISVs) to move their own Java
apps onto WebSphere, which is also helping to boost WebSphere’s
status.
IBM is also touting the new platform’s flexability as a big
selling point, as the Power architecture can be run in a variety of
different combinations. Handy illustrated that the Power4 platform
could run Linux is a single eight-way, two four-ways, four
two-ways, or even eight one-ways. This modularity would easily
allow users to configure multiple instances of WebSphere, or
combinations with DB2 or even AIX partitions.
With Linux and WebSphere, customers can have the flexibility of
using applications across the enterprise on multiple server
platforms and chip architectures as business needs dictate.
Conversely, Microsoft Windows applications can only run on
Intel-based servers, according to a press statement from IBM.
DB2 for Linux on Power4 has actually been out since May 30,
Handy said, though it went out with no announcements from Big Blue.
Although the product really deserved an announcment of its own, it
was Handy’s feeling that DB2 should be revealed in conjunction with
the WebSphere product.
IBM is pushing ahead with Linux on all fronts and architectures,
as it moves into Sun’s market space. “Sun has not really comitted
to Linux like IBM has,” Handy said.
“Linux keeps growing up and we keep pushing it into higher and
higher environments,” he added.
When asked about IBM’s specific plans regarding the upcoming
Linux 2.6 kernel, Handy deferred going into details, though he
emphasized that IBM’s Linux Technology Center would continue to
contribute to the Linux community and IBM’s product line would
still be tested on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux flavors and the
UnitedLinux distributions.
IBM is currently shipping 85 Linux-ready applications, Handy
said, and he was confident that when 2.6 rolled out, each of these
products would be quickly upgraded to that kernel based on their
individual refresh cycles.
WebSphere + Linux + Power will become available in an updated
version of WebSphere Application Server-Version 5.02 — and on IBM
eServer pSeries and iSeries servers on July 15.