“According to the latest release of IDC’s Worldwide
Quarterly Server Tracker, Linux server shipments increased 166% to
72,422 units in Q499 from Q498, representing the fastest- growing
operating environment in the server market.”
“”Even though Linux represents a small portion (approximately
6%) of the entry server market in unit shipments, it will become an
important area of growth within the server market as more and more
branded vendors come out with Linux server offerings and as end
users select Linux servers not just because of price but because of
reliability, availability, and performance as well,” said Hoang
Nguyen, senior research analyst for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly
Server Tracker.”
“In a recent IDC survey of 200 Linux users (Linux Servers:
What’s the Hype, and What’s the Reality? IDC #B21610), the majority
of participants estimated that their Linux servers offered at least
4 9s in availability, which translates to less than one hour of
unexpected downtime per year. The study also found that Linux
servers are overwhelmingly deployed to support Web applications,
such as Web hosting, proxy/caching services, and email. “More than
40% of all spending on Linux servers is for Internet-related
applications. Linux servers are now embedded in the Internet
infrastructure and are strong competition for NT and Unix entry
servers,” said Michelle Bailey, research manager for IDC’s
Commercial Systems and Servers program.”