SuSE Linux Debuts On IBM X/390, Offering True Cross Platform Support
May 17th, 23:44 UTC
SuSE Linux Continues To Lead Linux Adaptation For The Enterprise
May 17, 2000 -- SuSE Linux, the international technology leader and solution provider in open
source operating system (OS) software, today announced the porting of SuSE
Linux OS on the IBM S/390 hardware platform. The first Beta version of SuSE
Linux for IBM's S/390 platform (presented at the Vista 2000 Conference) will
be available for download from SuSE's FTP server
(ftp://ftp.suse.com/) in late June. The
release of the production version is scheduled for the autumn.
With the S/390 platform, IBM's mainframe architecture forms the backbone for
business data and transaction servers. Mission-critical applications for
enterprise systems that require the traditional strength of the S/390 platform
- unmatched in reliability, security, scalability and availability - can
operate on SuSE Linux for S/390, complemented by other new
applications built to run on Linux.
SuSE, with the first worldwide, truly cross platform Linux distribution on
the S/390, has taken a decisive step to enhance Linux
as a relevant server operating system in the business space. The independent
International Data Corporation (IDC) found the market share for Linux servers
rose from 16% to 25% within the last year.
The S/390 architecture allows configuring logical partitions on a single
machine wherein different operating systems (OS/390, VM/ESA, VSE/ESA) can
run independently of each other. This partitioning means businesses can adopt
SuSE Linux while maintaining their current OS environment. SuSE's
interoperability easily allows professional users to also run SuSE Linux
S/390 in parallel with traditional OS's. Enterprise users can use standard
Internet applications, such as Apache or Sendmail without giving up their
traditional host OS/390.
In addition to the Intel platform, SuSE Linux also runs on PowerPCs and
Alpha processors. SuSE's availability on the S/390 facilitates and unifies
platform interoperability and system administration tasks in the
heterogeneous network. At the same time, it minimises the expenditure for
development or acquisition of new products.
"IBM welcomes and advocates SuSE's commitment to provide overall Linux
support for S/390," comments Tom Rosamilia, Vice President, IBM S/390
Software Development. "From our ThinkPads to the S/390 mainframes, the
variety of SuSE Linux supported platforms offers unique opportunities to
IBM customers under the roof of a standardized open source operating
system.
"Today, our special thanks are addressed to the S/390 technicians. In
cooperation with the developers of SuSE Labs, they created a functional
Linux basis for the S/390 in the shortest imaginable time, " explains Dirk
Hohndel, CTO of SuSE Linux AG in Germany. "With SuSE Linux for the S/390,
we establish Linux as a cost-effective and reliable alternative to the top
tier of operating systems, Unix. Now Linux is a major league player in the
enterprise server environment and in business critical data processing."
About SuSE:
SuSE, with a workforce of over 350 people, is one of the leading
international Linux companies. SuSE has offices in Germany,
the UK, Czech Republic, the US and Italy. SuSE Linux is used by more than
50,000 business customers worldwide due to its stability and high quality.
SuSE offers an extensive range of qualified consulting and support services
for using Linux in a business environment, as well as commercial Linux
software and complete Linux systems. SuSE contributes considerably to Linux
development projects such as the Linux kernel, glibc, XFree86[tm], KDE,
ISDN4Linux, ALSA (AdvancedLinux Sound Architecture) and USB (Universal Serial
Bus).
For further information about SuSE:
http://www.suse.co.uk or email:
info@suse.co.uk
For more information please contact:
Rupert Warwick or Liz Aistrop
Fox Parrack Hirsch
Threeways House
40-44 Clipstone Street
London
W1P 7EA
Tel: 020 7436 4336
Fax: 020 7436 4224
Email: rwarwick@fphcom.com
laistrop@fphcom.com
(Submitted by Martin Pitts of Linux Today)
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