• silicon.com
• Technology
• Hardware

By Sonya Rabbitte, 25 January 2002 16:55

NEWS Open source computing has been given a boost from IBM after it unveiled its first range of Linux servers - a move Big Blue claims will make mainframes "fun" and simpler to use. The two new servers, the eServer iSeries for small businesses and the eServer zSeries for mainframe, could replace traditional server racks, and reduce server maintenance costs, by allowing users to consolidate numerous servers onto one Linux machine. The zSeries can consolidate a minimum of 20, and up to hundreds, of servers - including those from IBM competitors such as Dell, Microsoft and Sun. The iSeries can consolidate up to 15 servers. While IBM has offered Linux as an operating system on its servers for some time, this is the first pre-packaged solution from the company. Fifty new customers opted for Linux-based supercomputers last year, and IBM hopes to build on that with the new offering, said Doug Neilson, eServer zSeries consultant with the company. While large server farms are the main customer target for the zSeries, IBM is also hoping that the simple configuration process of the new Linux server will attract customers previously put off mainframes because of their perceived complexity. IBM's Neilson said: "It is already reinventing the mainframe. There is the fun proposition of Linux and there's a lot of excitement surrounding it." IBM says its zSeries has been the fastest growing server platform within the company, and the only one to post five consecutive quarters of growth. Linux already accounts for 11 per cent of computing capacity - as measured in millions of instructions per second - it shipped in its last quarter. Chris Ingle, research analyst with IDC, said the new servers would give more weight to IBM's existing Linux offerings. "This is intended to make it clear that IBM is strongly behind Linux. Packaged offerings such as these should give even more reassurance to IT buyers who are considering Linux," he said. The zSeries should sell for about $400,000 while the smaller iSeries will cost $50,000.