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IBM "Linux Overview" Audiocast
Pahroza writes " Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Vice President, Technology & Strategy IBM Enterprise Systems Group, discusses IBM's overview of Linux.
The presentation will begin on August 8th, 2000, at 11:30 am EST, and will remain viewable afterwards." It's in Real or Windows Media Player - bleah.
http://www.geocities.com/asfrecorder/index.html can capture/rip asf/asx streams. Comes with source, CLI version should compile on Linux I think :)
How long does it take for what was once a grassroots
movement to become a mainstream force?
How long till the world's fastest-growing operating system
becomes the world's most popular operating system?
How long can advocates of closed and proprietary
systems hold the forces of open standards at bay?
How long till your Grandmother is ordering her groceries
over the Web on a system based on Linux?
Maybe she already has.
Today, IBM Netfinity servers lead the industry with the largest selection of Intel processor-based servers that are certified and and supported to run Linux. Only IBM offers this breadth of support and commitment. Not HP, not Compaq. Not anyone.
Every current Netfinity server is able to run your choice of four Leading Linux distributions: Caldera Systems, Red Hat Inc., SuSE AG and TurboLinux. Included with an eligible server purchase, you get the unparalleled IBM Server Start Up Support for 90 days. And IBM supports Linux with a portfolio of key software for e-business, including WebSphere, Lotus Domino, DB2, and Tivoli. Plus a program that validates third-party software applications.
IBM Netfinity delivers the reliability of Linux in a server platform that grows with your business today. And tomorrow. To learn more, visit ibm.com/netfinity/linux
IBM
IBM has always been committed to maximum profitability for minimum costs. A supreme example of this was the AIX operating system, not only did we put very little time into developing it, we put even less time into training the customer support reps.
IBM is proud to announce our new vision for the future. We have already previewed some of this vision with the introduction of the multi-Linux s/390 configuration and the Linux watch. Keep an eye on IBM as we incorporate this free OS into more and more of our systems. What this means to investors is much higher profits as our R&D costs drop. We also expect to see a reducion in the amount of time and money we must expend on our customer support lines as we can now say "It's Linus's Fault."
Steven
-- I have marked myself unwilling to moderate-- I don't have other accounts to artificially inflate the karma of
Here's my notes on the first half hour of the one hour presentation. Sorry these aren't really well formatted. I may have misheard a few things, but I think this is pretty accurate summary:
===========================
- They (IBM) are aggressively embracing Linux, and have been for about 12 months now.
- Linux is very good technology:
very modular
very flexible
- Linux is becoming very popular all over the world, including Asia, Europe
- Linux is great for business solutions - delivering solutions on the appropriate platform.
- Linux is second most popular server operating system by volume, second only to Microsoft, and has achived this very rapidly.
- Linux is expected to become most popular server operating system
- IDC expects Linux to continue to be the fastest growing server operating system.
- IBM expects Linux to be a huge force in the market, and this will attract developers and application development.
- Some discussion of the mllions of servers expected.
- Note that it's hard to predict the growth, just like trying to predict the growth of the internet in 1994.
- IBM expects both volumes and revenues to go up.
Where is Linux most popular?
- Internet types of apps: web servers, ISP's, application service providers
- Very popular with internet companies, and also with large enterprises for internal intranets
Linux activities within IBM:
In the 12 months or so since IBM started seriously working on Linux, they have:
- Linux-enabled just about all IBM platforms,
- ported much of their software to Linux.
- using Linux widely within IBM
Linux Servers
- Majority of Linux use is on servers, specifically PC servers.
- Netfinity servers running Linux are being deployed many places - some examples:
Example 1:
- 250 branches of some insurance broker in the UK, didn't catch the name
Example 2: Millenium Partners
- a NY based security firm
- have consolidated trading floor apps on Linux
- intelligent support for trading on a server. Desks are running IBM "screens" User interface?
Example 3: weather.com
- one of the most heavily trafficed web sites on the net, especially during weather disturbances.
- Needed a web site that could handle very high peak loads, but at a low cost.
- Using an IBM Netfinity cluster.
- They ported their Solaris based system.
- Much more capacity at much lower cost.
Linux on Supercomputers
Example: 256-way cluster in New Mexico
- Small room on 24 racks.
- Peak 275 Gigaflops (375?)
- IBM expects many more research groups to be installing clusters like this
Linux on System 390
- Linux ports to many architechtures
- runs very well on 390 mainframes, called "Linux390".
- Is becoming very popular with system 390 customers
- already 4000 downloads of the code
- Last week, IBM had an InstallFest (virtual community meeting) where 60 customers around the world got the system up and running.
- Customers can designate specific "engines" on a 390 G5 or G6 for linux applications
- This affects pricing for the other applications running on the 390, since pricing is often done by "engine", and the Linux designated engines don't count toward the pricing of the other apps. So no software price penalty for expanding a mainframe, adding engines if they are used for Linux.
- Announced prices for selected software on Linux 390, much closer to prices to other distributed platforms, to encourage customers to use 390s instead of distributed systems.
Some customers planning (are?) using Linux390
- Many customers run mission critical databases on 390s, and web servers on different platforms that talk to the 390.
- This gives network performance problems, and raises security concerns.
- Instead, they put Linux390 on the mainframe and port the web server based apps to the 390.
- Thus the communication is entirely within the mainframe, solving performance and some of the security issues
- Multi-Image facility: special version of VM for Linux gives the ability to run hundreds or thousands of Linux images on a 390. Very simple and effective way to manage all the Linux installations.
- IBM expects Linux390 to be a big part of the future of the 390 mainframes.
IBM's Unix Strategy
- Integrated Linux into Unix strategy, which is basically to have two flavors of Unix:
- AIX for enterprise-class applications for high-availability, scalability, on the RS6000's and other.
- AIX has been ported to IA64, in beta.
- Linux complements AIX for simpler / high volume / distributed / small server applications.
- Linux at the lower end, AIX at the higher end, gives customers the widest range, flexibility, etc.
- To make the strategy coherent, they are working to facilitate porting between the platforms.
- So, they are adding a Linux compatibility layer to AIX to make it as Linux compatible as possible.
- Customer can begin on Linux, and if they later find they need more scalability or reliability, they can recompile to get it onto AIX, for the largest Unix systems in the world.
Linux on Clients, in particular embedded systems.
- TiVo is a good example. Intelligent VCR. Based on IBM powerpc processor, running Linux.
- IBM is working with other companies working on the embedded market (Hard Hat Linux)
- is being tested on the next generation powerpc processors.
- IBM is part of the embedded linux consortium.
- expect that over next few years, Linux will be taking a stronger and stronger role in this space.
Linux Software
- IBM has taken their critical distributed software offerings and made sure they work on Linux, period.
- WebSphere, including the advanced parts for ecommerce3
- Domino runs on Linux
- DB2 runs on Linux
- background messaging stuff
- Tivoli running on Linux
Also Services
- Big opportunity for services.
- Providing technical support, one-stop shopping for services
- cooperating with Linux distributors
- IBM can manage the overall contract, bringing in a particular Linux distributor for their expertise
- As linux becomes more of part of ecommerce, ebusiness, lots of work in linking Linux to other applications.
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I'll post another summary of the next half hour after I've listened to it...
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
"HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
There's some really good stuff in here, especially in the Q and A section.
Perhaps most important part of Linux strategy:
- IBM believes Linux will do for applications what the Internet did for networking.
- providing a common set of interfaces that all application developoers can adapt that will facilitate the development of applications which can be deployed across a variety of platforms
- just like internet standards brought the internet together, Linux and linux standards are going to help develop lots of applications.
- Some of IBM's efforts around Linux apps, working with the community, using tools from IBM and the communiuty to allow a common Linux development platform to emerge.
- target is a world class application development environment.
- Since Linux interfaces can be provided on other platforms like AIX, it is a good development target.
- IBM has put together a Linux developers kit, thousands have been distributed.
- No charge for development use, includes full versions of WebSphere, DB2, Lotus Domino, Visual Age for Java, IBM Java tools, documentation, etc.
- Also a version for Japan.
More efforts around the world.
- A few weeks ago in Europe, announced a major ($200M) effort to assist application developers to port their apps to Linux.
- Development centers around europe with technical help, support, for application dev on IBM servers.
- Software and server specialists
- Once application is ported to Linux, it can be deployed on many platforms.
Community efforts
- established open source community efforts, the Linux Technology Center.
- Open source is better for everyone - customer, developer, etc.
- They have open sourced a number of things, and are planning to open source more.
- As many companies (besides IBM) open source their technology, Linux will become more popular and better.
===============
Q and A session
Q: OS priorities: AIX vs Linux, no mention of Monterey? and, if clustering becomes more sophisticated, will that eliminate the need for AIX on the high end? If Linux accelerates migration to industry standard platforms, what are the implications for IBM's business?
A: Monterey was the effort to convert AIX to 64bit for Power architechture and also IA64. That has been done.
- Responding to market demand for Linux, IBM has integrated Linux into strategy.
- regarding clustering: Clustering on Linux is very good today, good for internet applications, good for supercomputers. This gives "horizontal scalability", using many single, dual, or quad processor machines.
- Where Linux is NOT so good today, and where AIX has the advantage, is to run transaction processing applications - where data must be shared at very high speed, mission critical transactions, and high-level SMP where data must be shared. Linux doesn't do it yet, but the 2.4 kernel will be much better.
- Over time it is possible that Linux will approach the capabilities of enterprise. If so, the enterprise stuff from AIX might be migrated to Linux.
- There is a lot more to an enterprise solution than just the kernel.
- This may take several years, and that's why they are continuing their work with AIX.
- This strategy will adjust in the future as Linux progresses.
- Yes, Linux is an excellent example of the industry moving to standards.
- This started with the Internet, and now others like XML, SOAP, are other examples. Linux is part of this.
- This is important becayse it is only by embracing standards that we will be able to build the applications required by their customers. (ebusiness, etc.)
- Market is embracing standards,
- IBM is happy with this because they make their money selling hardware, middleware, and services.
- As more of that hardware, middleware, services is supporting standards, you can build bigger and bigger solutions, and it's good for IBM's business.
Question 2:
Q: re incremental opportunity for Linux. To what extent is Linux demand incremental, vs. displacing other operating systems?
A: It is early in the process, so hard to tell. However, he believes that Linux will cause a big expansion in the market. Includes an expansion in the number of products, including consumer products that will integrate IT technology. The TIVO is a good example. - computer tech is going further into consumer electronics, telecommunications, and others. All those consumer appliances can become network applicances. Believe the IT industry is going to grow - the more devices you connect, the more services you need, bigger services.
Clearly the growth of Linux will also come by displacing existing legacy systems, but this will not be as significant as the incremental growth.
Question 3:
Q: (1) re Linux kernel: existing kernel is "long in the tooth", how to we get the predicted commitment to Linux without more visibility on when the next kernel will arrive and what it's capabilities will be?
(2) re revenue growth rate: in Linux server market - the real opportunity in the market may be embedded systems, with money to be made on management.
A: (1) regarding the kernel being "long in the tooth". Operating systems are like fine wine - they need time to mature. The more mature they are, the better they get in the sense of quality, scalability. THe best operating systems in the world, they are not that young. Compared to them, Linux is actually quite young! (comments on early development of kernel by Linus, etc.) In 1998, 1999, it hit the big time. Kind of like TCP/IP. It had been around for a long time, used by the research community, until it hit the big time in 94/95.
The next version of Linux, 2.4, is scheduled to come out this fall, deploying next year, higher levels on SMP, concurrency, etc. The community is working on this, IBM's tech center is trying to help the community. Other vendors like Silicon Graphics, are also contributing, this makes Linux better and better for applicances, desktops, as well as larger and larger servers.
2. Regardiung the explosion of linux appliances. IBM views this as a wonderful business opportunity. They need technology and they need services. Technology like microprocessors, very small storage devices, analog stuff like integrated circuits for communications. This is driving IBM's tech business. Then they need integration services, this feeds the software business. A lot of work on WebSphere is dedicated to support of pervasive devices. The more of them you have out there, the more you need stuff like WebSpere on systems like the 390.
Services is the biggest part of the e-business opportunity. 60% of the revenue. 5% is hardware, the rest is software, more or less.
Big opportunity. If you have 10 billions of chatty little devices each doing lots of transactions, that's the kind of load that will keep the system 390 mainframes busy. Theres a lot of demand for server capacity.
Middlewhere is also a big part of the equation. A big part of WebSphere is targeted to this.
Question 4.
Q: IBM is working with many distributors. Do you see a possibility of Linux fragmenting, and if so, do you see a possibility of IBM providing their own version of Linux?
A: We are working primarily with the 4 major worldwide distributers: Red Hat, TurboLinux, SUSE, and Caldera.
And we do different things with each. Suse does the system 390, for example. Suse is big in europe, while Turbo is big in Asia. Red Flag Linux is the biggest in China. Mandrake is big in France, and on the desktop. Hard Hat Linux is big on embedded devices. So, over 150 distributors. They don't need IBM to be a distributor. They are better off working with distributors to integrate the whole system for their customers.
If the problem is in the Linux kernel, IBM can get together with the appropriate distributors.
There is an organization called the Free Standard Group, and just about all the major distributors are part of it and are committed to avoiding fragmentation. Look at other efforts like XML - the industry is doing well for keeping things together.
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
"HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox