Linux Support Services Shoot-out and Analysis

securitas writes: "ZDNet has posted a huge article comparing and analyzing 12 Linux support services. It's 19 pages long plus tables! Happy reading!" Useful stuff, since a lot of companies want to make sure they've got someone to call if things go wrong.

Comments

It's a start

[why-is-it]

I work for a large multinational tech company, and there has been considerable resistance to Linux because of the support issue. If we install an RS/6000 with AIX, IBM will support the hardware and software issues. Same with Sun hardware and Solaris. But the management is not sure who we would go to if we built some Linux servers and we needed some critical patches. Worse still, if we uncovered a bug in the OS, who would fix it for us, and how long would it take.

This is a start. There are companies out there who will support Linux for corporate accounts. The fact that a fairly mainstream website is posting this sort of information is an aid in getting the PHBs to believe that Linux is supported and ready for the corporate environment.

All we need now, is a fork of Linux that is specifically designed to run on enterprise-class servers and scales to be able to handle the amount of memory and resources that these servers have.

Re:It's a start

[the_2nd_coming]

All we need now, is a fork of Linux that is specifically designed to run on enterprise-class servers and scales to be able to handle the amount of memory and resources that these servers have.

IBM is actualy porting Linux to its rs6000s and other enterprise servers. hopefully, work will be done in a year or so, and next time you buy a new server, you will get an RS6000 with linux from IBM, and supported from IBM.

BTW tell your PHBs to contact Red Hat and ask them the questions they are wondering about such as support turn around, and OS bug fixes.
I bet they will find that RH takes care of its large customers very quickly. and let them know that if they find a bug in the OS, RH will most likely give them a patch in a day or so, though I will let RH tell you, don't take that as gosple

This is good.

[Valar]

The most common comment I hear when I sugguest a linux solution is that there is no support, therefore once it is broken, it is broken. While this is simply wrong, bug business thinks that tech support people are magicians, who are the only ones that can fix computers (and not only that: THEY FIX IT THROUGH THE PHONE, WHOA). This is a excellent way to show business that they can still get a great operating system real cheap, AND there will be a group that has their backs if something goes wrong.

Correction

[ReelOddeeo]

Useful stuff, since a lot of companies want to make sure they've got someone to call if things go wrong.

Useful stuff, since a lot of companies want to make sure they've got someone to sue if things go wrong.

Common misconception.

[Jerky McNaughty]

Go read the license agreements for software you buy. They disclaim any and all responsibility if things go bad. When you buy a piece of commercial software, e.g. MS Office, you get no warranty that it will even work as advertised. It can delete all files on your hard drive, email they out to anyone, cease to function, whatever. You can't sue anybody.

Tough.

There is no documented case of anyone ever winning a lawsuit because commercial software sucked.

Separating vendors

[Anonymous Coward]

Separating vendors like Dell from Linuxcare is a bit misleading, since Linuxcare IS Dell's Linuxcare support arm. Linuxcare answers the phones on behalf of Dell and Sun's Helpdesk for Linux and Solaris calls. You can merge those two together in the table shown on that page.