IBM Saves $250M Running Linux On Mainframes

coondoggie writes "Today IBM will announce it is consolidating nearly 4,000 small computer servers in six locations onto about 30 refrigerator-sized mainframes running Linux, saving $250 million in the process. The 4,000 replaced servers will be recycled by IBM Global Asset Recovery Services. The six data centers currently take up over 8 million square feet, or the size of nearly 140 football fields."

Comments

Proof of Linux's Environmentalist Friendlyness

[flayzernax]

This proves Linux has a smaller carbon footprint then other OS's!

Of course they're saving money

[Trailer Trash]

Because they're using all that Microsoft IP without paying for it....

(it's a joke)

Must be SCO jacked up the rates...

[jkrise]

for AIX on those mainframes! After all, AIX has more Unix IP than Linux, isn't it?

Re:My employer recently 'consolidated' too.

[Anonymous Coward]

You're supposed to turn off and sell off the servers you replace. (Score -1: Obvious).

(Strange thing is, I make a good living replacing aging mainframes by linux clusters. mainframes are fine when you're doing transaction processing. But for cpu-bound stuff, you're better off with a room full of opterons).

Re:2000 sq feet per small computer?

[RuBLed]

Vacuum tubes = costly = takes up large space = less green = it's about time

(I'm so sorry)

Re:$250M??

[brxndxn]

The old servers were Macs?

Re:IBM's been doing this for-ever, dude.

[CodeMunch]

But I did learn about optimizing instruction fetches by scattering the compiled code around the circumference of a magnetic drum so that the drum would have rotated around beneath the read head in time for the next instruction.

Mel?? Is that you?

Re:My employer recently 'consolidated' too.

[Fizzl]

*shiver*
Please don't say that word. I get chills and shivers.
It's been already three years since I had to use it, but even seeing the name of Lotus Notes (AAH, MY FINGERS!) makes me curl up and sob on the floor.
What a great product!