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Slashdot Talks WIth IBM Power Systems GM Doug Balog (Video)
Yesterday we had a story titled 'IBM Gearing Up Mega Power 8 Servers For October Launch.' In the intro Timothy wrote, '...watch for a video interview with Balog on how he's helping spend the billion dollars that IBM pledged last year on open source development.' This is that video, and in it Balog tells us how much IBM loves Linux and open source, and how they're partnering with multiple distros, recently including Ubuntu. So get ready for Power 8 servers in October. IBM is pushing them like mad -- especially in the Linux/FOSS realm. (Alternate Video Link)
They're so cute and cuddly, and they make great pets because they don't eat much.
Can I buy a 1U or 2U fully loaded POWER8 system with AIX and have the compilers included for $2,000 USD, YES OR NO?
If the answer is anything but "yes", forget it.
As the video won't play (even alt link), i want to ask:
Any plans for [somewhat] affordable Power8 workstations that can run AIX and some limited PowerVM (something like IntelliStation POWER 285 where you can have 2 LPARs)
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flash is nothing more than Powerpoint with a bad copy of javascript.
To the bridge of Khazad-dum!
Oh, you said BALOG...
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
I just wanted to say that I was pleasantly surprised that this guy seems relatively buzzword free and seems to know his stuff. Obviously he has his corporate agenda, but I would really like more higher-ups in big companies to do interviews like this.
Can you buy *ANY* prebuilt, 1U or 2U system, commercial, fully loaded, for that price? I didn't think so.
Also, if you want to cheap out on compilers, GCC is a perfectly valid option on AIX.
I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
It makes sense... we know that the Nazgul come from IBM, why not the Balog?
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Yep. A lot of entry-level systems start at around $500 to $1000.
Link?
Matt
How about supporting open source besides fifty shades of the same thing? Like, porting one or more *BSDs to POWER 8?
There really is more to open source OSes than just "linux", you know.
Good God, I really hope that there is a POWER8 AIX workstation, and that it's reasonably affordable. I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have a system like that on my desk.
Linux is good, but AIX is far more robust and powerful. AIX is UNIX Done Right. It's the kind of UNIX that doesn't fuck around. It just goddamn works, and it works really well.
I use Linux now because it's the least worst of all of the options available. But if I could get a POWER8 workstation running AIX, I'd totally consider it. AIX makes Linux feel amateurish, you know?
What enterprise class entry level server can you get 'fully loaded', including a supported proprietary operating system and proprietary development tools for $500 to $1000?
They said "fully loaded", not "entry level."
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Start at != fully loaded.
Yes I can! a blackbox 1U server made by intel, fully loaded!
avadirect.com
Wouldn't mind if they would done their part to keep the slightly older, but still-viable CHRP systems in the loop. AIX is one thing, but dropping it from Linux just seems odd.
AFAIK, it seems like the only way you can still build for POWER3 is if you build the toolchain not to be crippled or go with a fully 32-bit system.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Almost everything IBM says is bullshit. Sorry but it is.
Also, if you want to cheap out on compilers, GCC is a perfectly valid option on AIX.
The folks at Mozilla would beg to differ unless they're stopped NOTFIXing gcc on it.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Better late than never, although this was *way* late...
I suppose that would be on the GCC team then, yes? I'm using it myself (v4.8). I suppose they could try LLVM, but I have no idea how viable that is on AIX.
I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
I call bullshit! I worked with a team that had this believe at a very large telecom in San Jose. They swore that their off brand servers were just as good as name brand but cheaper. Of course we had to ignore the fact that every machine came with different LOM cards, most of which didn't work at all. That itself should have been a dead giveaway, but oh no.. can't convince these guys that their cheap custom built servers are any different than an enterprise class system.
Until of course we started adding 10Gb cards and could not get images to work on most machines. Drivers would fail for unknown reasons and a bit different on every box. Then after some digging we find out that every box has a slightly different mother board, slightly different NIC cards, slightly different memory, slightly different 10Gb NIC cards, etc.. etc.. because of course they are built for price as one off systems.
Since the project was to build out a large simulation cluster the boxes had to have identical loads, so we scrapped 200,000 worth of "cheap" servers that at least a dozen people fought tooth and nail to get because they were "just as good as other enterprise systems but cheaper".
If you want to claim that your cheap stuff is "enterprise ready" I demand you prove it.
As a caveat, I don't have anything against those types of systems for special purposes. Special purposes are not "enterprise class" systems, they are custom built for a specific purpose. I am not confident, but I do hope, that you can distinguish the difference between the two.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
Having used GCC and XLC on AIX, I can tell you that XLC is definitely the superior compiler.
The difference is less dramatic on Linux, but it is still there.
The difference between the platforms is caused by some interesting knowledge the compiler has of how the OS does some things (readable zero page being the most obvious example).
Is there really a distro called like that? Or is our database just mauve, because those have more RAM?
I call bullshit! I worked with a team that had this believe at a very large telecom in San Jose. They swore that their off brand servers were just as good as name brand but cheaper. Of course we had to ignore the fact that every machine came with different LOM cards, most of which didn't work at all.
And I call ignorance, pardon, "lack of experience".
That is what system engineering departments are for. Did you have a system engineering department which actually made a deal with the online shop to have the servers shipped to you configured *EXACTLY* to your specifications? Did anyone even BOTHER to write a specification on how a server's BIOS should be configured before it reaches the dock, which part numbers should be installed, what firmware revisions the hardware should be at? No? Well then, do not call bullshit if you do not know what you are doing!
Joyent, for instance, does exactly that: they run their infrastructure on generics like TYAN and Supermicro, but they employ SYSTEM ENGINEERS, which write specifications. Looky here:
https://github.com/joyent/manufacturing
What you are describing above are a bunch of hackers, amateurs, posing as "information technology professionals". If one is going to go generic servers, the prerequisite is that one KNOWS WHAT ONE IS DOING!!!
And "knowing what one is doing" involves doing SYSTEM ENGINEERING. Running on generic servers can be done and had been done, reliably and on a large scale, but one needs system engineers, not system administrators posing as system engineers.
Pet Peeve. Moore's Law doesn't say "2X the performance". Doubling the number of transistors doesn't equate to 2X the performance.