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RS/6000 Linux Box

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the big-bandwidth dept.

According to Infoworld, later this year, IBM will release an RS/6000 machine capable of running Linux, as well as AIX. While the article mostly discusses AIX, it says that IBM expects Linux to be very popular with ISPs and ASPs. Let's hope so. What's the architechture count up to now, anyways?

3 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Rs/6000 have been running LinuxPPC for a while by marphod · · Score: 3

    While I'm happy to see support from IBM on this, RS/6k's running Linux are not new. Lower end models have been capable of running LinuxPPC (and possibly hiTech pacific's and YellowDog Linux's versions, which are based on LinuxPPC) for quite a while -- at least since last September, when I started to care about LinuxPPC as I purchased a mac, and probably long before. According to linuxppc.com, the following RS/6k models are supported:
    IBM
    RS6000 (PowerPC-based), 830, 850, 40P, Nobis, INDI

    Additionally, PReP, CHRP, an dBeBoxen are supported.

  2. Re:IBM going the right way? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    RS/6000 boxes are not cheap. They're more than similar Sun boxes. The software that's available for AIX/6000 is a small fraction of the software that's available for Solaris. So, if you're looking for a commercial UNIX system, unless you have some brand loyalty to IBM (which many shops do), Sun boxes are a better choice than IBM boxes.

    If IBM wants to stay in the RS/6000 business, then, it has to do two things. First off, it has to make the boxes cheaper. The PowerPC and PPC reference-architecture hardware can make that possible. Second off, it has to have an OS that has as much or more software as the competition. Like NT or Linux.

    It costs a lot to build and maintain a commercial UNIX operating system. Especially if you insist on doing everything The IBM Way. It probably is costing IBM an arm and a leg to keep AIX development going. Using an existing OS (or two, or a few) as a base and adding in RS/6000 specific features to that would probably be a very cost effective move.

    This assumes, of course, that IBM is interested in making a profit. Sometimes, I wonder.

  3. Re:Benchmarks by Trepidity · · Score: 3

    As the others have sort of pointed out, it would only take around 1.73 days to serve up one page to everybody on earth (approximately six billion people), not 112 days.

    --
    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10