Posted on 03/07/2016 7:25:19 PM PST by dayglored
Microsoft has ported its SQL Server software to Linux and has promised to release it in full by next year.
From today, the Windows giant, which once likened Linux to cancer, will show off to a lucky few a preview of its SQL database's core engine for the open-source operating system. The full SQL Server 2016 for Linux will be made available by mid-2017, we're told.
Scott Guthrie, exec veep of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, said in a blog post on Monday that the Linux port "will enable SQL Server to deliver a consistent data platform across Windows Server and Linux, as well as on-premises and cloud."
"SQL Server on Linux will provide customers with even more flexibility in their data solution," he added. In other words: we know you're using tons of Linux machines, virtual and real, in your data centers; go on, let us have a go on some of them, eh?
Here's the crucial part of Guthrie's post:
The private preview of SQL Server on Linux is available starting today and we look forward to working with the community, our customers and our partners to bring it to market.It's another obvious sign that Microsoft, with Satya Nadella at the helm, is no longer giving the non-Windows world – particularly the open-source world – the cold shoulder. Let's see: it's bought Android and iOS app building toolmakers Xamarin; it has developed its own flavor of Linux for networking; it's making utilities for monitoring Linux servers; its public cloud Azure and Linux maker Red Hat are all loved up; and it's released stats package R Server for Linux.
SQL Server for Linux is not an entirely insane play by Microsoft, which has built its business on Windows and software for Windows, like its Office suite. If you're running a bunch of Linux servers, you're not likely to ditch the OS for Windows. You're not likely to switch your web server software to Redmond's IIS. You're not going to port your Unix-friendly web apps to Microsoft's platform.
But, hey, you might want to switch out your SQL database server. SQL is a common language, and a well-behaving application shouldn't really care which SQL database engine it's talking to as long as it follows the standard. Sure, that's not quite how the real world works – every engine has its own quirks that developers tune for or work around.
However, if Microsoft is going to persuade Linux bods to replace any part of their stack with a Redmond product, an SQL service is an easier drop-in replacement than others.
Let's hope it all works out better than Microsoft's FoxPro database engine for Unix. Or Skype for Linux. Or Skype for OS X.
We'll find out more on Redmond's touchy-feely relationship with Linux at the US corp's "Data Driven" get-together in New York City on Thursday, which we'll be attending.
(More embedded links at The Register article.)
Okay, for those of us who are computer lingo challenged, what does this mean for me ..????????????
I’m still using Win7, and I have been able to keep Win10 from automatically updating.
And .. please explain what this SQL Server for Linux means to me.
“Microsoft’s SQL Server has proven over the last 5 years to outperform Oracle in every major metric”
Make than 15 years.
“640K bytes of memory aught to be enough memory for anyone to do anything. —Bill Gates.”
Really? Bringing up something said 35 years ago??
That's odd. I could swear I'm paying for an MSDN "test engineer" account just so I can download and install MS server ware without having to jump through extra hoops for activation and stay legal for licensing (that's what my corporate counsel told me I had to do, no eval versions allowed).
Frankly my Linux strategy for SQL Server 2016 is Postgres. The trick is not to need any serious disk i/o performance, hahah.
It probably has no direct effect on you, from what you describe. This is mostly of interest to those of us who maintain servers for our companies (System Admin types).
MS SQL Server (MicroSoft Structured Query Language) is a very popular and powerful database software package, used widely in corporate business applications.
MSDN and EA licensing are completely different. If you’ve never worked under an Enterprise Agreement, I can’t speak for your arrangement. Having worked in this capacity for 4 corporations over the last 15 years, I can tell you that this is pretty common for larger EAs.
Also consider if you’re using MAK (Multi-Access Key) licensing vs. KMS (Key Management System) licensing, that makes a huge difference. We are afforded a large number of MAKs each renewal, but most of our licensing is done through volume licensing in our KMS environment.
Yeah, not everyone has an EA. Something to keep in mind, EA does not mean free, just the pricing is hidden from you. It's definitely true they have different flavors of support too (aka Software Assurance).
These things contribute to why open source solutions are so popular, but of course, TANSTAAFL.
I am VERY aware of how much we spend on licensing. Volume licensing is simply a means to simplify license management. One key to rule them all, in a way. And our pricing is not obfuscated at all. Microsoft is very up front with us on how much it costs use per server/seat.
Thanks, I appreciate your taking the time to reassure me that this doesn’t apply to me.
Regards,
I don't mean to start a flame war; Not everyone gets the same deal. It's the customer's responsibility to make sure their side of a mutually beneficial deal is in fact beneficial. But if you don't have a lot of market power as compared to the vendor you may wind up adapting a bit in order to get the deal.
Of course they don't want you to *feel* bad about the deal...heheh.
I completely understand that not everyone gets the same deal. There’s a reason it’s called “volume licensing.” If you have an EA, however, you’re paying at least 5% less than retail. That seems to be consistent across every enterprise I’ve worked.
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