IBM debuts new Linux-only server (no AIX required )

IBM will announce a new low-end server Wednesday, its first Power processor-based system that can run the Linux operating system without needing IBM's AIX as well.

IBM's pSeries machines already are available with Linux but have also required AIX, IBM's version of Unix. Now, as expected, Big Blue has modified Linux sufficiently that its p630 servers will start up without AIX.

The p630 is the lowest-end product to use IBM's 64-bit Power4 processor, and Big Blue is positioning the product as a lower-cost Linux alternative to Hewlett-Packard's Itanium-based offerings. Itanium, like Power4 and Sun Microsystems' UltraSparc, is a 64-bit processor that can communicate with much larger amounts of memory.

IBM acknowledges there isn't much of a market yet for Linux on the pSeries machines, but it hopes experimental customers such as those needing to perform scientific calculations will gravitate toward the new p630 systems.

A single-processor p630 costs $15,477 with 2GB of memory; adding SuSE's version of Linux tacks on about $1,250. The same system with AIX costs $16,977 but has flexible configuration options the Linux system lacks.

IBM is taking advantage of Linux's ability to run on numerous processors, moving it to all four of its major server lines.

"IBM has pursued a path of viewing Linux as a high-tech Esperanto," a language that will bring some unity to its disparate products, said Sageza Group analyst Charles King.

But it's not easy to run Linux outside its mainstream base of computers using Intel Pentium and Xeon processors. IBM is carrying much of the load in making sure software is available for the pSeries systems--not just Linux itself but also programming tools, Java software and its DB2 database.

Some software partners are coming aboard, though. Red Hat, the No. 1 seller of Linux, has agreed to release a version of its high-end Advanced Server product for all four IBM server lines.

Some background from Info world back in june:

IBM pushes Power4 chips down line By Ashlee Vance June 25, 2002 5:50 am PT
	IBM BOLSTERED ITS Unix server line Tuesday with the release of a four-processor system that ships with many of the company's hardware and software features normally reserved for higher-end systems. IBM's p630 server is a follow on to the larger p690 that uses 1.0GHz Power4 similar to those in the bigger system. The p630 will be offered with one to four processors and starts shipping worldwide at the end of August, said Jim McGaughan, director of IBM eServer product marketing. The system will run both IBM's AIX flavor of the Unix and the Linux operating system. In addition, the company will introduce dynamic partitioning for the server, allowing users to run both AIX and Linux on the same server, in the fourth quarter, McGaughan said. "We made absolutely no compromises with this system," McGaughan said. "We put every reliability feature in this server that we have on the p690." With the p630, IBM continues its move to catch up with Unix market leader Sun Microsystems. Last week, Sun also updated its midrange Unix line with the two-processor to four-processor V480 server running on 900MHz UltraSparc III processors. This system from Sun starts at $22,995 with two 900MHz UltraSparc IIIs, 4GB of memory, and two 36GB disks. The IBM p630 with one processor, 1GB of memory and one 18GB disk starts at $12,495, McGaughan said. IBM will make dynamic partitioning available on p630 in the fourth quarter, which allows administrators to split the system up into four virtual . IBM will deliver the technology via an update to AIX, allowing users to change processing resources in each partition without rebooting the server. McGaughan, however, does not expect many users to take advantage of this feature. "I don't think customers will do that right out of the shoot," he said. "People will use it somewhat sparingly until they get used to it." Some higher-end servers from the likes of Sun already come with advanced dynamic partitioning tools, but IBM claims to be the leader in bringing this tool used for server consolidation down to lower-end systems. In the third quarter, SuSE Linux AG will ship a version of Linux that takes advantage of some of these capabilities, he said. The p630 also comes with various tools for guarding against hardware and software failures such as Chipkill Memory and data capture technology. Ashlee Vance is a San Francisco-based reporter at IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.