The Linux Executive Report from IBM
January 24, 2013
The Linux Executive Report from IBM: January 24, 2013 . A monthly summary of important trends and market research, case studies and information about IBM's Linux initiatives of interest to senior management.
Linux News
Sean Michael Kerner looks back at the major Linux releases of 2012 and the important new capabilities each added in a new LinuxPlanet article. It was a year of non-stop progress for Linux kernel developers, and in total, seven major Linux kernels were released during the year adding a long list of new features along the way, writes Kerner. From Linux 3.2, the first kernel of 2012 released in early January, to Linux 3.7 which debuted in early December, Kerner itemizes the key advances in each. Linux 3.3, released in March was notable for the return of Android, he writes, while KVM virtualization got a boost in May with Linux 3.4, which expanded the maximum number of virtual CPUs that can be supported in Linux.
In a new blog, Kelly Beavers, vice president and business line executive, IBM Systems Software, writes about IBM SmartCloud Entry, which now supports the open source KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) hypervisor. The result, she explains, is that with just one product, customers can support virtual machines that are running on KVM, VMware, and/or PowerVM: Cloud computing is one of those technologies for which people have differing definitions, but SmartCloud Entry does the most basic things that just about everyone expects from a cloud solution: web-based provisioning for a cloud, and a pay-as-you go model. SmartCloud Entry supports those two critical capabilities with a couple of key attributes that decrease risk to organizations. First, it makes it really simple for a company that is new to the cloud to get started with a private cloud safely and behind their own firewall, and second, it does so with pricing that is completely affordable for the mid-market.
With 2012 now in the rear-view mirror, it's time to look ahead at what 2013 may bring, writes Katherine Noyes in an article for PCWorld. From the excitement about the Raspberry Pi 2013 and the array of "tiny, inexpensive, Linux-powered PCs," to whether 2013 will be the "Year of Linux on the Desktop," Noyes gazes at her crystal ball in "Five Linux predictions for 2013."
Server virtualization will remain a top priority for many IT organizations and vendor go-to-market strategies 2013, writes senior analyst Mark Bowker in a blog on the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) website. However, organizations will not be relying on a single hypervisor, says Bowker, who points to an ESG research brief, Multiple Hypervisor Usage Trends, in which nearly-two thirds (65%) of respondent organizations report using more than one hypervisor,
Red Hat announced the next minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9. The release, which marks the beginning of Production Phase 2 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, maintains Red Hat's commitment to a 10-year lifecycle through the introduction of several new features, including hardware enablement, security, standards and certifications, developer tools, and virtualization.
Red Hat has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ManageIQ, a privately-held company, for approximately $104 million in cash. ManageIQ is a provider of enterprise cloud management and automation solutions that help organizations to deploy and manage private clouds, virtualized infrastructures and virtual desktops. With the addition of ManageIQ technologies to its portfolio, Red Hat says it will expand the reach of its hybrid cloud management solutions for enterprises.
Canonical has announced a smart phone interface for its operating system, Ubuntu. The Linux-based software will allow users to run desktop apps on their handsets, so that they double for PCs when docked to monitors, writes Leo Kelion in an article for BBC News. According to Kelion, the code will initially be released as a file which can be installed on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone, replacing Android. Kelion also reports that Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and vice president, products, at Canonical, says he is talking with manufacturers about devices to be sold with the system pre-installed within the year.
Inside Linux at IBM
SCALE 11X - the 11th annual Southern California Linux Expo - will take place February 22-24 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport hotel. As the first-of-the-year Linux/Open Source software expo in North America, SCALE 11X expects to host more than 100 exhibitors this year, along with presenting more than 70 speakers. Mike Day, IBM distinguished engineer and chief virtualization architect, Open Systems, will deliver an IBM thought leadership presentation on KVM.
In a new blog post, Jean Staten Healy, director, Worldwide Linux and Open Virtualization, IBM, writes about the advantages of IBM SmartCloud Provisioning, a workload optimized cloud that combines infrastructure and platform capabilities and supports multiple hypervisors - including KVM.
At Red Hat Summit in June, IBM identified three technologies which would play a major role in the next era of computing - open virtualization, big data and open cloud. Six months later, all three are having a major impact. In this presentation, progress in each of these areas is discussed - how IBM and Red Hat are delivering integrated solutions to solve real-world business problems through smarter computing.
IBM has opened its first-ever KVM Center of Excellence focused on open virtualization with KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) in Beijing, China. With this new KVM Center of Excellence, IBM is leveraging its KVM expertise in China to make it easy for clients and partners to have access to briefings, to enrich their staffs with training, and to conduct proofs of concept of their own solutions. Jean Staten Healy, director, Worldwide Linux and Open Virtualization, IBM, participated in the launch event and writes about the purpose of the new KVM CoE and why China was chosen as its location in a new blog.
IBM hosts Linux on System z Executive Council meetings in locations across the United States to provide education on Linux on System z. Check back frequently for information about educational opportunities coming to a city near you. Information is also available about Live Virtual Classes for z/VM and Linux.
IBM System z provides two different disk types, ECKD and FCP disks, with many additional features, some of which are prized features. The various configurations that are possible within Linux increase the amount of configuration variants available for applications such as a database on Linux on System z. This study aims to produce guidelines for disk configuration and tuning hints with regard to ECKD and FCP disk devices, and specifically for the standalone Oracle Database using a transactional workload (OLTP), which is a very typical database workload.
Inside IBM's Linux Partners
The 2013 Red Hat Summit has announced its most robust agenda to date with 11 tracks and more hands-on labs than ever before. The ninth annual Red Hat Summit will be held June 11-14 at the Hynes Center in Boston.
The Embedded Linux Conference (ELC), the premier vendor-neutral technical conference for companies and developers using Linux in embedded products, will be held February 20-22 in San Francisco. The conference, now in its ninth year, has the largest collection of sessions dedicated exclusively to embedded Linux and embedded Linux developers. ELC consists of three days of presentations, tutorials and bird-of-a-feather sessions.
At Red Hat Summit in June, IBM identified three technologies which would play a major role in the next era of computing - open virtualization, big data and open cloud. Six months later, all three are having a major impact. In this presentation, progress in each of these areas is discussed - how IBM and Red Hat are delivering integrated solutions to solve real-world business problems through smarter computing.
A replay of "The Reality of x86 Virtualization: Hypervisor Diversity," a webcast presented by presented by Red Hat and IBM on October 11, is available for replay now - streaming and in downloadable MP4.
SUSE's annual global user conference, SUSECon, will be held November 12-15, 2013, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The event provides the opportunity for SUSE users to learn about and see first-hand the latest open source developments from SUSE, including what's new in enterprise Linux, cloud computing, big data, server management, and integrated systems. SUSECon registration opens April 1, 2013.