The Linux Executive Report from IBM
November 20, 2014
The Linux Executive Report from IBM: November 20, 2014. 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
When IBM introduced the new POWER8 processor and next-generation Power Systems earlier this year, PowerKVM was also launched. Aline Fatima Manera, Christy L Norman Perez, and Paulo Ricardo Paz Vital, Staff Software Engineers, Open Virtualization, at the IBM Linux Technology Center, have written about the significance of PowerKVM and how the open source Kimchi and Ginger software make it easy to manage PowerKVM in a new blog.
When IBM introduced the new POWER8 processor and next-generation Power Systems earlier this year, PowerKVM was also launched. Aline Fatima Manera, Christy L Norman Perez, and Paulo Ricardo Paz Vital, Staff Software Engineers, Open Virtualization, at the IBM Linux Technology Center, have written about the significance of PowerKVM and how the open source Kimchi and Ginger software make it easy to manage PowerKVM in a new blog.
Open source is fundamentally changing technology and redefining the tech industry, said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of The Linux Foundation, in his keynote at OpenStack Summit in Paris. On every layer of the technical stack, whether it is networking, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, or web frameworks, he noted, there is a hot open source project that is defining that particular category. "If you don't have an external R&D org at your organization, you should start doing that right now," Zemlin told the audience. "The question to ask is: Are you ready for the next open source blockbuster?"
Security as it relates to the cloud technology is under the spotlight as concerns heighten about the need to safeguard users' sensitive personal information, as well as enterprise and government applications and data.
LinuxCon Europe and KVM Forum were recently held in Dusseldorf. Adam Jollans, Program Director for Linux and Open Virtualization Strategy at IBM, attended the events and shares his reflections on what took place in a new blog on The Linux Foundation website.
Government agencies in the U.S., China, and France are improving the lives of their constituents through increased transparency, robust services, and 24x7 access. And while they each differ in their approach to civic governance, they all have one thing in common: the IBM mainframe is their core infrastructure platform.
IBM in collaboration with NVIDIA, and the Jülich Supercomputing Center, part of the largest research center in Germany, plan to launch a new competency center to advance the creation and optimization of research applications on GPU-accelerated OpenPOWER compatible systems.
Before the OpenStack Summit held earlier this month in Paris, OpenStack operators and application developers were asked to provide feedback on their experiences. It was the fourth consecutive survey conducted by the User Committee prior to each Summit.
Before the OpenStack Summit held earlier this month in Paris, OpenStack operators and application developers were asked to provide feedback on their experiences. It was the fourth consecutive survey conducted by the User Committee prior to each Summit.
SUSE has announced general availability of SUSE Linux Enterprise 12, the newest version of its platform for efficiently deploying and managing highly available enterprise-class IT services in physical, virtual or cloud infrastructure. New products based on SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 feature enhancements that more readily enable system uptime, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate innovation. The foundation for all SUSE data center operating systems and extensions, SUSE Linux Enterprise meets the performance requirements of data centers with mixed IT environments, while reducing the risk of technological obsolescence and vendor lock-in.
Inside Linux at IBM
Michael D. Day, Distinguished Engineer and Chief Virtualization Architect, Open Systems Development, IBM, describes the advantages provided by Docker, an open source project for container-based virtualization in a new blog.
Linux and KVM Events
LinuxCon Japan presented by The Linux Foundation is the premiere Linux conference in Asia that brings together a unique blend of core developers, administrators, users, community managers and industry experts.
Red Hat Summit brings together thought leaders and executives from across the technology industry to participate in keynotes and sessions on community, innovation, collaboration and customer success. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Red Hat product teams, hear from expert users at leading customer and partner companies, get hands-on training and learn best practices and strategies for innovation and success.
Linux and KVM Success Stories
According to an article in CIO Journal by Steven Norton, in an effort to lower software costs and become more agile, Avis Budget Group Inc. will run open-source Linux software over its IBM mainframe. Avis is using an integrated facility for Linux (IFL), "essentially a processor that runs Linux workloads on an IBM mainframe," writes Norton.
Whether your business provides big data and analytics to others, or you use big data and analytics to enhance your own products, research and marketing, it is necessary to have a fast, efficient and reliable infrastructure and architecture.
In 2013, Bon Ton Stores invested in upgrading IT, continuing to update and expand its eCommerce sites, and launching a new mobile site supporting delivery of promotions and online purchasing.
Challenged to do more with less, Dundee City Council identified IT as an area in which it could cut costs. The council consolidated its Oracle Database environment supporting critical services from distributed servers to an IBM zEnterprise BC12 platform, dramatically improving efficiency.
EVERTEC, Inc., based in Puerto Rico, offers a comprehensive suite of services for core bank processing, cash processing and technology outsourcing. EVERTEC relies on IBM zEnterprise EC12 system running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z to support key financial systems and Oracle databases.
IBM Enterprise Linux Server (ELS) can help save software licensing costs, while consolidating different kinds of workloads onto a single server, supporting CIOs in their today's budget challenges. ELS also helps to overcome server sprawl, by requiring less physical servers, less floor space, less energy, with increased flexibility due to IBM z/VM virtualization and simplified management based on IBM Wave for z/VM.
IBM Research and SCA are partnering to create a shared service cloud for the municipalities of New York that is predicted to eliminate 25% of government's IT budget by streamlining applications and connecting siloed municipalities. The IBM mainframe is the platform that New York trusts to host that cloud. In addition to its time-tested scalability, reliability and security, it offers the lowest total cost of ownership — supporting the state as it strives for reduced spending and a smarter, future-ready IT infrastructure.
IBM Business Partner L3C LLP focuses on three ways to help businesses across the UK increase profitability and reduce costs: consultancy, managed services and complementary IT resources. L3C deployed IBM System z servers running Linux to provide companies of any size — including small, midsized and very large enterprises — with scalable, cost-effective, high-performance cloud services.
Government agencies in the U.S., China, and France are improving the lives of their constituents through increased transparency, robust services, and 24x7 access. And while they each differ in their approach to civic governance, they all have one thing in common: the IBM mainframe is their core infrastructure platform.
Although big data promises to dramatically alter the business environment, technology is only a decision enabler.
IBM designed the Enterprise Linux Server from the ground up to add real business value without increasing IT costs. The Enterprise Linux Server's integrated combination of industry leading server and virtualization technologies provide a simple, efficient and trusted infrastructure foundation for businesses with growing Linux workloads.