Johannesburg, 09 Oct 2003
The development and implementation of Linux has grown exponentially the last few years, however, has it really moved beyond its "the cheaper option" status?
Inus Gouws, senior IM consultant at Computer Associates Africa, evaluates Linux, highlighting various key reasons why it`s definitely not limited to low-cost utility servers.
Many decision-makers today still believe that Linux is only limited to low-cost utility servers - the question is, therefore, are they right?
No, definitely not. The emphasis is rather on lower cost utility servers or servers, driving the notion that Linux is indeed without limits.
Nearly all the organisations I have engaged with have either experimented or even boldly implemented a Linux server at some stage or another. It usually starts off as a print server and then grows exponentially in disk space and resources with users subsequently experiencing the stability and application-rich open source community and applications.
Linux is not limited at all. The only limit that Linux has, is resources. Yes, it runs on lower specification hardware, but when considering that it has the capability of running on clustered environments, the whole picture changes.
The bigger the resource pool, the more capable it becomes. In other words - no limits.
Let`s look at another example. You need to upgrade your database to the next supported version, only to discover that you require better hardware. Consider the following: database vendors such as Computer Associates (CA) supply Linux versions for databases that in the past only ran on Unix or Windows environments. Clearly the picture has changed once again.
Moving onto desktop computing, I`m sure you`ve seen recent analyst reports stating that a revolution has started and that there will be a desktop war soon. The bottom line is that a simple utility server can grow into an adequate desktop or database server by simply adding resources.
Again, all of these facts emphasises that you can go as big as you want with Linux. Adding to this, international IT solution providers like CA are embracing Linux as a strategic technology.
Have you heard of Linux on the mainframe? You can now have a distributed environment with mainframe availability and reliability. This is very good news for the mainframe crowd as they are also affected by OS (operating system) and hardware changes.
Indeed, some organisations leverage the power of Linux to run their high-end servers, again lowering the costs. These servers are usually clustered environments and have hardware specifications second to none, hosting applications that range from Web servers to mission-critical medical information centres and online e-business transactional applications.
Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling, when your best mate is offering you something, "What does he really want?" Well the same goes for business, nothing if for free nowadays.
Once the "unintentional" Linux utility server enters into production, an expectation is created and more than likely, business continuance is effected.
Management will monitor the performance of the low-cost utility server as "it is not so expensive, therefore, we need to put mechanisms in place to ensure availability".
This opens up another can of worms as management, security, monitoring and support needs to be accommodated. By aligning yourself with a good strategic Linux business partner, these tasks will be become a pleasure rather than a headache.
Moving on to entertainment. The movie Shrek was produced entirely on a Linux server. Also, keep in mind that more and more games are developed on Linux environments and then ported to other environments, as it is cheaper to develop on Linux.
The more applications developed for Linux the more extensive the support will become, and if you need a solution to be supported by Linux, just contact your local support team or service provider.
Support can range from setting-up your first desktop, to the development of mission-critical applications. Most critical operations today like backups are supported on Linux. In addition, Linux training is readily available at certified educational centres throughout the country.
So, as you can see, Linux is definitely not limited to low-cost utility servers.
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