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Linux on the System z: Which Linux is Right for You?

Novell and IBM have been working together for years on enabling the IBM mainframeIBM mainframe platform to run Linux. Our partnership has resulted in a growing acceptance of SUSE Linux as a primary operating system of choice for mainframe customers. In fact, customers are now able to deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on IBM's zSeries System z platform, to leverage capabilities in the areas of:

• Business Resilliency, including high availability, disaster recovery, serviceability, reliability, Hiperswap, XRC and PPRC
• Security, including privacy, regulatory requirements, identity management, zSeries* hardware quality of services, ethical hacking by research, HiperSockets and, as mentioned, Common Criteria Certification

Recently, IBM named Novell as a Strategic Alliance. Novell and IBM are working together to help customers deploy their enterprise workloads to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server running on IBM's System z, with dedicated sales, marketing, product management and engineering teams. One recent example is Hannaford Brothers Co., who are now running all partner and supplier data, inventory controls, payment and order processing, simultaneously on 23 separate and secure partitions on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and z/OS* on a single System z.

Novell and IBM are now working together to support the launch of Novell's next release of the SUSE Linux platform, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, scheduled for availability in the second quarter of 2006. Planning is now under way between Novell and the IBM zSeries System z team to execute joint marketing campaigns that will drive further adoption of SUSE Linux and the zSeries platform in the datacenter.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 is a secure, reliable and flexible server operating system for enterprise computing. Backed by Novell with a seven-year lifecycle guarantee, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 offers improved performance and scalability, comprehensive open source functionality, enhanced virtualization capabilities and support for a broad range of software applications and hardware platforms, including IBM's System z.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server platform is created using a Novell development and testing methodology - Autobuild - which ensures that all Linux software code that Novell releases meeting meets strict technical standards for reliability and integrity. Using AutoBuild, Novell is able to create and deliver important software updates in hours, rather than days or weeks. AutoBuild also allows Novell to create SUSE Linux Enterprise for multiple platforms simultaneously. As a result, you can create a more efficient IT infrastructure because you will run the same Linux operating system on your mainframes, grids, clusters, workstations and desktop systems.

Novell's AutoBuild methodology ensures that you can deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 on all of the most important hardware architectures used in business with confidence, including the System z platform from IBM.

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