When IBM showed up at the LinuxWorld conference in New York last month, it made no new public statements about its support for Linux on the iSeries. As I learned in private conversations, however, the computer giant has quietly posted evaluation copies of several products for the iSeries Linux environment to a new Web site. These products, which include WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and DB2, will make iSeries Linux far more attractive for developers and customers alike.
Ever since IBM embraced Linux as a strategy, it has devoted the bulk of its attention to Linux running on its Intel-based xSeries servers and zSeries mainframes. Over the last year, however, iSeries and pSeries teams have been quietly working to port the company's core middleware, systems management, and development tools to Linux running on POWER servers. In some cases, the two teams have pursued separate porting efforts; in other cases, they have collaborated. Increasingly, however, collaboration has become the dominant model. Recently, for instance, the two teams completed a joint project to port DB2 to Linux running on both iSeries and pSeries, and just launched a single beta program for both servers.
As a result of their collaboration, the iSeries and pSeries development teams have agreed that from this point forward, all ports of IBM software to the iSeries and pSeries Linux environments will--wherever technically possible--run on both servers and will be compatible at the binary level. This will allow developers and customers to develop code for a single stack of IBM products running on a single Linux for POWER server environment.
In addition, the two IBM teams have established a single Web site where developers and customers can download evaluation copies of POWER Linux software. As you will discover by clicking on the above link, this site is currently (at least, it was at the time I wrote this article) known as the "Linux on pSeries Download Center." Upon closer examination, however, it becomes clear that the downloads are equally suitable for the iSeries. Say, for instance, that you're interested in downloading VisualAge for C++ from this page. If you click on the "additional information" link next to this product, you'll discover that this tool runs on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 on both the pSeries and iSeries. The same is true for the Fortran compiler, though I don't know many iSeries programmers that have ever used Fortran. You can also sign up at this site for preview copies of WebSphere Application Server 4.0 for i/pSeries Linux as well as a POWER Linux version of DB2 Universal Database V8.1.
The following table lists the software that IBM has already posted to this site for both iSeries and pSeries customers as well as the products it intends to post over the next several months. Once all of these products are available, developers will finally be able to build robust solutions on the Linux/POWER platform that take advantage of the same IBM middleware and systems management tools found on the Linux/Intel environment.
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A Timetable for IBM's iSeries/pSeries Linux SoftwareI
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Linux on the iSeries: Why It Matters
As I am writing this, I realize that most of you have no plans to download iSeries Linux software from IBM's new site. Even if you do not, IBM's Linux strategy for its POWER servers is important for you for one simple reason: It will play a critical role in keeping the iSeries viable for years to come.
Whether iSeries customers like it or not, only two operating environments will experience growth in their application bases over the next several years: Windows and Linux. Since the iSeries and pSeries do not run Windows applications, there is only one way they can expand their application portfolios, and that is through Linux. This is why it is so important for the two POWER server brands to team up and offer a single stack of Linux tools and middleware. By doing so, the iSeries and pSeries can offer software vendors a customer base of over 300,000 large and mid-market companies that they can reach with a single port of their solutions. Offering this single port is critical, as any differences between the iSeries and pSeries Linux middleware stacks will weaken the appeal of both platforms.
In short, IBM's middleware and tools stack for POWER is an important step in positioning the company's iSeries and pSeries servers for growth in the Linux applications market. Even if you choose not to download these products from Big Blue's new Web site, I would encourage you to visit the site. And by the way...while you're there, send an email to IBM asking it to change the site's name to the "Linux on pSeries and iSeries Download Center."
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at
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