IBM Backs Linux from Notebooks to Servers

BOSTON (06/12/2000) - A greater number of IBM Corp.'s servers, laptops and desktops will now come with the Linux operating system, company officials said Monday.

"There appears to be enormous demand in the marketplace (for Linux)," said Buell Duncan, general manager of IBM global business partners. "It comes back to e-business. As e-business is taking off, much of the application development is being done on Linux. We want to be there early and stronger than anyone else."

Big Blue will provide Linux on some RS/6000 servers, and A20 and T20 ThinkPads will be able to run Caldera Systems Inc.'s OpenLinux. The pre-load for laptops is expected in the third quarter of the year.

Plans also are in the works to put Linux on IBM's AS/400 systems by the third quarter. Linux already is on the vendor's S/390 mainframes.

IBM also will develop Linux software designed for small businesses.

SuSE Linux for RS/6000 has been tested and certified on RS/6000 B50 rack mountable servers for service providers, and the 43P Model 150 entry servers and workstations and F-50 deskside servers have been certified for departments and small organizations.

IBM's Power 4 microprocessor, due out next year, will run the Linux operating system on RS/6000 servers. The new processor will have bandwidth capacity of more than 100 gigabytes per second, capable of moving 20 full-length DVD movies in a one second.

IBM WebSphere, a server-side software application, will now support Linux applications. Standard and Advanced Editions of WebSphere 3.0.2 come with integrated Web content development tools and Web site management capabilities.

Funds also will be made available for Linux certification and education programs. Company officials will extend training opportunities to 45,000 software developers and 45,000 IBM resellers.

IBM is working to become a leading provider of Linux, analysts and observers have said. During LinuxExpo in late January, IBM announced several Linux-based software initiatives, and already it provides Linux technical support.

IBM, in Armonk, New York, can be reached at +1-914-499-1900 or at http://www.ibm.com/.

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