IBM becomes first hardware vendor to fully support Linux

IBM is championing Linux with a dedicated unit in its hardware business group focused on the open source operating system as it aims to make all its server platforms Linux ready.

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, former general manager of Big Blue's Internet division, will lead the unit, which will entail shutting down its Internet division and transferring everybody to the enterprise server division.Tony Occleshaw, marketing manager of IBM software EMEA, said: "It is not because it is the end of ebusiness, but because everything we do is ebusiness, and Linux is the leading Internet platform."

He added:"We want to make every server Linux ready, so we have Linux for S/390, RS/6000, AS/400 and Numa-Q. There will be one operating system that straddles the whole of our server range."

A statement from IBM said it has "released source code modifications that enable Linux to run on S/390 servers," to be downloaded for free from the IBM developer works Website, although no services support or maintenance for the source code will be provided.

Bill Claybrook, research director for Linux and Unix at the Aberdeen Group said:"IBM is consolidating its Linux and Unix strategy avoiding the confusion that can happen in other companies which have a Linux strategy in other divisions so they can appear to compete."

He cited Compaq as an example of a company which has its organisation centred around chips with a Unix strategy for Unix on Alpha and a separate strategy for SCO Unix on Intel.

Other IBM plans for Linux include releasing technology to "help the open source movement," said Claybrook.

"IBM is talking about making some technology like Java, file systems and clustering available to the open source movement. It will speed up the process because the Linux folk won't have to write all the code," added Claybrook.

Occleshaw confirmed:"We are working on that.If we give it to the open source movement, the intellectual property is gone, but by putting Linux on high platforms, a certain amount has to go to the open source movement."