A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources
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Front cover Linux Handbook A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources Discover the IBM Software solutions for Linux-based servers Understand how Linux operates on each IBM platform Learn about IBM resources for implementing Linux solutions Nick Harris Ralph Cooley Cameron Hunt Randy Kuseske Dan Lacine Tomomi Takada Bob Waite Dirk Webbeler Alexander Zaretsky ibm.com/redbooks International Technical Support Organization Linux Handbook: A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources April 2003 SG24-7000-00 Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on page xi. First Edition (April 2003) © Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2003. All rights reserved. Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Contents Notices . .xi Trademarks . xii Preface . xv The team that wrote this redbook. xv Become a published author . xix Comments welcome. xx Forward . xxi Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux . 1 1.1 The foundation for Linux . 2 1.2 The IBM commitment to Linux. 3 1.2.1 IBM’s ‘penguin’ projects . 4 1.3 Linux: The operating system . 9 1.3.1 Linux BIOS management . 11 1.3.2 Where Linux fits in. 12 1.3.3 Working with other operating systems . 12 1.4 Infrastructure . 13 1.5 Data storage . 13 1.6 Middleware . 14 1.7 Application solutions . 16 1.8 Clients . 17 1.9 The Linux distributions . 18 1.9.1 What is a distribution. 19 1.9.2 What is common among the distributions . 21 1.9.3 What is open source . 21 1.10 Red Hat . 23 1.10.1 What’s in the distribution? . 23 1.11 UnitedLinux . 25 1.11.1 What’s in the distribution? . 25 1.11.2 The Linux Standards Base . 27 1.12 Conectiva . 28 1.12.1 What’s in the distribution? . 28 1.13 SCO Open Linux . 29 1.13.1 What’s in the distribution? . 29 1.14 SuSE . 37 1.14.1 What’s in the distribution? . 37 1.15 Turbolinux . 39 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. iii 1.15.1 What’s in the distribution? . 39 1.16 Other players. 41 1.16.1 Yellow Dog Linux . 42 1.16.2 Redflag Linux . 43 1.16.3 Debian Linux . 44 1.17 Going nuts with kernels . 44 Chapter 2. Open source software . 47 2.1 Creating the code and protecting it . 48 2.1.1 Source code . 48 2.1.2 Software licenses . 49 2.2 The origin of open source . 51 2.2.1 The Free Software Foundation . 51 2.2.2 The compromise of open source software . 52 2.3 Linux and open source . 54 2.3.1 The GNU utilities . 55 2.3.2 The problem of complexity . 55 2.3.3 The benevolent dictator. 56 2.4 IBM and open source . 57 2.4.1 IBM and open source licenses . 57 2.4.2 IBM and open source software . 57 Chapter 3. Linux, UNIX, and Windows systems . 59 3.1 Features, functions, and technologies. 60 3.1.1 Description of the ratings . 61 3.1.2 Methodology for the feature, function, and technology rating system 61 3.1.3 Linux, UNIX, and Windows: A side-by-side comparison . 62 3.1.4 Linux, UNIX, and Windows: Strengths and weaknesses . 64 3.2 Cost of ownership . 65 3.2.1 Total cost of ownership . 65 3.2.2 Operating environment and product TCO perspective . 67 3.2.3 Findings. 68 3.2.4 TCO versus ROI . 68 Chapter 4. zSeries and Linux . 71 4.1 S/390 and zSeries architecture . 72 4.1.1 Ways to run Linux on zSeries . 74 4.1.2 31-bit and 64-bit options . 75 4.2 All about z/VM . 75 4.2.1 Integrated Facility for Linux . 78 4.2.2 Hardware requirements for z/VM . 78 4.2.3 Virtual networking with z/VM . 79 4.2.4 VM Guest LAN support . 80 4.2.5 z/VM for Linux performance: Scalability . 82 iv Linux Handbook: A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources 4.2.6 Productivity: Development and test workloads . 82 4.2.7 Productivity: Production workloads . 83 4.2.8 Systems management: Data backup with Tivoli Storage Manager and FlashCopy. 85 4.2.9 Consolidation example: Server farm in a box . 85 4.2.10 Consolidation example: Data and application servers on a single zSeries server. 86 4.2.11 Horizontal growth: Adding another server. 87 4.3 zSeries Linux distributions. 89 4.4 zSeries customers and Linux . ..