Strategy: Future of Unix
A New Plan for Unix: Unite Hardware, Software, Management
Unix has a well-earned reputation as a stable and reliable operating system. That’s why many enterprises run high-performance, business-critical applications on a platform that combines the Unix OS with specialized hardware from IBM, HP and Sun/Oracle. But Unix’s future is always a question mark, especially on midrange systems, which occupy the market space between mainframes at one end, and low-cost x86 servers at the other. Unix deployments in this middle ground haven’t grown for years. At the same time, Linux is emerging as a potential rival to Unix in the midrange market, in part because more IT pros are familiar with Linux, and because vendors such as IBM are supporting Linux on hardware platforms originally created for Unix. The fact of the matter is that the major midrange vendors haven’t put much energy into Unix over the years.
Now that’s changing. IBM, HP and Sun/Oracle aim to give midrange Unix systems a greater role in the modern data center by rolling out new platforms that integrate x86 and midrange hardware on the same systems. They also promise to simplify data center operations with a unified management console that can manage x86 and midrange hardware, as well as Unix, Linux and Windows OSs—both physical and virtual.
That sounds great, but the catch is, IT must buy into a single-vendor server strategy to get that unified management system. This report drills down into these efforts to breathe new life into a venerable OS, and offers guidance for IT pros on the potential value—and the pitfalls—that this strategy entails. (S1360610)
Table of Contents
3 Author’s Bio
4 Executive Summary
5 Is the Sun Setting on Unix?
5 Figure 1: Processor Use
6 One Platform to Rule Them All
7 Vision vs. Reality
8 Figure 2: Platforms in Production
9 My Cousin Linux
10 Unix Heavy Lifting
10 Unix and the New IT
About the Author
Mike Healey is the president of Yeoman Technology Group, an engineering and research firm focusing on maximizing technology investments for organizations, and an InformationWeek Reports contributor. He has more than 23 years experience in technology and software integration.
Prior to founding Yeoman, Mike served as the CTO of national network integrator GreenPages. He joined GreenPages as part of the acquisition of TENCorp, where he served as president for 14 years. Prior to founding TENCorp, Mike was an international project manager for Nixdorf Computer and a Notes consultant for Sandpoint Corp.
Mike has taught courses at MIT Lowell Institute and Northeastern University and has served on the Educational Board of Advisers for several schools and universities throughout New England. He has a BA in operations management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from Babson College.
He is a regular contributor for InformationWeek, focusing on the business challenges related to implementing technology. His work includes analysis of the SaaS market, green IT and operational readiness related to virtualized environments.
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Thread View | Flat View | 5Comments |
 Dollar$ RuleComment by MarkIT Jul-12,2010 3:30:07 PMThe bottomline about LINUS is "the Bottomline." Sad but true, the best OS is not always the winner. Remember how Microsoft dominated the market over Apple. Most realize that Apple is a superios OS, however, MS won the distribution share. The Mainframe OS - same story - Far superior, rock solid security, etc. Problem was "Cost". With LINUX - same deal. It's a decent Intel based OS that will run, look and smell similar to UNIX - much cheaper. You can also leverage the UNIX Admins to run it - so, you have some investment protection. I love the "best" technology however, between the smack down that occurs from the Accountants, and the Vendor's smack dow (or on) our CTO's, CIO's etc.... reaality is proven in Dollar$ and not is "best" capability. - Sucks but it's true. IMHOReply |
Linux is *NOT* Unix, nor is it a panacea ...Comment by paraplegic Jul-08,2010 4:51:18 PMOverlook the 'BSD (FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD) operating systems at your peril. OpenBSD is the basis for many secure firewall and network facing systems, NetBSD runs on everything from embedded to mainframe, and FreeBSD simply runs and scales like a freight train. The BSD development model and release engineering, unlike Linux's "cult of personality" centered as it is around a single god-like individual, is repeatable and leads to a more stable OS platform. BSD has Linux beat in almost every way possible, at least for commercial servers.Reply |
Future of UNIXComment by drosst2k Jul-07,2010 1:33:39 PMToo little, too late - that doesn't even cover it.Irrelevant is closer.Folks, the hardware no longer justifies the uniqueness of the operating systems.x86 hardware kicks proprietary systems *ss. UNIX can't compete - nor should it.Linux is the new UNIX. Use it. Improve it. Put all those wiz-bang AIX features (all pretty useless - or at least very niche - if you ask me) into Linux. No other UNIX comes close.The "combined UNIX" has already been determined and it's Linux on x86 hardware. Get used to it!Reply |
UNIX roleComment by BillGeiss Jul-02,2010 9:37:00 AMLinux would not have survived without IBM's direct investments in kernel enhancements, so it is ironic that HP is the vendor which is increasing marketshare.Reply |
 Where have you been?Comment by tmcgivern752 Jun-29,2010 11:43:14 AM"The fact of the matter is that the major midrange vendors haven’t put much energy into Unix over the years."Really?Have you looked at AIX recently?Dynamic Lpar, VIO, Live Partition Mobility, Active Memory Sharing, processor pooling, Work Load Partitions, OLD OS in Wpar (5.2 on AIX 7), Better LDAP integration.. encrypted file systems, just off the top of my head..I've not read your report, but I'm guessing since it's funded by HP/Intel that there's a bias towards linux, as in the case of HP, I think you're right.. little development. but to say "the major midrange vendors" is a pretty broad brush..Linux has it's place, but it's not replacing any of our AIX lpars (~200 of them), any time soon..Reply |
