SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
Enterprise Server 8 for IBM Mainframes
Linux on the mainframe? When SUSE Linux Enterprise Server was introduced in 2000, this constellation - which would have been considered unlikely a few years ago - became reality. As the mainframe has always been a HA platform, it was only natural that the flexible HA operating system SUSE Enterprise Server gained access to the realm of the mainframe architecture.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 for IBM Mainframes represents a further milestone in the history of this symbiosis. Countless new features and the integration of the UnitedLinux technology offer numerous new possibilities for the deployment of this combination of flexibility and high availability.
More and more applications from other hardware architectures are becoming available for IBM mainframes. This is possible due to the easy adaption of the respective applications to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 despite the special hardware.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 is available for the 31-bit version and the 64-bit version of the IBM zSeries mainframes.
consolidation of the server hardware
The performance of the IBM mainframes and the versatility of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 enable the consolidation of multiple servers of other hardware architectures on one server. Extensive server farms can be consolidated to several virtual Linux servers running on a single S/390 or zSeries. Thus, you can run any number of Linux systems on one mainframe. Moreover, a reduced number of servers greatly simplifies the system administration.
increased performance and availability
The main strengths of the mainframe are high availability and a high data throughput. Generation 8 of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for Mainframes was especially optimized with a view to these aspects. For example, "multi-pathing" enables simultaneous data exchange via several parallel paths, such as the network, SCSI, and fibre channel. At the same time, this possibility increases the redundancy, i.e. the security and availability of the data.