Users of IBMs pSeries Unix servers now will be able to run Linux natively on the servers.
IBM on Wednesday announced that the eServer p630 will start shipping Linux-ready, without having Big Blues AIX Unix operating system bundled with it.
The p630 is the first of the half-dozen pSeries servers that eventually will ship with Linux unbundled with AIX, according to Chuck Bryan, program director of Linux product management.
Currently, users can get a pSeries eServer with Linux, but it comes bundled with AIX. Unbundling it will enable IBM to lower the cost of its 64-bit servers running Linux, said Bryan, in Charleston, S.C. Pricing for the p630 running Linux starts at $15,577.
IBM first introduced Linux in its Unix servers in 2001 in its p690 server, Bryan said.
In the first half of 2003, the Armonk, N.Y., company also will make its middleware software—including WebSphere, DB2 and Tivoli management tools—available on Linux for its new eServer systems. Developers will be able to download early versions of the software for free via IBMs Developerworks program.
The unbundling of the AIX from the pSeries gives users flexibility, Bryan said. The p630—which can run on one, two or four of IBMs Power4 processors, offer up to 8GB of memory, and come in a rack or tower configuration—can support up to four logical partitions, enabling it to run Linux and AIX5L simultaneously.