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In a move that extends its affinity for open source computing to mainframe servers, IBM has unveiled two Linux-only servers aimed at moving mainframes into the mainstream for small and mid-size business.

IBM said the dedicated Linux servers, a zSeries mainframe and a mid-range iSeries server, can consolidate from 20 to hundreds of servers from Sun Microsystems or Intel. The new servers also can bring together as many as 15 stand-alone Linux and Windows servers on one machine, according to the company.

Big Blue touted its new Linux-only servers, which use "virtualization technology" and "partitioning," for their cost-saving advantages, adding that they require very little or no prior experience with mainframes.

News source: NewsFactor - IBM Unveils Linux-Only Mainframes

Fighting 'Server Sprawl'

IBM said the new machines -- intended for infrastructure applications, including firewall, Web serving, file, print and mail serving -- reduce "server sprawl" and cut the cost of ownership.

The servers will become available in the first quarter of this year, according to the company. They are reportedly priced at US$400,000 for the more powerful zSeries and start at $50,000 for the iSeries.

"Struggling with the cost and management headaches of distributed server farms, customers are turning in record numbers to Linux on the IBM mainframe," IBM said in a statement. "The market has spoken. And now, IBM is expanding its product line with new server offerings that help customers move off the server farm."

Mainframe and Mid-Range

Calling it a "historic Linux-only mainframe," the company said its eServer zSeries "expands the once-exclusive world of powerful, mainframe computing to customers with absolutely no mainframe operating system experience."

IBM added that its iSeries server, which supports SuSE and Turbolinux distributions of Linux, uses partitioning technology to help small and mid-size customers reduce costs and complexity through consolidation.

The company plugged both the z/VM virtualization technology of the zSeries, which allows the mainframe to create as few as 20 or as many as hundreds of "virtual Linux servers," and the partitioning technology of the iSeries, which can replace as many as 15 standard servers.

Tale of Two Trends

IDC vice president of system software research Dan Kusnetzky told NewsFactor that IBM is taking advantage of two different trends in the market. On the low end, the company is capitalizing on the proliferation of smaller "blade" servers. At the high end, it is serving companies' desire to cut computing costs.

"IBM is looking at both of these trends and asking, 'How can we apply our expertise at both ends of the spectrum?'" Kusnetzky said. "On the one hand, they've taken the workload and consolidated it on one machine. At the same time, they've lowered the cost of administration."

Simplified Staffing

Kusnetzky said much of the cost saving in IBM's strategy centers on staffing costs, which can account for 50 to 70 percent of the total cost of ownership.

"If one can find a way to consolidate the workload of several machines into one machine, your staffing costs go down," he said. "Even if your hardware costs go up, there's still a net saving on the staffing."

Kusnetzky added that IBM's "partitioning" approach can present challenges, such as managing virtual processes and partitions that may not be active. However, he credited the company for its history in mainframes, which ruled computing in the 1960s and 1970s.

"IBM has long had the capability to develop virtual machines," Kusnetzky said. "It is a highly refined technology for them now."