By James Oh
General Manager of Red Hat Korea
Thirty years ago, computers were so physically immense that they often had to have rooms and buildings built with the purpose to accommodate them. Yet even with such bulky restrictions, the main problem posed by computers at the time was that each one had a different, unique operating system. Software was mainly created or customised to suit the specific needs of individual computers and inter-compatibility between operating systems had yet to be considered nor developed. Understandably, computers at the time were extremely costly items, were temperamental, and more often than not caused headaches for both users and system administrators alike.
It was not until a collection of information and technology (IT) developers collaborated in 1969 to design a code recycling feature which allowed a specific code to be able to adapt to the multiple systems which were currently available, that the viability of widespread computer use became a reality. That special code was named the "kernel" which forms the basis of the operating system known as UNIX, and it offered users a work environment of simplicity, computing power, and versatility.
Using the new UNIX code technology, the development of operating systems that could run on different types of hardware became simpler, and far more commonplace. Interoperability between computers made by different vendors became possible and common standards or practices meant that users could move from one system to another without having to undergo drastic re-education.
However it was not until a young computer science student at the University of Helsinki named Linus Torvalds developed a freely available academic version of UNIX called Linux, that the true potential of the original UNIX "kernel" code was discovered.
By posting his ideas and questions on-line, Linus developed a strong following in his quest to develop readily available "free" versions of UNIX for home and personal use. This allowed individual users to avoid costly proprietary licenses which were being paid by the intended target audiences of UNIX, corporations and other large organizations. This new version of UNIX was called Linux.
Today Linux is acknowledged to be the ideal operating system amongst programmers and application intense users. This is not to say that UNIX solutions have developed problems, but simply that Linux continues to be increasingly capable of doing the task that has typically been expected of Unix, and in many instances does so more effectively and efficiently.
To that end, the requirements that made UNIX a good choice when installed have not changed. Organizations still demand performance, scalability, reliability, security, and support from their IT environment. For many years, UNIX solutions met these requirements. But today there are more choices, and many organizations are finding that open standards-based solutions, using Intel®-architecture based servers and Linux, are providing all those same, required characteristics - performance, scalability, reliability, security and support needed - and more.
Furthermore, these standards-based solutions offer all this at lower capital and operating costs (TCO) with better performance, price/cost effectiveness, and performance per watt (to save on power and cooling costs). These benefits are realized using the latest technologies and advancements including virtualization, multi-core processors, advanced I/O options, and large memory support. Additionally, the standards-based solutions offer a robust development and applications environment, without the proprietary lock-in of a single vendor, which is typical for UNIX implementations. Simply put, IT shops that migrate from UNIX to Linux get the features and functionality they need to run their businesses - with similar or better performance, scalability, reliability, security, and support at lower costs - plus the flexibility, choice, and control to manage their environments on their own terms and timeframes. As a matter of fact a very recent development involving certain UNIX solution providers shows how proprietary software leads to situations where changes to license agreements force businesses to unexpectedly adapt their business models or plans.
As Linux solutions such as Red Hat's Enterprise Linux (RHEL) becomes ever more capable of fulfilling the performance, service and security requirements of businesses formerly reliant on UNIX, the inherently arbitrary nature of proprietary software agreements leads only to lost opportunities and business inefficiencies making it the perfect moment for users to move from UNIX to RHEL.
One popular example of this is the experience of Sabre Holdings, the parent company of Travelocity, Lastminute.com, Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline Solutions. Here was an organisation that operated the largest travel distribution system in the world, with up to 32,000 transactions being made per second at peak periods. As Sabre sought to identify the appropriate solution to its requirements, it discovered that by running on Red Hat's RHEL software with standard Intel hardware, they were able to reap cost savings of up to 90 per cent compared to a UNIX solution provided by a competing proprietary vendor, while still operating up to three times more effectively.
As such, while traditionally the key reason that has prompted businesses to migrate from proprietary, and particularly UNIX, software solutions to Linux solutions such as RHEL has been to reduce cost, the benefits of the open standards software has allowed businesses to press the re-set button on a number of activities surrounding their IT infrastructure:
1.Switch to commodity hardware. The ability to use commodity hardware such as Intel x86 systems rather than proprietary machines in the industry represents the largest cost-saving opportunity. Not only are the base systems much cheaper but maintaining the hardware is substantially less expensive as well.
2.Eliminate pricey maintenance contracts. The annual maintenance fees for proprietary software can drive up the total cost of ownership (TCO) of such systems dramatically. On the other hand, enterprise versions of open source products generally include updates and maintenance as part of the core pricing model.
3.Increase worker productivity. The quick learning curve coupled with the availability of sophisticated management and administrative tools allow businesses to allocate fewer personnel to routine support tasks, freeing them for more strategic IT work.
4.Avoid vendor lock-ins. Businesses often find themselves tied to license agreements and maintenance contract price hikes from proprietary software vendors. Open source software is built using standard technologies, allowing different versions of an open source product to be easily swapped with one another. This frees businesses from vendor lock-ins. Forrester Research reported vendor independence as being "very important" for 43% of enterprise users surveyed.
5.Reduce the need for specialized security consultants and tools. Open source systems such as RHEL are far more secure than proprietary alternatives meaning that fewer remedial activities and resources are needed to keep systems and data safe.
It is for these reasons that the collaborative open standards model such as that adopted by Red Hat through RHEL continues to be chosen as the preferred software option, and its ability to provide relevant business savings, high performance capabilities and cutting edge innovation enables the development of suitable solutions for almost any business or even personal requirements.
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