InformationWeek

But PSINet can't dedicate resources to supporting the multiple distributions of Linux that customers might request. The company has a team of 75 operations engineers to support its HP-UX and Solaris systems. "We didn't want to have to build many groups like that to support the various flavors of Linux," says John Scott, PSINet's senior director for managed applications. "We're not going to be able to support every flavor of Linux."

So the company decided to look for outside help. In March, it signed a contract with LinuxCare Inc., a Linux systems-integration company that supports more than 21 different Linux distributions, according to Art Tyde, LinuxCare's executive VP. PSINet will use LinuxCare to help its customers port their projects from the version of Linux they were written on to the type of Linux in use at PSINet.

PSINet has not yet settled on a version of Linux for its systems. But it is discussing with TurboLinux the idea of creating a customized Linux distribution designed to ease porting applications from other versions of Linux, and optimized for E-commerce.

With users all in the same Linux boat, PSINet says it will be able to provide the technical support for its Linux systems itself. The company has already assigned around 10 members of its existing Unix team to support the Linux boxes.