A New Plan For Unix 2

No one questions the stability, reliability, and durability of Unix. But there are lots of questions about its future, particularly on systems that occupy the market between commodity x86 boxes and mainframes. The midrange Unix market hasn't grown in years, and the operating system faces competition from its cousin Linux, which can run on a variety of hardware platforms, from x86 to the more powerful and reliable systems that were originally built for Unix.

But rather than wait for the sun to set on this august platform, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle-Sun are retooling Unix to play a greater role in the virtualized data center.

One Platform To Rule Them All?

They're delivering blade systems that mix Unix and x86 CPUs on a common framework for networking and storage. For IBM and HP, integration goes beyond just interconnectivity. Both now offer management software that can monitor, provision, and administrate Unix, Windows, and Linux operating systems, both physical and virtual--as long as they're on the vendor's hardware.

IBM goes one step further by tying its flagship zSeries mainframe into the system management framework: That's one management platform for x86, midrange, and mainframe systems--the fabled "single pane of glass" management infrastructure that data center professionals dream about.

Unix fans may be pleased to see ambitious plans from the Big Three, but will this strategy appeal to the general IT community? On the surface, yes. Fifty-four percent of respondents from our 2010 State of Server Technology Survey say they prefer a single server vendor, to take advantage of purchasing power, knowledge, and support.

However, while a majority of companies may say they want a single server vendor, they don't have a unified IT team in-house. Our 2009 Mainframe Survey shows that only 16% of companies have a unified IT team that coordinates efforts among mainframes, midrange systems, and x86 servers. The rest have separate teams, tools, and operating procedures.

The vendors argue that a unified Unix-x86 platform will bring IT groups together because of virtualization. Unix systems have long had virtualization technology at their core, but widespread virtualization for x86 systems is only a few years old, and the initial ROI gains from server consolidation are now being drawn down by execution, scalability, and management challenges.

This is the opening that the midrange vendors see. They have all amped up their hardware and added connectivity between their midrange and x86 platforms. In addition, the integration of management platforms promises to unify disparate IT groups. Remember, these aren't Unix tools your x86 team has to learn; they're part of the management suites that HP, IBM, and Oracle-Sun already offer.

Of course, the Big Three are asking for a trade-off--a unified management framework in exchange for vendor lock-in. They'll have to work very hard to convince customers of the value of this exchange. That said, it's clear that the vendors, if not customers, see a new lease on life for Unix.

Which Platforms Run

In Your Environment?

82% x86-based systems

(Windows, Linux servers)

63% Mainframe systems

(IBM zSeries)

41% Midrange systems

(IBM pSeries, HP Itanium)

25% Sun Sparc

8% Power

6% PA-RISC

5% Other Itanium-based systems

3% Alpha

5% Other

Data: InformationWeek Analytics Mainframe Survey of 831 business technology professionals, May 2009

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Michael Healey is founder of Yeoman Technology Group, a consulting and analyst firm. You can write to us at [email protected].