Compaq widens support for open-source computing
Expanding it's support of open-source computing, Compaq Computer Corp. on Monday announced a number of Linux initiatives during a teleconference with Mike Winkler, the executive vice president of global business units at the systems giant.
Topping the list of Linux-related news, Winkler announced the inception of a Compaq Linux and True 64 Unix "Affinity Program."
The Affinity Program will help foster increased interoperability between Compaq's True 64 Unix platform and Linux platforms through the availability of a free developer's toolkit, according to Winkler.
Winkler said the Affinity Program will "fully leverage enterprise-class Unix for Linux deployments, and vice versa." He also said the program will open the door for customers using Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris platform to get involved with the interoperability effort, as Solaris is essentially a Unix technology.
"The Affinity Program will help liberate customers from the high cost of developing and deploying applications on Solaris," Winkler said.
Compaq also announced partnerships to widen the availability of Linux clustering throughout the industry.
"Today, we are adding four new partners who specialize in Beowulf operating systems, middleware, and vertical industry applications to bring high performance Beowulf Linux clustering to the [Compaq ProLiant server platform]," Winkler said.
Two of those partners, the San Diego Super Computing Center and Skilled Computing, will provide the Beowulf operating software. Two others, Scientific Computing Associates Inc. and Turbo Genomics Inc., will provide applications and middleware for "specific vertical segments in the high-performance technical computing arena," Winkler said.
"This news is significant because for the first time, small, midsize, and large companies alike can build Linux clusters with more than 512 ProLiant server nodes to run high compute applications in such verticals as aerospace, oil and gas, finance, and bio technology," Winkler said.
Compaq also added an accredited system engineer certification for Linux to its Compaq Accredited Professional Program, Winkler said.
In an effort to encourage the proliferation of Linux on handheld devices, Winkler announced that Compaq will also sponsor a contest in which Linux developers can submit their best Linux applications for handheld computers. Winners will be announced at the Linux World trade show, which takes place in San Francisco later this summer.
InfoWorld.com
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
