Linux on the Mainframe

The processor (hardware) and the operating system form the supporting structure of an application server. Choosing the right hardware and operating system can relieve you of many management chores and provide you with the flexibility to focus on other important aspects of the system. One important business aspect is the applications you want to run on the system. You can gain a business advantage from choosing to host certain applications (or parts of applications) on Linux on the mainframe. Among other things, Linux brings new technology and applications to the mainframe.

The first chapter of this part introduces Linux. We look at the role of Open Source in Linux development and the status of Linux today.

This is followed by an introduction to the mainframe. We look at what the long history of the mainframe means to its quality and usefulness today.

The third chapter of this part describes how Linux and the mainframe fit together. We take a look at the IBM porting effort, describe how Linux behaves on the mainframe, and list some of the benefits of running Linux on the mainframe.