Hoping to entice those corporate users looking to scale their Intel-based Linux strategies upward, IBM on Wednesday unveiled the first Linux-based version of its WebSphere Application Server that takes full advantage of its Power 4 chip.
The 5.0.2 version of WebSphere, capable of running on both IBM"s pSeries and iSeries servers, comes in three configurations and will be targeted at a range of different corporate markets including banking, retailing, and manufacturing. Along with the new version IBM also announced a new financing plan which allows users who buy WebSphere and other selected pieces of software to defer payments until 2004.
"We see this combination as giving corporate users significantly increased options in terms of scalability compared to Windows on Intel-based systems. We have done some work here to optimize [Linux and WebSphere] for the 64-bit Power architecture," said Bob Sutor, IBM"s director of WebSphere infrastructure Software in Somers, N.Y.
Sutor believes the new combination will also strengthen its ongoing Java strategies because any and all application development already done under WebSphere on lower-end platforms can be compatibly carried forward to higher and more powerful environments.