TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUNDER
LINUX
OVERVIEW
In 1991 Linus Torvalds posted his Linux operating system online and invited friends to use and
improve it. The availability of this basic, powerful software, which runs on Intel's ubiquitous
microprocessors, coincided with the explosive growth of the Internet. Companies quickly realized
that running Linux in their datacenters could be far less expensive than either UNIX or Windows.
Following the economic slowdown enterprises viewed Linux as a way to lower IT costs by
transitioning enterprise applications to low-cost Intel-based servers that could be easily scaled
with clustering and grid computing technologies. Some 60% of large companies in North America
surveyed recently by Forrester have adopted open source. More than half of these Linux
adopters use it for mission-critical applications.
Linux is gaining new functionality every day, and runs on virtually any hardware platform. No
other OS has so many developers focused on improving it. The Linux kernel (the heart of the OS)
is continuously updated by the open source community and its list of enterprise-ready
applications is growing.
VERITAS is helping to propel Linux — already a phenomenon of innovation —toward widespread
adoption as an enterprise operating system.
MAKING LINUX ENTERPRISE-READY
The power of VERITAS Storage Management, Enterprise Data Protection, and High Availability
solutions now extends to Linux environments. They enhance Linux for the enterprise by
simplifying and lowering the cost of storage management and boosting the performance and
availability of data and applications.
These VERITAS technologies are helping to make Linux an enterprise-ready and cost-effective
alternative by ensuring that Linux meets the flexibility, availability and interoperability
requirements of multi-tier heterogeneous environments. VERITAS lets customers trust their data
to Linux and reduce the risks associated with deploying Linux across the enterprise.
Linux now joins the ranks of Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, and Windows as a tier-one operating system at
VERITAS. By deploying a utility computing model on the Linux platform, customers can
maximize their existing IT infrastructure, which helps them align IT to their rapidly changing
business needs. VERITAS will continue to expand its product offerings and partnerships to offer
organizations the same enterprise-class storage management solutions for Linux that it provides
for UNIX and Windows.
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TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUNDER
LINUX
VERITAS STORAGE FOUNDATION FOR LINUX
As their data volumes grow, companies need to feel confident that they can effectively manage
their storage environments through streamlined administration. They’re looking for data
management solutions to help ensure continuous availability of mission-critical data, while
delivering optimal performance and efficient manageability.
VERITAS Storage Foundation combines the industry-leading VERITAS Volume Manager™ and
VERITAS File System™ to provide a complete solution for online storage management. With
VERITAS Storage Foundation, physical disks can be grouped into logical volumes to improve
disk utilization and eliminate storage-related downtime.
VERITAS has dramatically simplified the move to Linux with a breakthrough utility called the
Portable Data Container. Companies can now migrate data to the Linux platform in minutes in
three easy steps: Convert the file system; extract the snapshot volume and deport it to the new
disk group; and use VERITAS Volume Manager to import the new disk group to the Linux
environment.
In addition VERITAS offers VERITAS Storage Foundation Cluster File System which extends
VERITAS File System to enable data sharing on SAN-attached systems and VERITAS Storage
Foundation for Oracle RAC on Linux providing an industry-leading framework for implementing
robust, manageable, and scalable Real Application Clusters, enabling administrators to
increase the availability of Oracle databases.
VERITAS NETBACKUP FOR LINUX
Data protection has long been a critical aspect of ensuring business continuity. IT managers
must provide backup and recovery at a much higher level (enhanced performance) with less
impact on users. They must find ways to make backup and recovery faster, yet keep it cost-
effective
VERITAS NetBackup delivers enterprise data protection for the largest UNIX, Windows, Linux,
and NetWare enterprise environments. Treating data availability as a utility, large enterprises can
leverage dynamic disk-based backup and recovery. VERITAS NetBackup offers optional
database agents, enabling online, nondisruptive backup of mission-critical applications.
VERITAS VOLUME REPLICATOR FOR LINUX
VERITAS Volume Replicator, based on VERITAS Storage Foundation, provides enterprise-class
disaster recovery for mission-critical environments. It reliability replicates data to remote locations
over any IP network to preserve business continuity for planned site migrations, or when disaster
or site failure threaten mission-critical environments. VERITAS Volume Replicator is an open
solution that can replicate data between storage arrays from all major vendors. It makes efficient
use of network resources, replicating only data blocks that change.
VERITAS Volume Replicator maintains data consistency by ensuring that replication at
secondary sites does not lag beyond a preset limit in synchronous or asynchronous mode. It
scales up to 32 secondary replication sites at any locations worldwide. Advisor Tool, included in
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TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUNDER
LINUX
Volume Replicator, enables administrators to determine bandwidth needs before implementing
replication.
VERITAS CLUSTER SERVER FOR LINUX
When companies talk about mission-critical applications, two terms that immediately come to mind are high
availability and disaster recovery. When core revenue depends on an application, that application must be
available without fail. Only 28 percent of the 2000 companies recently surveyed by VERITAS actively test their
disaster-recovery plans, citing lack of resources or the inability to test disaster-recovery plans without impacting
production applications.
VERITAS Cluster Server, the industry's leading open-systems clustering solution, is ideal for reducing planned
and unplanned downtime, facilitating server consolidation, and effectively managing a wide range of
applications in heterogeneous environments. Expanded automation, features for testing production disaster-
recovery plans without disruption, and intelligent workload management allow cluster administrators to move
beyond reactive recovery to proactive management of application availability.
VERITAS OPFORCE FOR LINUX
Enterprise IT strives for flexible server provisioning and software deployment that are aligned with
business objectives. Efficiency and total cost of ownership are taken very seriously. Companies
that want to standardize IT operations search for solutions that can support heterogeneous
environments and multi-tier architectures. Point tools take into effect server build and
management, but fall short in terms of intelligent provisioning and the re-purposing of servers.
VERITAS OpForce, the industry-leading server provisioning solution, helps companies overcome
server management and provisioning challenges. OpForce helps simplify the process of building,
operating, and optimizing server infrastructures.
VERITAS i3 FOR LINUX
The increasing complexity of business applications and the growing demand for higher
application service levels have made APM a necessity for many corporate data centers.
Organizations can run their applications at peak performance levels by using VERITAS i3 APM
software to eliminate bottlenecks and fine-tune applications.
VERITAS i3 software helps analyze and improve the efficiency of key business applications –
including BEA, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP and Siebel by detecting application performance
problems, pinpointing their root cause, and recommending a solution. Depending on the chosen
service levels, this process usually occurs before the end-user even notices problems.
VERITAS i3 software has three main components:
– VERITAS Inform
– VERITAS Insight
– VERITAS Indepth
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TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUNDER
LINUX
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR UTILITY COMPUTING ON LINUX
VERITAS provides a building block approach to utility computing with heterogeneous
availability, performance and automation software for all major platforms, including Linux. By
deploying a utility computing model on the Linux platform, customers can maximize their
existing IT infrastructure with a view to aligning it with the changing demands of their
businesses:
Availability
• Reduce risk to business critical environments
• Minimize planned downtime
Performance
• Speed up response time for bottlenecks/spikes
• Keep pace with exponential data growth
Automation
• Streamline management of heterogeneous resources
• Monitor and maximize IT resources
A WORLD-CLASS COMMUNITY OF ENTERPRISE LINUX PARTNERS
Top hardware and software companies are taking note of the surge in interest in enterprise Linux.
Key VERITAS partners are moving ahead with solutions that make this reliable, secure OS a
viable option for the enterprise.
VERITAS is partnering with the open-source community and enterprise Linux leaders such as
Dell, HP, Intel, IBM, Sun, Novell and Red Hat to support our customers with a mature and robust
Linux platform. We are returning kernel enhancements to the open-source community to help
improve Linux scalability, performance, and reliability.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
As Linux becomes increasingly viable for the enterprise, more and more organizations are
considering a shift to this operating system. Enterprise users are attracted by its ability to run on
a variety of hardware platforms, its ability to reliably support network and server loads, its
expanding role in storage networks, and its TCO. None of this should come as a surprise. In a
dramatically short period of time, Linux has emerged as a key player in enterprise
environments. And VERITAS is here to enable its customers to leverage the benefits of Linux
as it takes its position alongside Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and Windows.
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