Linux operating systems for Fujitsu servers
Currently there are a huge number of different server operating systems on the market, among which is a large family of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. For example, look at the list of TOP500 supercomputers in the world. If we analyze it over the past 10 years, we can see that the share of Linux is growing steadily, and according to data for November 2013 it was already 96.4% .
Linux is also widely used in other segments. According to W3Techs statistics, 38.9% of websites work on servers running Linux:
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Thus, the operating system of this family is a key component of products for creating dynamic infrastructures, a set of services and solutions aimed at meeting the actual needs of the business.
If we are talking about the compatibility of a particular server with a particular version of the operating system, then it is important to understand what it is about. There are two possible variants that are close in meaning, but significantly different from each other. In the first case, the operating system is compatible with the server according to formal features, such as processor architecture, restrictions on the number of processors, their cores, or the amount of RAM. The second deals with the list of operating systems whose support in one way or another was originally declared by the server manufacturer.
What is the difference between these options?
First of all, we are talking about the fact that in order for the OS to be included in the list of supported operating systems, it is necessary to go through a rather complicated procedure, including writing or preparing the corresponding drivers / firmware, as well as testing the operating system performance in various tasks while varying the loads. In addition to this, special certification from the OS developer may be required. Accordingly, operating systems that are not included in this list do not guarantee the availability of all necessary drivers, nor do they guarantee that all the declared functionality of the server or the operating system itself will work.
The second important problem is that the manufacturer usually declares the absence of support for operating systems that are not on the appropriate list. In practice, this does not mean that the operating system will not be 100% working on a specific server. This only means that if you cannot find one driver or another for it, or come across some similar problem and contact the support of the server manufacturer, then at best you will receive general advice relevant to all OSes, and at worst - full denial of support on this issue.
Therefore, when choosing an operating system for a server, it is recommended to adhere to the list supported by the OS manufacturer, thereby eliminating a significant number of problems that may be encountered during installation, configuration and operation of the server. This behavior is typical for the entire industry and is practically independent of the vendor.
As for Fujitsu, as a supplier of a full range of solutions for building IT infrastructure, it seeks to provide its customers with not just a set of hardware, but hardware-software complexes (appliance) aimed at performing various tasks. Such solutions include not only hardware components, but also software, primarily the operating system.
It is for this reason that Fujitsu offers in addition to its servers various additional maintenance packages, in particular the Advanced Installation Pack, which includes the installation of the operating system. And of course, in this case, it is almost impossible to do without the enterprise-class Linux OS. To provide customers with maximum freedom in choosing the operating systems of this family, Fujitsu has extensive partnerships with leading Linux distributors, independent software vendors, the user community and open source developers and IT service partners.
So, thanks to close partnerships with SUSE and Red Hat (industry-leading distributors of Linux products), Fujitsu certifies and supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) on all PRIMERGY and PRIMEQUEST servers. These distributions are widely known in the professional field and by themselves do not need additional representation.
For these operating systems, Fujitsu follows a 2-Linux-generation strategy (two generations of Linux), based on the fact that with the release of the PRIMERGY server, it is supported by the main current version of Linux and the previous one. In this case, both versions support the full functionality of the new server. Support for old versions is terminated during the transition period of 3 months before the release of new versions in such a way as to ensure the continued support of the last two current versions of the OS. Thus, when buying a new server, our clients can launch it in the existing environment of their organization with an older version of Linux, and then keep its operating system up to date as new versions of Linux are released.
Another compatible with the Fujitsu servers operating system enterprise class Linux family is Oracle Enterprise Linux (OEL). This operating system is based on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform, it even has the same version numbering. Differences from the standard versions of RHEL, as a rule, are: bug fixes, updated driver versions and the ability to use the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (developed in Oracle version of the Linux kernel, designed for industrial use). In addition, paid support is available from the direct supplier of this distribution - the company Oracle. All these changes in the operating system are aimed at more efficient use of Oracle services, making Oracle Enterprise Linux an ideal software platform for them. At the same time, the use of specially selected PRIMERGY servers with this operating system is also possible for dynamic Oracle-based infrastructures, for example, for Oracle Warehouse Infrastructure.
For all of the above operating systems, Fujitsu offers software support services that are suitable for any enterprise, regardless of size or business, whether it is a small business or a transnational corporation. With years of experience in providing such services, Fujitsu is helping customers improve the cost-effectiveness and reliability of using their IT infrastructure.
Thus, Fujitsu offers a unique opportunity to purchase server hardware and the necessary OS versions from a single supplier with a single responsibility for a comprehensive solution. In addition to the equipment supplied, a wide range of services is offered for its installation, configuration and operation.
Fujitsu refers Linux to the major operating systems for x86 classic servers. This software has open source code and is rapidly developing through the efforts of numerous volunteers in the Linux user community, which is why we work not only with commercial distributions, but also guarantee that our servers support the main most popular non-commercial distributions: CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu. By choosing these operating systems for Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers (with declared support for OS data) you can be sure that you will not have problems installing them, finding the necessary drivers or installing ServerView agents.
In conclusion, we note that in this article we attempted to briefly outline the main principles of supporting the Linux family of operating systems on our servers; a detailed matrix of operating system compatibility for x86 Fujitsu servers can be found on our website at the link .
Dynamics of changes in the share of Linux in the TOP500 supercomputers in the world
Linux is also widely used in other segments. According to W3Techs statistics, 38.9% of websites work on servers running Linux:
')
Thus, the operating system of this family is a key component of products for creating dynamic infrastructures, a set of services and solutions aimed at meeting the actual needs of the business.
If we are talking about the compatibility of a particular server with a particular version of the operating system, then it is important to understand what it is about. There are two possible variants that are close in meaning, but significantly different from each other. In the first case, the operating system is compatible with the server according to formal features, such as processor architecture, restrictions on the number of processors, their cores, or the amount of RAM. The second deals with the list of operating systems whose support in one way or another was originally declared by the server manufacturer.
What is the difference between these options?
First of all, we are talking about the fact that in order for the OS to be included in the list of supported operating systems, it is necessary to go through a rather complicated procedure, including writing or preparing the corresponding drivers / firmware, as well as testing the operating system performance in various tasks while varying the loads. In addition to this, special certification from the OS developer may be required. Accordingly, operating systems that are not included in this list do not guarantee the availability of all necessary drivers, nor do they guarantee that all the declared functionality of the server or the operating system itself will work.
The second important problem is that the manufacturer usually declares the absence of support for operating systems that are not on the appropriate list. In practice, this does not mean that the operating system will not be 100% working on a specific server. This only means that if you cannot find one driver or another for it, or come across some similar problem and contact the support of the server manufacturer, then at best you will receive general advice relevant to all OSes, and at worst - full denial of support on this issue.
Therefore, when choosing an operating system for a server, it is recommended to adhere to the list supported by the OS manufacturer, thereby eliminating a significant number of problems that may be encountered during installation, configuration and operation of the server. This behavior is typical for the entire industry and is practically independent of the vendor.
As for Fujitsu, as a supplier of a full range of solutions for building IT infrastructure, it seeks to provide its customers with not just a set of hardware, but hardware-software complexes (appliance) aimed at performing various tasks. Such solutions include not only hardware components, but also software, primarily the operating system.
It is for this reason that Fujitsu offers in addition to its servers various additional maintenance packages, in particular the Advanced Installation Pack, which includes the installation of the operating system. And of course, in this case, it is almost impossible to do without the enterprise-class Linux OS. To provide customers with maximum freedom in choosing the operating systems of this family, Fujitsu has extensive partnerships with leading Linux distributors, independent software vendors, the user community and open source developers and IT service partners.
So, thanks to close partnerships with SUSE and Red Hat (industry-leading distributors of Linux products), Fujitsu certifies and supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) on all PRIMERGY and PRIMEQUEST servers. These distributions are widely known in the professional field and by themselves do not need additional representation.
For these operating systems, Fujitsu follows a 2-Linux-generation strategy (two generations of Linux), based on the fact that with the release of the PRIMERGY server, it is supported by the main current version of Linux and the previous one. In this case, both versions support the full functionality of the new server. Support for old versions is terminated during the transition period of 3 months before the release of new versions in such a way as to ensure the continued support of the last two current versions of the OS. Thus, when buying a new server, our clients can launch it in the existing environment of their organization with an older version of Linux, and then keep its operating system up to date as new versions of Linux are released.
Another compatible with the Fujitsu servers operating system enterprise class Linux family is Oracle Enterprise Linux (OEL). This operating system is based on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform, it even has the same version numbering. Differences from the standard versions of RHEL, as a rule, are: bug fixes, updated driver versions and the ability to use the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (developed in Oracle version of the Linux kernel, designed for industrial use). In addition, paid support is available from the direct supplier of this distribution - the company Oracle. All these changes in the operating system are aimed at more efficient use of Oracle services, making Oracle Enterprise Linux an ideal software platform for them. At the same time, the use of specially selected PRIMERGY servers with this operating system is also possible for dynamic Oracle-based infrastructures, for example, for Oracle Warehouse Infrastructure.
For all of the above operating systems, Fujitsu offers software support services that are suitable for any enterprise, regardless of size or business, whether it is a small business or a transnational corporation. With years of experience in providing such services, Fujitsu is helping customers improve the cost-effectiveness and reliability of using their IT infrastructure.
Thus, Fujitsu offers a unique opportunity to purchase server hardware and the necessary OS versions from a single supplier with a single responsibility for a comprehensive solution. In addition to the equipment supplied, a wide range of services is offered for its installation, configuration and operation.
Fujitsu refers Linux to the major operating systems for x86 classic servers. This software has open source code and is rapidly developing through the efforts of numerous volunteers in the Linux user community, which is why we work not only with commercial distributions, but also guarantee that our servers support the main most popular non-commercial distributions: CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu. By choosing these operating systems for Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers (with declared support for OS data) you can be sure that you will not have problems installing them, finding the necessary drivers or installing ServerView agents.
In conclusion, we note that in this article we attempted to briefly outline the main principles of supporting the Linux family of operating systems on our servers; a detailed matrix of operating system compatibility for x86 Fujitsu servers can be found on our website at the link .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/219057/
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