In a major Linux strategy announcement, Sun Microsystems today aligned itself with Linux stalwarts IBM and Hewlett-Packard by throwing its weight behind Linux. Specifically Sun said it will . . .

• ship a full implementation of the Linux operating system with certain of its general purpose servers and server… appliances
  
• dramatically expand its line of Sun Cobalt Linux appliances and will introduce a new family of low-end general purpose Linux/x86-based systems
  
• more aggressively participate in the Linux community by freely offering key components of its Solaris operating environment software

Seeking further insight into today's big Linux announcement by Sun, LinuxDevices.com founder and executive editor Rick Lehrbaum spoke with Vivek Mehra, VP and General Manager of Sun's Cobalt Server Appliance business unit.

Mehra, a key architect of Sun's Linux strategy, cofounded Cobalt Networks Inc. and served as Cobalt's chief technology officer prior to its acquisition by Sun. Mehra describes himself as having been “very involved in all aspects of the design” of the original Linux-based Cobalt Qube.

Characterizing today's big announcement, Mehra said it “represents a very broad and a very strong start from Sun of embracing Linux and the Open Source community.”

Mehra said that although Sun has been using Linux as the core operating system platform of the Sun Cobalt Qube products since its acquisition of Cobalt Networks, the new server products being announced today represent an extension of the Cobalt family which substantially extends the range of Sun's Linux-based products.

In the past, Sun has not strongly promoted the fact that the Qube runs Linux, although Linux does show up as a feature bullet on the product's data sheet: “Linux 2.2 Multitasking Operating System”.

Today's announcement “is a very key and very major step that Sun is taking, and well beyond what any of the other companies that have embraced Linux have done,” Mehra said.

Asked whether he was referring to IBM and HP with that comment, Mehra replied “yes — we will ship our own Linux Distribution optimized for our general purpose servers and server appliances, rather than simply making some Linux vendor's standard distribution available to the customers of our systems.”

Like IBM and HP, Sun intends to make significant contributions of key technologies to Linux. “Linux enhancements will be provided back to the community,” said Mehra, adding that “this is a statement of direction, and won't happen over night.”

Does today's big Linux announcement signal the start of a shift towards Linux and away from Solaris (Sun's version of UNIX)? “Not at all,” Mehra replied. “Both SPARC (Sun's processor) and Solaris are continually growing and maturing and getting better. We think we can improve both Linux and Solaris at the same time.”

How will that occur? “Our compatibility suite for running Linux applications on Solaris will result in broadening the application software base for both Linux and Solaris, by increasing the number of developers Linux-compatible applications,” said Mehra.

Sun also intends to contribute open source modules to Linux from Solaris, and expects to receive back improvements from the open source developers that will in turn benefit Solaris, according to Mehra. When questioned as to how enhancements to Linux, which is released under the GPL (GNU General Public License) could benefit Solaris, which is proprietary software, Mehra explained that “the important technology is not just the Linux kernel — it's also about the tools and utilities all around Linux.”

Mehra also pointed out that Sun has already been a significant contributor to Linux, having invested substantial resources in StarOffice and the GNOME desktop environment. “GNOME is now the preferred desktop in Solaris,” he added.

How compatible is Solaris' “Linux compatibility” suite in terms of allowing Linux applications to run on Solaris? “The goal is 100%,” said Mehra, although “clearly, we're not there yet.” Mehra noted that today's big Linux strategy rollout included the announcement of a Linux compatibility assurance toolkit, called LinCAT, which will be used to assist in validating Solaris-compatible Linux software.

Is Sun concerned that its endorsement of Linux may hurt Solaris, its flagship operating system? “Not at all,” said Mehra. “This as about UNIX — and both Solaris and Linux are forms of UNIX.” Sun is targeting Linux and Solaris at different tiers of the market, which spans from low-end systems selling for less than a thousand dollars to high-end ones selling at nearly ten million dollars. Additionally, “some of our customers want the richness, stability, and scalability of Solaris, while others need the ability to optimize and enhance the OS and therefore prefer Linux,” he added.

Sun also announced today that it is will expand its partnering with the Linux community to provide native support of Linux on SPARC systems for both the telecommunications and embedded markets. SuSE and Lineo currently support Linux native on Sun's SPARC microprocessors.

Sun has clearly adopted the position that Linux and Solaris are allies, rather than adversaries: “This is a war against Microsoft — of open systems against closed and proprietary systems,” Mehra said.

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