Middleware Bolsters Linux

Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits

December 07, 1998 (6:38 AM EST)

By Richard Karpinski,

Emerging middleware products should stoke the fires of Linux adoption in the enterprise.

Until now, use of the open source operating system has been limited mostly to special projects. But enterprise-class middleware -- a prerequisite if large companies are to build mission-critical applications on the open source platform -- is laying the groundwork for mainstream applications.

Already, a slew of ORBs for Linux have appeared, following the major endorsements from IBM, Oracle, Sybase, and other database players earlier this year.

Expected soon are Linux ports for middleware, including application servers, transaction-processing (TP) monitors, enterprise messaging platforms, and more, from vendors ranging from IBM to BEA Systems to Netscape.

Mission-Critical Conservatives
"Linux is certainly getting a lot more popular, but when we talk to users about truly mission-critical applications, it doesn't come up," said Jim Johnson, chairman of The Standish Group, a consultancy in Dennis, Mass. "Websites tend to be freer, a bit more daring. Banks and insurance [companies] might use Linux for something, but they are pretty conservative when it comes to mission-critical stuff."

Linux developers see a slow progression, as well, but one that could be fueled by more available middleware.

"Linux will begin by gaining ground in the file-server and print-server markets. It will then only gain ground as a database server if it can run Oracle [or other databases] in an enterprise role. Enterprise means it must have a transaction monitor," said developer Paul Fowler, a senior architect consultant for a major computer company, which he declined to name.

Beyond TP monitors, Fowler said, application servers and business rules engines are a necessity for enterprise use of Linux, particularly if its supporters have designs on positioning the OS against Windows NT, whose enterprise readiness is strengthened by Microsoft's COM and Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS). Linux "has to get the middleware addressed, then the different tiers: database, transaction, presentation, and business rules engine," Fowler said.

Gannett Media Technologies International is using Linux to support its enterprisewide asset-management system, hosted by an Oracle8 database. Gannett has scripted and built on its own middleware to suit its needs, said Michael Tucker, the group's director of marketing. He added that he expects most commercial middleware is going to be easily and quickly ported to Linux.

There already has been widespread work completed in building Linux and open-source ORBs.

"Linux kind of crept up on us. There were a dozen CORBA ORBs on Linux before we even thought about it," said Richard Soley, chairman and CEO of the Object Management Group (OMG), caretaker of the CORBA standard.

Another intriguing CORBA-on-Linux project with significant enterprise ties is Washington University's TAO project, an ORB designed for embedded, real-time devices. Funding for TAO came from Boeing, Lucent, Motorola, and other enterprise users.

"I've talked to a lot of customers and they like to be able to ship the ORB with their products, so having an open source ORB running on an open source OS is very powerful," said Malcolm Spence, marketing director at Object Computing, which is providing technical support for the TAO project.

Still missing, however, are public commitments from the most popular ORB vendors, including Inprise and Iona Technologies. Both are evaluating the opportunity, they said.

Even so, Soley cautioned against underestimating the CORBA technology available today on Linux. In addition to basic functionality, Linux ORBs include object transaction service, data persistence, and security features needed by enterprise developers, he said.

Server Behemoths Yet To Jump Aboard
What is still to come for Linux, Soley said, are commitments by the big names in TP monitors and transaction servers. "I'm sure those vendors will follow as Linux boxes get used," Soley said. "We're just seeing the first wave."

First up appears to be BEA Systems, which will deliver a Linux client for its Tuxedo and M3 platforms in January. The San Jose, Calif.-based company expects the momentum behind Linux will push it to port the server side of those platforms to Linux next year, said Bill Wagner, BEA director of product management.

Client support will let Linux desktops access Tuxedo or M3 server applications. That's a no-brainer for BEA, which already supports a wide variety of clients. A move to support Linux on the server would not be difficult, but Wagner said BEA has not yet seen strong demand among its Fortune 500 users. But he said he expects it will come.

"Customers dealing with heavy-duty, transactional apps are still running them on HP [UX] and Solaris," Wagner said. "They are not ready to deploy server-based apps on Linux; they are just starting to get there. There's a relatively small but very vocal and aggressively growing demand for a Linux server port."

Other TP vendors are slower to jump on Linux. Hitachi has yet to see demand for a Linux port of its TPBroker, according to chief scientist Jack Bissell.

Meanwhile, middleware giant IBM has made major open source commitments, including a big bet on the Apache Web server. But officials declined to comment on specific Linux plans for its TXSeries or CICS transactional platforms, though its MQSeries messaging platform supports a Linux client. Fellow enterprise messaging vendor Tibco also supports Linux on its TIB/Rendezvous product.

IBM did, however, recently announce support for Linux on its Enterprise File System, including AFS Server and Client. IBM had more than 60 customers, including many enterprise users, request Linux support for AFS, said Chris Maher, vice president for file systems at IBM's Transarc subsidiary.

A Linux port is on the to-do list of most of the major application server vendors, though few commitments exist so far.

Last week, a small vendor, Microstate, released what it called the first open source Java application server, dubbed Hamilton. Microstate CEO Eric Lalande called application servers the "missing link in the open source software movement."

In more commercial circles, BEA recently acquired application server vendor WebLogic, whose Tengah Web server runs on any Java virtual machine and has been used by some customers on Linux. Mountain View, Calif.-based Netscape has promised a Linux port of the Netscape Application Server next year.

But perhaps more typical is a vendor such as SilverStream Software, which still is evaluating Linux's prospects.

"We've had a number of developers ask us for a Linux port," said Charlie Ungashick, SilverStream director of product marketing. "Whether it proliferates to the back-end server market is really to be determined. But you can't discount it as a technology, certainly."