SUSE and MariaDB Corporation (formerly SkySQL) today announced a partnership that expands the Linux application ecosystem on IBM Power Systems. As a result, customers can now run a wider variety of applications on POWER8, increasing their flexibility and choice while working within their existing IT infrastructure. The partnership was unveiled at IBM Enterprise 2014, supporting the $1 billion investment to be spent over the next five years to develop Linux and open source technologies on IBM Power Systems.
“This collective work with MariaDB speaks to the opportunity that open source brings to IBM Power Systems,” said Nils Brauckmann, president and general manager of SUSE. “Working with MariaDB in our strong ecosystem of partners offers our customers new and innovative ways to make the most from their existing IT investments, while accessing the latest and most powerful computing applications and technologies.”
Patrik Sallner, CEO of MariaDB Corporation, said, “This partnership is a win for SUSE, a win for IBM and a win for MariaDB’s customers and community. The optimization of MariaDB for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 on IBM Power Systems servers with POWER8 processors gives enterprise companies an ideal way to easily deploy database environments with unparalleled scale-out performance and near continuous availability.”
MariaDB Enterprise will be optimized for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 on IBM POWER8-based servers. SUSE and MariaDB will be publishing tuning and optimization guides for customers and partners to further demonstrate the capabilities and performance benefits of Linux on Power. The joint offering provides customers with several key technical benefits, including:
- Choice – through easy porting of software developed on Linux for x86 to Linux for Power on little-endian systems, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 enables users to run a larger variety of applications on POWER8, including those developed in compiled or scripted languages, such as C++, Ruby PHP or Java.
- Hypervisor support – IBM PowerKVM and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, with KVM, provide virtualization support on POWER8 processors for Linux workloads.
- Scalability – SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 takes full advantage of POWER8’s eight threads per core, allowing a higher number of tasks to run simultaneously.
- Performance – larger L3 memory cache structures provide a greater potential for computing power at higher density, perfect for data-intensive applications.
- Support – the agreement also offers customers access to enterprise-class support from SUSE and MariaDB.
“Clients are looking for new ways to better manage big data and take advantage of cloud computing using open technologies,” said Terri Virnig, vice president of Power Ecosystem and Strategy at IBM. “The combination of the MariaDB database, fast emerging as the new M in the LAMP stack, trusted SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and superior analytics and cloud capabilities of IBM Power Systems can help clients meet these goals.”