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Now HP contributes HPC file system to open source

posted on 23 June 2008 14:24

Not to be outdone by Sun

HP has contributed its Tru64 UNIX Advanced File System (AdvFS) source code to the open source community, meaning Linux.

The AdvFS source code includes capabilities that increase uptime, enhance security and help ensure higher performance of Linux file systems. HP will contribute the code as a reference implementation of an enterprise Linux file system under the terms of General Public License Version 2 for compatibility with the Linux kernel, as well as provide design documentation, test suites and engineering resources.

HP tells us that it ships a Linux server at the rate of one per minute and, it says, has long provided open source alternatives to customers and contributed to the open source community to speed market development.

AdvFS, which was developed by HP, has been deployed for more than 16 years by enterprises throughout the world and, HP says, simplifies file and storage management, enables online system backups and increases data availability. The company believes that the integration of AdvFS file system features into Linux will accelerates the roadmap of future systems designed to strengthen Linux for enterprise customers.

Jim Zemlin, the Linux Foundation's executive director, said: “HP’s contribution of the Advanced File System code, coupled with their overall resource commitment to Linux, will greatly accelerate the development and commercial availability of improved system functionality for Linux. The technology and engineering resources being made available for next-generation file system projects are proof that HP is a true open source community leader.”

(Eat your heart out Sun.)

To underscore the positive effect of its open source contributions on its hardware sales, HP reminds us that it extended its worldwide lead in the Linux market with 38.6 percent of revenue market share for the first quarter of 2008, according to IDC⁽¹⁾. It also holds the No. 1 Linux server market position in unit shipments, with 36.4 percent of market share worldwide.

(Eat your ....Sun again.)

Professor Giovanni Aloisio, CEO of the Italian Southern Partnership for Advance Computational Infrastructures (SPACI) in southern Italy, said: “HP’s contribution accelerates the development of future Linux file systems, ensuring enhanced system performance to meet our increasingly demanding needs. Linux is playing a significant role in our building of a supercomputing grid environment running HP Integrity servers. We have used many technologies over the years, including Tru64 UNIX with the Advanced File System, and this announcement assures SPACI of continued Linux growth to conduct significant new research.”

The Tru64 UNIX Advanced File System source code, design documentation and test suites are available by visiting http://advfs.sourceforge.net. More information on open source and Linux at HP is available at www.hp.com/go/linux.

^{(1) IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, May 2008.}