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Enterprises
need 64-bit operating systems as they offer greater power,
reliability and scalability. First and foremost, a 64-bit
machine can address more memory directly without using complex
indexing or register-addressing schemes. Because internal
memory is several orders of magnitude faster than storage,
combining a 64-bit processing architecture with more RAM lets
a processor pull more data into memory and operate on it directly,
increasing performance manifold.
A 64-bit file system also can improve disk management. Rather
than having to take a large disk, such as a 9 GB storage module,
and segmenting it into 32-bit addressable chunks (2 GB each),
you can address the entire disk. That can help, for example,
both in database performance and the performance of the operating
system itself.
The move to 64 bits will primarily help users who need to
access very large data stores. This category includes applications
such as CAD/CAM, science and engineering, human resources,
online analytical processing (OLAP) and financial modelling.
Users working with these computer-intensive applications will
probably see immediate improvement with 64-bit machines over
32-bit machines running at the same clock rate and with similar
memory configurations.
While some 64-bit machines can process both 64-bit and 32-bit
instructions, and translators exist to convert 32-bit programs
to slow but functional 64-bit programs, a 64-bit machine needs
a 64-bit operating system and 64-bit applications to deliver
optimum results. 64-bit operating systems run only on 64-bit
machines. Therefore, it is preferable that all parts of the
technology should emerge at the same time so that one doesn’t
act as a drag on the other.
Sun gives this analogy to explain the difference between a
32-bit operating environment and a 64-bit operating environment:
A 32-bit addressing space can keep track of the name and address
of every person who has lived in the United States since 1997,
a 64-bit addressing space can keep track of the name and address
of every person who has ever lived in the world, from the
beginning of time. The capability to accommodate huge quantities
of memory, combined with far greater efficiency at managing
high-bandwidth I/O, give 64-bit systems scalability advantages
that 32-bit technology can’t match.”
The Bottom Line To really get the most from a 64-bit architecture,
you need a 64-bit operating system. Windows, Linux and NetWare
are the new kids on the 64-bit NOS block
Microsoft
In August last year, Microsoft announced the availability
of its first ever 64-bit operating system Windows 2000 Limited
Edition for the 64-bit Itanium server. Many believe that 64-bit
Windows must prove itself before enterprises use it widely.
Realising that application compatibility was going to be a
key goal for its customers, Microsoft made the 64-bit versions
of Windows compatible with existing 32-bit applications, through
a new Windows On Windows 64-bit (WOW64) compatibility layer.
WOW64 is necessary because many 32-bit apps may never make
it into 64-bit versions.
Microsoft’s vision is to provide its customers with an
extensive suite of applications. That vision also includes
providing Microsoft applications on 64-bit Windows.
Windows 2000 Advanced Server Limited Edition supports up to
eight processors and 64 GB of RAM. It includes 25 Client Access
Licenses (CALs). When Windows 2000 Advanced Server ships,
don’t expect to find the 64-bit version in your local
computer store. 64-bit versions will be available only through
manufacturers such as Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, and Hitachi,
who will ship them pre-installed on Itanium-based workstations
and servers. Customers and developers who want just the operating
system binaries will have to get them via subscriptions from
the Microsoft Developer Network or Microsoft’s Technet
Plus.
Microsoft officials say applications that require large memory
and improved mathematical computation would be ideal for 64-bit
Windows. Such applications could be Web caching, data warehousing,
complex mechanical design and analysis, and scientific applications
and research.
SuSE
SuSE Linux has already announced that the latest version of
its advanced enterprise operating system the 64-bit SuSE Linux
Enterprise Server 7 for IBM eServer zSeries. The 64-bit version
expands the possibilities of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server
7 for IBM’s S/390 and the zSeries. Complex database applications
can benefit from the much larger address space, and are not
confined to a memory boundary of 2 GB. In order to fully retain
the value of investments in existing applications, the 32-bit
shared libraries of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7 support
the parallel operation of 32-bit and 64-bit applications on
the same machine, within the same Linux instance. SuSE provides
full 64-bit support for AMD’s Hammer family of processors.
Red Hat
The company is focusing on selling its operating system and
services to large corporates. As part of its focus on big
business customers, Red Hat will release its Advanced Server
product in April 2002. This will be a higher performance and
a more reliable solution to offer customers an easy migration
from UNIX to Linux.
In January this year Red Hat announced the availability of
Version 7.2 for Intel’s 64-bit Itanium processor. Version
7.2 of Red Hat for the Itanium processor uses the 2.4.9 Linux
kernel and incorporates the same feature set as the general
use version released in October. In May 2001, Red Hat released
an Itanium-compatible version of Red Hat 7.1, and a version
for IBM’s S/390 mainframe computers was released in December
2001. Red Hat plans to release an advanced server version
of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for data centre use.
NetWare
Novell says it will ship a 64-bit edition of its Internet
Caching System before it rolls out a 64-bit network operating
system with file, print and directory services. Novell might
end up not using the NetWare name for any of its new modular
64-bit offerings. The company has been discussing a 64-bit
network operating system, codenamed Modesto, for nearly two
years, while waiting for Intel to ship its Itanium processor.
Novell’s 64-bit software is a brand-new code effort built
from scratch to exploit Itanium’s features. The company
intends to build more modular software that can be developed
faster and introduced in smaller chunks. Services such as
caching and directories will be able to tap directly into
the stripped-down 64-bit operating system, instead of running
on top of a general services layer, reducing overhead and
increasing performance.
Akhtar Pasha
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