Cover Story

Windows, Linux tussle with Unix

Shivani Shinde delves into the enterprise software market where 64-bit offerings from Microsoft, Red Hat and Novell are starting to take on commercial Unix.

With 64-bit versions of Microsoft’s enterprise software stack hitting the market, competition in that space is likely to get stiffer. It should also give a boost to the Redmond giant’s ongoing efforts to get India Inc to make the shift to Windows Server 2003 the uptake of which has been a tad slow.

The 64-bit software has traditionally been run upon RISC servers over various Unix flavours. Indian enterprises have predominantly used RISC-based servers for mission-critical deployments.

Moreover, Linux going 64-bit on x86 and Itanium before Windows didn’t really spur the adoption of Windows Server 2003. While Microsoft would like to take the fight to the Unix camp, it will have to deal with Red Hat and Novell first.

The big opportunity

64-bit platforms are irresistible for software vendors as all mission-critical applications run on them. Microsoft has been a late entrant here. Thanks to aggressive marketing, it is gaining acceptance in the enterprise segment. Today, the company has versions of Windows Server that run on the Itanium and x86-64 hardware architectures.

Despite this, analysts believe that Unix will continue to be the dominant platform for mission-critical applications in the Indian market.

Meanwhile, x86 64-bit servers are finding acceptance in running business applications. They are taking over traditional 32-bit roles for file and print-sharing, e-mail and Web workloads.

Demand for the Itanium-Windows combination is picking up. Vaibhav Phadnis, Director, Server BG, Microsoft says, “In the last six months we have worked with 20 customers who have shifted to Itanium-based servers running Windows Server 2003. All these deals are for mission-critical applications.” These include customers from manufacturing, government, data centres and the BFSI segment where they are running BI applications on Windows Server.

Informs Kamal Dutta, Country Manager, Business Critical Servers, Hewlett Packard, India, “As Microsoft has introduced a 64-bit edition of the Windows Server, two opportunities emerged. The first is a shift from RISC-based platforms and the second is the existing 32-bit customers moving to 64-bit and continuing with the Windows family.” He feels that this provides an ambitious path for SMBs which can now shift from 32 to 64-bit and deploy applications like SAP, SCM and CRM.

Mindtree Consulting is among those that shifted to Windows Server 2003. “We have been running Microsoft software for a long time. All our divisions run on their software so it was just a shift from 32 to 64-bit within the same family,” says Anand Rao Ladi, GM, R&D, Mindtree.

Further, if Microsoft had not come out with a 64-bit version of its software, Mindtree would have had to look for some other platform. “Since it’s a shift from Windows to Windows the cost comes down considerably. Hence, an obvious choice,” remarks Ladi.

Route 64

“We work with ISVs that have an interest in 64-bit technology. Other than this we undertake seminars with identified members and train them. We have equipment and instructors from our US office and typically conduct a three-day workshop on how they can port and tune their applications,” explains Phadnis. Internally, this process is known as Route 64. Microsoft is working closely with HP and Intel on this.

ISVs bring their applications to Microsoft’s labs in Bangalore and carry out porting exercises there. Microsoft is working with ISVs in go-to-market initiatives. “We have identified six ISVs and are working with them at both levels—porting as well as marketing,” adds Phadnis. Names on this list include Nelito, Natural Technologies, Talisman, Ramco and Logica.

Ready, steady, go

The 64-bit platforms offer superior application performance (for those applications that take advantage of their larger memory addressability among other factors), reliability, server uptime and the ability to handle large data sets. However, analysts feel that 32-bit applications do not have a pressing need to access additional memory.

Rajat Sharma, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan believes that the increasing affordability of 64-bit servers will fuel the development of 64-bit applications. Current opportunities exist in a scenario where a 64-bit platform will enable a gradual migration by supporting legacy 32-bit applications.

“Although applications can address larger amounts of memory in 64-bit architecture, there is little pure vanilla 64-bit software available today. However, ERP, CRM, SCM and other database-related applications can surely be deployed on a 64-bit architecture,” explains Sharma.

64-bit computing is gaining momentum globally as well. Hardware and software vendors are working to provide customers with the latest applications. Naveen Mishra, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Systems Research at Gartner India says, “There are some players in the market that are out with 64-bit applications and there are others that are in the process of doing so.” This is where many feel Microsoft should be focussing its attention.

"Although applications can address larger amounts of memory in a 64-bit architecture, there is little pure vanilla 64-bit software available today" - Rajat Sharma Industry Analyst Frost & Sullivan

"We have been running Microsoft software for a long time. All our divisions run on their software so it was just a shift from 32 to 64-bit within the same family" - Anand Rao Ladi GM, R&D Mindtree Consulting

Unix vs Linux or Windows

The similarities between Linux and commercial Unix present a setback for Microsoft in its attempt to vault the 64-bit mark.

Phadnis says, “Linux has been selling where Unix has been strong—HPC, CAD/CAM or EDA. These were traditionally handled by Unix workstations running Sun Solaris and other systems. Vendors who work in the CAD/CAM market are moving to Linux simply because the industry standard hardware cost is lower. This is happening in the infrastructure space i.e., Web, security, e-mail and messaging. But when you talk about business applications you will find vendors pushing Unix rather than Linux. That’s simply because organisations like HP, IBM and Sun will put their own Unix hardware to run the ERP or SCM system. These can be tightly integrated with the vendor’s hardware allowing better service levels.”

Linux vendors are not hard fazed by this. Says Harish Pillay, Chief Technology Architect, Red Hat Asia Pacific, “We do not believe that the enterprise users will abandon the Windows platform. What we are saying is that you now have a choice.”

"In the last six months we have worked with 20 customers who have shifted to Itanium-based servers running Windows Server 2003 " - Vaibhav Phadnis Director, Server BG Microsoft

"Unix is losing ground and the vendors are responsible. There are scalability, ongoing maintenance, operations and cost issues involved" - Harish Pillay Chief Technology Architect Red Hat Asia Pacific

Linux is also pushing for its share of the Unix pie. Industry experts feel that due to the proprietary nature of commercial Unix, it will lose ground. “However sad I might feel the fact is that Unix is losing ground and the vendors themselves are responsible for it. There are scalability, ongoing maintenance, operations and cost issues involved,” says Pillay.

As is the case with Microsoft, Red Hat is clear about its road map. Its Linux Applications Porting (LEAP) centre set up with Oracle in Singapore is targeted at ISVs shifting from Unix to Linux. “Here we give ISVs an environment to port their applications. Since Feburary, 40 ISVs have gone for LEAP of which five or six were from India,” adds Pillay.

According to IDC India, Microsoft should offer more 64-bit applications to cash in on this trend. Microsoft’s growth will not be at Linux’s expense. There is room for both to grow.

While Fortress Unix is under siege, Microsoft has its work cut out. IDC India predicts that the Unix market will not be affected much by the growth in x86 64-bit servers, especially when it comes to the high-end platforms for mission-critical applications. Unix continues to command respect and trust in this segment on account of its history of delivering a scalable and robust platform.

Microsoft needs to build its credentials in these areas. Industry experts are predicting that many CIOs will plump for a mix of 64-bit x86s, Itaniums and RISC servers. Many organisations in the BFSI segment have already adopted this model.

Microsoft can make inroads into the low-end and mid-range markets that are looking at scaling up. Analysts predict that Microsoft may just break into the Unix market somewhere in mid-2006 but not at the high-end.

Many are of the opinion that there are still issues with regard to Microsoft’s 64-bit offerings. These integration issues of product development and security must be dealt with before any major shift happens.

shivani@expresscomputeronline.com