Chapter 3. Introducing Linux on the Mainframe

From a project undertaken by a handful of developers, Linux on the mainframe has become an official component of IBM's mainframe strategy. This union of traditional proprietary computing and Open Source elements helps to bring e-business applications from distributed servers to a single platform where they can be more easily managed.

Looking at the Linux evolution and the evolution of the mainframe architecture, it becomes obvious that both have a specific background and their specific reasons for certain design decisions. In this chapter, we focus on bringing these two thoughts together. We will explore questions such as the following:

• Why does Linux fit the mainframe?

• How does Linux fit the mainframe?