VA Linux Releases VA SystemImager Software for Deploying Servers and Managing Software On Large-Scale Linux Installations
NetLedger, Bristol-Myers Squibb and ValueWeb Use VA SystemImager Software for Linux Server Infrastructure
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2000-- VA Linux Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:LNUX - news), a recognized leader in Linux and Open Source solutions for Internet infrastructure, today announced the release of VA SystemImager(TM) 1.0 software for automatically installing, configuring and updating large numbers of Linux systems in Internet server farms and clusters.
VA Linux customers that currently use VA SystemImager software on large installations of VA Linux servers include NetLedger, the world's first provider of a Web-based accounting solution for millions of small businesses; Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of the leading diversified health and personal care companies worldwide; and ValueWeb, one of the world's largest providers of shared and dedicated Web hosting solutions.
VA SystemImager 1.0 is ideal for software and content management of Internet sites, which change frequently. Once VA SystemImager is installed, systems can be incrementally updated with a single command, as new security patches, software and configuration files are applied to the ``master image.'' Content on Internet server farms can be easily distributed and kept in sync using this method. Unlike other Linux installation and replication software, VA SystemImager does not require a specific package format, giving users flexibility when using software downloaded from the Internet or written in-house.
VA Linux Professional Services provides VA SystemImager installation and customization services for the deployment and management of Internet server farms and other environments with large numbers of Linux systems. VA SystemImager 1.0 is available at systemimager.sourceforge.net
NetLedger
With several hundred VA Linux 2U (3.5``) servers, NetLedger recently unveiled its data center with the largest deployment of Oracle on Linux worldwide. VA Linux Professional Services provided integration management services for the installation of NetLedger's application server infrastructure, using VA SystemImager to replicate the entire system image across hundreds of VA Linux servers. NetLedger continues to use VA SystemImager to update its servers on a regular basis.
``VA SystemImager has run beautifully and is a great example of how VA Linux develops and uses Open Source software to solve its customers' problems quickly and effectively,'' said Dave Durkee, CIO of NetLedger. ``VA Linux's outstanding professional services and expertise enable it to deliver flexible solutions customized for our most demanding Internet infrastructure needs. Trying to deploy this number of systems in a more traditional manner could have taken 2000 hours; with VA SystemImager and VA Linux Professional Services, it took less than a week.''
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Meyers Squibb's Applied Genomics Department has been using VA SystemImager to update and maintain the configuration of a cluster of 32 VA Linux servers, which it uses to power its computationally intensive genetic sequence analysis.
``The VA SystemImager tools have significantly reduced the amount of energy we need to spend administering our Linux cluster,'' said Nathan O. Siemers, senior research investigator in Applied Genomics at Bristol-Myers Squibb. ``The ability to modify the configuration of our cluster nodes on the fly and distribute those changes easily has turned what could have been a full-time administration problem into a manageable situation.''
ValueWeb
ValueWeb, an e.spire Communications subsidiary, is one of the world's largest providers of shared and dedicated Web hosting solutions. ValueWeb has been using VA SystemImager to set up, test and deploy dozens of Web servers and load-balancing servers from VA Linux Systems, with the help of VA Linux Professional Services.
``VA SystemImager has given us a quick, convenient way to image, test and deploy servers for our customers on an as-needed basis,'' said Kaushik Chokshi, vice president of engineering at ValueWeb. ``Because VA SystemImager is Open Source, we were able to make our own customizations to the tool that will be integrated into the next release of the software. At ValueWeb, our goal has always been to leverage our facilities-based network infrastructure and industry alliances to help our customers spend less and retain more revenue. VA Linux is providing us with solutions that meet our needs as we scale quickly.'' |
