SCO OpenServer Release 6 represents the start of a new era for UNIX systems. UNIX has proven itself as an Internet server standard, delivering the open infrastructure that has helped to make the Internet permeative. The UNIX operating system is a mature, reliable, scalable, high-performance platform for running business-critical applications. The SCO Group Inc. announced that SCO OpenServer 6, the next major release of SCO’s flagship UNIX operating system, has entered formal beta testing and is expected to begin shipping in May. The product, developed under the code-name Legend, has been part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar development effort.
What’s new in this version?
*File support up to 1 TB
*Multi-processor support increased to 32 processors
*Memory support up to 64 GB
*Adding to the power of the SVR5 kernel that is in UnixWare 7.1.4 to OpenServer 6 *Dramatic performance improvement
Performance and Capabilities
In addition to significantly increased performance, SCO OpenServer 6 customers will gain greater capabilities in the number of supported processors, increased memory and large file size support.
These include:
- Symmetrical Multi-Processing – SCO OpenServer 6 now supports up to 16 processors.
- Increased Memory Support – General applications running on SCO OpenServer 6 can utilize up to 16 GB of general-purpose memory, while additional memory can be dedicated for special applications, allowing databases to access up to 64 GB of memory.
- Increased File Size Support – SCO OpenServer 6 supports file sizes larger than 2 GB, for both disk-based and network files. Disk based file systems can grow as large as 1 TB, and larger network files are supported through Network File System (NFS) v3.
- Multi-Threaded Application Support – SCO OpenServer 6 supports multi-threaded applications with native UNIX System V kernel support, which increases the overall response and performance of applications. The UNIX kernel is fully pre-emptive, and supports multi-threading for C, C++, and Java applications through the POSIX interface.
- System Analysis and Performance Monitoring Tools – SCO OpenServer Release 6 also provides the real-time performance monitor (rtpm), an interactive and screen-based utility that provides real-time display of performance metrics. You can also log system activity for capacity planning or performance analysis.
Competitive Advantages
Reliability continues to be the most important SCO OpenServer 6 differentiator. Open Server is known for its phenomenal stability and quality. An IDC survey of 1,000 IT professionals found UNIX to be superior to Linux in multi-processing, integration, security and skills availability. Overall UNIX was more likely to meet expectations for features, overall performance and manageability. Recent studies have also concluded that UNIX is more secure than either Linux or Windows. Additional competitive advantages include low total cost of ownership and established reseller relationships.
Conclusion
SCO OpenServer 6 brings to users a powerful, impressive, new and modern operating system with large file support and kernel-level threading for greater application support. With dramatic speed and performance improvements, SCO OpenServer 6 establishes a fable with a decade of rock-solid stability and reliability. SCO OpenServer 6 has stood the test of time for small to large businesses needing a low-cost all-in-one server.
