Connecting with Linux - Clustering claims the open-source spotlight at LinuxWorld Expo.(Product Announcement)

AS LINUX continues its long, steady push deeper into the enterprise, it is doing so increasingly on the back of Intel's chip architecture.

At this week's LinuxWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, a raft of vendors, including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems will introduce new products and strategies, many of which boast much- needed clustering capabilities courtesy of Intel-based servers.

Significantly, Linux archrival Microsoft will make its first official presence at LinuxWorld Expo, showing off Version 3.0 of Services for Unix and the latest version of its Embedded Windows XP operating system, attempting to garner mind share in the Unix community.

"It is important for us to make it very clear that Microsoft knows its customers work in a heterogenous world," said Peter Houston, senior director of Microsoft's Windows Server group, explaining the Redmond, Wash.-based company's presence.

Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM will bolster its Linux-based clustering strategy with two Intel-based rack-mountable servers along with an integrated e- Server cluster 1350 offering that includes storage capabilities, third- party networking, and cluster management software.

The 1350 cluster software can support as many as 256 nodes and as many as 32 storage nodes. Built into the product is IBM's cluster management software for Linux, which makes it easier for administrators to select how many clusters they want to deploy.

"We are trying to make this as flexible as possible and not try to do a one-size-fits-all product. We really believe that users these days want integrated solutions that come …