Sybase And IBM Ready Databases For LinuxSybase And IBM Ready Databases For Linux

IBM and Sybase Inc. have taken steps to improve the Linux capabilities of their database software offerings.

Sybase said last week that Sybase IQ 12.5, the latest version of its software for data-warehouse applications, is available for Linux. That availability follows Sybase's offering in July of a Linux version of its flagship database software, Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise.

S&H Co., which operates the S&H Greenpoints service for rewarding loyal retail-store customers, uses Sybase IQ running on Unix to analyze point-of-sale data provided by retail partners. But with Sybase IQ now available for Linux, the company is considering moving the system to an Intel-Linux server to save money on operating costs. "We find [Linux] to be very cost-effective and powerful for what we want to do," says Frank Lundy, database architecture director at S&H. "It's the best use of financial resources to go with an open-source platform."

At the LinuxWorld conference in New York last week, IBM previewed new features for its flagship DB2 database, expected in a release later this year, that will make it easier to build clusters of Linux-based databases. Those features include database partitioning functions and support for version 2.6 of the Linux kernel.

According to market research firm IDC, sales of relational-database servers on Linux are expected to exceed $3.4 billion this year.