To the despair of IT managers, cloud services have increased tech stack diversity. Great news for users, but a complete nightmare for system architects, network managers, developers and engineers. On paper, heterogeneous technologies offer massive advantages in terms of flexibility and choice – but this must be balanced against the increased management and development overheads.
ARM is on the rise
Already ubiquitous in the mobile and embedded computing space, ARM processors are starting to gain market share in the enterprise computing space. Requiring less power and physical space, ARM-powered machines allow operators to maximise CPU density and rack space capacity.
However, the benefits of ARM-powered hardware can be across the entire IT ecosystem. In a hybrid ARM/x86 operating environment, developers must re-engineer their code for each platform, increasing development time and risking introducing bugs. It is also much harder to keep feature sets and functionality in sync.
Standardising on a single CPU architecture can help to solve these problems – so long as the homogeneity extends beyond the chipset.
Introducing Oracle Linux for ARM
To assist with the creation of a truly homogenous operating environment, Oracle offers Oracle Linux for ARM. This version of the Open Source operating system is built from the same source packages as the corresponding Oracle Linux distribution for the x86_64 architecture. The codebase has been further optimised to provide like-for-like functionality with its x86 sibling.
Oracle Linux for ARM makes the same OS available for a wide range of devices, from high-density enterprise servers to low-power devices like the Raspberry Pi development boards.
Enterprise-class services
More than simply a free download, Oracle Linux for ARM offers many of the same enterprise-class services that Oracle customers rely on. A range of three technical support packages ensures developers and administrators have access to official subject matter experts to provide assistance and advice.
Similarly, Oracle Linux for ARM offers support for K-Splice technology. Any organisation already subscribed to a premium support subscription can rest easy knowing that their ARM OS is patched and updated automatically – all with zero downtime. With K-Splice, devices are always more secure, including mobile devices which operate mostly outside the corporate firewall.
Cloud-ready
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) also offers ARM-based hosted services, providing even more opportunities to standardise your tech stack. The Oracle Linux Cloud Developer image provides all the tools your developers need to build new apps for the ARM architecture – or to transition your existing x86 applications for use in the ARM OCI.
For existing OCI subscribers, familiar tools and services will make it much easier to move to ARM architecture. A reduced learning curve allows your team to hit the ground running, reducing TCO and maximising ROI as quickly as possible. To learn more about Oracle Linux for ARM and how it can help your business reduce costs and simplify development and management, please give us a call.