The announcement includes not only high-end storage systems such as IBM's "Shark" disk system, but also its Ultrium tape product and its Tivoli management software.
The storage move dovetails with IBM's massive commitment to having the Linux operating system on its servers. The company plans to make sure Linux works on all four of its server product lines, including its high-end mainframes. Adding Linux support for storage means IBM can sell its own storage systems for servers running Linux.
Among the customers using IBM Shark storage systems with Linux servers are biotech company MDS Proteomics and Scandinavian telecommunications company Telia.
IBM has support partnerships with Linux sellers Red Hat, Caldera Systems, Turbolinux and SuSE.
