CIT Adds zLinux Virtual Server Hosting Service

Are you interested in hosting a blog using WordPress, setting up a website using PHP and MySQL, or hosting a Wiki? CIT's new zLinux Virtualized Server environment for hosting open source applications under the z/VM hypervisor can be just the service for you. Running on the robust, next generation IBM zServer platform, our zLinux Virtualized Server hosting began as a pilot offering, but is now available as a production service available to all HHS customers.

We can discuss hosting many other open source applications with you as well. With zLinux, there are no time delays waiting for procurements, and applications can be started and decommissioned within 24 hours, like most cloud computing environments.

Benefits to customers

CIT's zLinux Virtual Server Hosting offers customers multiple virtual Linux servers (Red Hat or Suse Linux) running on our IBM zServer platform. Customers who opt for zLinux virtual servers gain several advantages, such as:

•	Hosting for open source applications in a virtual server environment.
•	Quick deployment of a zLinux virtual server (in 24 hours or less).
•	Reduced software licensing costs with the IBM zServer architecture, which are reflected in lower rates for our customers.
•	Dynamic scaling of your server system resources to quickly meet increases and decreases in your application computing needs.
•	Operational cost savings through reduced power, space, and support requirements, which translate to lowered investment costs and savings for customers.
•	High reliability, high availability, and proven security that complies with NIH and HHS security requirements.

What kind of applications can take advantage of this service?

Examples of applications that can run on the zLinux Virtual Server include:

WordPress Blog applications: WordPress is a dynamic publishing tool for managing website content using a web browser. The platform is open source and powered by PHP and MySQL. WordPress offers:

•	A user-friendly interface for publishing text and media.
•	Website optimization for search engines with plugins.
•	Features including workflow, plugin architecture, and a templating system.

LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/PERL)-based applications: an interlocking set of technologies on which developers can build and deploy web-based applications.

•	Apache is the most widely used web server on the planet. Apache has been an open source effort from its beginnings in 1995 and is controlled by a group called The Apache Software Foundation. Apache remains the de facto reference platform against which all other web servers are judged.
•	MySQL is a multithreaded, multiuser, SQL-based database management system with more than six million installations.
•	PHP, Perl, and Python are the programming languages of choice in most LAMP and LAMP-like installations. All are characterized as concise, compact scripting languages that allow a user to execute a program on the web server from within a browser window.

Wikis: collaborative websites where authorized users can add or modify content using a browser.

Other applications:

•	An Apache-based front end to an MS SQL server database
•	A JAVA-based application using the Resin application server and communicating with a backend MS SQL database on a remote host

The zLinux server platform

The zLinux Virtual Server runs on the state of the art, next generation z9 Business Class server platform under the z/VM hypervisor, using Red Hat Linux to run multiple virtual Linux servers. The zServer system is secure, reliable, and has a greater than 99.999% availability. These CIT-managed servers are located in the highly secure NIH Data Center, in the NIH campus building 12 complex.

The benefits of virtualization

Using virtual servers instead of stand-alone servers can result in a large reduction in energy use while also freeing up space and keeping work areas cooler, thereby helping to green the Data Center. Since virtualization maximizes the efficient use of pooled resources, it is often a lower-cost solution over stand-alone servers.

How can virtualization lower costs?

•	Virtualization decreases the number of administered physical servers, and so reduces overall power and cooling requirements.
•	Operational savings result in a lower charge for CIT customers. Virtual server customers pay about 30 percent less than customers with physical servers.
•	Virtualized systems are highly robust with built-in redundancy. Customer configurations that required multiple servers and load balancers for failover support can leverage the built-in redundancy of the virtualized environment to significantly lower their hardware requirements and costs.

More information

For more information, contact the NIH IT Service Desk online at http://itservicedesk.nih.gov or at 301-496-4357 (6-HELP) (local), 866-319-4357 (toll free), or 301-496-8294 (TTY) and ask to be connected to a virtual Linux server consultant.

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