Linux on AS/400 Project
The purpose of this Project is to gather and disseminate information on the tantalizing, yet bizarre possibility of porting the Linux operating system to IBM's AS/400 midrange computer.
Linux is a Unix-like operating system, which was started in 1991 by a Finnish graduate student named Linus Torvalds. It has matured thanks to the efforts of hundreds (perhaps thousands) of programmers who have cooperatively developed it across the Internet, and critiqued each others' work to produce a truly commendable product. Linux is, for example, used to run many of the servers which make up the Internet.
Linux was originally created for personal computers running the Intel 386 processor, but has been ported to dozens of other processors over the years. This Project is to add CISC versions of the AS/400 to that list of native Linux ports.
**May 2001 News **
IBM has confirmed that OS/400 V5R1 will support the first version
of Linux for AS/400's. While not compatible with CISC AS/400's, as we
hoped for with this project, it's clear that IBM has the resources to
do what we only dreamt of. Accordingly, unless someone steps forward to
take over this project, it will be considered closed as of June 1, 2001.
The information will remain here for posterity. :)
**May 2001 News **
General information on Linux may be obtained from http://www.linux.org/ , http://www.linuxresources.com/, and many other sites.
The links at left cover the following subjects:
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General Info - general information about the AS/400 and its native operating system, OS/400 |
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Mailing List - there is now a mailing list to help project members communicate. We have over two dozen subscribers, from ten countries! |
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IBM Comments - we received more input from IBM on the challenges faced by this project. Read this, and respond to the mailing list. |
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Approach - the technical approach to this project |
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Tools - some IBM sources of data on IPL (boot) activities |
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Architecture - a report on AS/400 architecture |
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Contacts - how to contact us, credits, and disclaimers |
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Configuration - a description of the testbed for this project |
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Letters - some of the correspondence among project members before the mailing list was established |
If you can correct the information presented here, or add to it, please contact us.