Introducing SUSE support for the newest model of IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper and IBM z16 Platforms

The ground-breaking combination of IBM and SUSE security and sustainability initiatives pave the way to better choices for our customers.

This is exemplified by IBM’s recent announcement of the new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 and IBM z16 Single Frame platforms.  These latest systems:

• Launch a new era of sustainability with a more cost-effective rackmount system.
• Provide advanced security with confidential computing that leverages a galvanized Linux infrastructure.
• Deliver choices to customers and developers on running the most ideal Linux environment for their business-critical workloads.

“It’s great to see SUSE’s support for the newest members of our z16 and LinuxONE families”, said Matt Whitbourne, Director, Product Management – OS & Virtualization, IBM Z & LinuxONE Systems, IBM. “SUSE Linux on IBM Z customers continue to be amongst our most important IBM Z customers, and we follow an open approach for Linux distributions on IBM Z, including SUSE Linux. We continue to work closely with SUSE on development, testing and support of SUSE Linux on IBM Z, to benefit our joint customers.”

Sustainability:  It’s more than a word

The IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper is built from the ground up on the very principle of sustainability. Just by itself, the Rockhopper design delivers the highest level of utilization for maximum efficiency.  With its optimized architecture to meet the needs of today’s businesses, the Rockhopper design also embraces sustainability without compromise.

As an open source company, SUSE also lives in the world of sustainability.  The whole concept of open source is that it delivers timely, agile innovation that acts as a force for good. Open source, by its very nature, is about teamwork and collaboration.  It’s about focusing resources where they are most needed, sharing knowledge, and dedicating resources to where they are most needed.

SUSE as a company promotes sustainability through action — from our “GoGreen” employee network to our green operations, products, and solutions to our partnership with Eden Reforestation Project plant the SUSE Forest in Madagascar, supporting reforestation and battling climate change.

Security:  From data at rest to data in use

Security is no doubt a hot topic.  And from its beginnings in the 1960s, the mainframe has earned its place as one of the most secure hardware platforms made.  The IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 continues this tradition by offering a trusted execution environment that supports confidential computing for data in use and pervasive encryption for data at rest and data in flight.   IBM designed the new Rockhopper to support 7x9s of resiliency which equates to just 3 seconds of downtime and quantum safe computing to protect encrypted data not only today but also in the future.

SUSE also takes security seriously.  From our SLSA-compliant secure software supply chain to our security certifications for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, SUSE builds all of our solutions with security at the core.  SUSE is one of a small group of companies that knows about critical vulnerabilities before they are published, resulting in fast responses for SUSE releasing fixes for security issues. And with the automation capabilities of SUSE Manager, your servers can remain up-to-date and compliant.

SLES is one of the very few OSs that have the highest level of certifications.  SLE uses a “certify once, use many” approach which means that all certifications and security processes are met/inherited from the common code base – whether you are using SLE Micro or SLES 15 SP4. In addition, SLE supports two different Linux Security Modules – SELinux and AppArmor – each with its own approach to securing access.  Supplying support for both SELinux and AppArmor gives customers a choice in how they want and need to manage security.

Flexibility:  At any scale

The new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 delivers flexible consumption options.  In fact, this new hardware platform is perfect for managing the demands of your digital business.  Rockhopper is a massively scalable system holding up to 16TB of storage.  And for the first time, you can order the Rockhopper as factory frame or rack mounted.  Now that’s flexibility.

SUSE also believes in the power of flexibility.  Starting with a secure common code base, SLE is a modular operating system that paves the way for business transformation.  From the same secure common codebase, SLE Micro for IBM zSystems and LinuxONE provides a hardened and lightweight purpose-built operating system for containerized and virtualized workloads. If cloud native deployments on IBM zSystems and LinuxONE are interesting, SUSE Rancher Prime provides the flexibility of deployment using containerized workloads.

IBM and SUSE have been partners for more than 25 years.  SUSE is pleased to support the new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4.