After deploying our last Intel/Windows based server, it was already clear that IBM can not keep up with Intel based CPU server performance for the coming years. While the x3650 (x3950 didn't even support Quad Core, and everyone knows that 2 Quad Cores is more than 4 Dual Cores) with two Quad Core Xeon at max GHz runs pretty smooth at 1% under Domino 7.0.2CF2 all the day, it is still possible to jump the CPU load to over 50% by doing some additional tasks, like compacting files with WinRAR*32 at maximum compression. That is not acceptable for a high end business critical server.

However, it's not IBM's fault, it's Intel's fault. Yes, I know Intel CAN also do CPU vector arrays as they have shown before, but there's no official solution on the market for that. IBM however has an official solution: pSystem and zSystem. I prefer pSystem since it grabs on the line of the world leading supercomputers, and Power6 CPU sounds very sexy (IBM Blue Gene/Q).

The time has come, and it starts now. Workstations are not using Windows XP or Windows Vista anymore, but Fedora 8 is the only solution. It remains to be seen if Fedora 8 Server optimized setup can keep up with SUSE Linux in I/O performance, but it's also good to remember that Fedora has many other benefits over that.

The future is here and now. Fedora 8 will rule the world and there's nothing you can or want to do about it.