IBM Power Development Cloud benefits the SUSE ISV

IBM just recently announced their new Power Development Cloud. This recent announcement is just one example of the many tools provided by IBM PartnerWorld and SUSE PartnerNet that benefits the SUSE ISV partner. While IBM’s Power Development Cloud is an excellent opportunity to get access to IBM’s wonderful Power System many of the benefits of migrating applications to IBM Power can be found in IBM’s Software Development Toolkit. IBM’s Software Development Toolkit for PowerLinux is an Eclipse-based IDE which integrates C/C++ development with IBM’s Advanced ToolChain for IBM Power.

The SDK can run directly an IBM Power System like the ones in the Power Development Cloud or the SDK can be run on an x86_64 client for remote development. The Software Development Toolkit for PowerLinux has many excellent features like a Code Migration Advisor plugin, which analyzes your existing code and makes recommendations on changes to support the code on the IBM Power Platform. The SDK also takes advantage of open source tools like valgrind for memory and thread analysis. More open source development tools are made available through integration with IBM’s Advanced Toolchain. The Advanced Toolchain provides runtime libraries, compilers and binary utilities to take leading edge advantage of IBM’s latest POWER hardware features on Linux.

IBM Power Systems Family

This is a great opportunity for SUSE Linux Enterprise ISV partners to target a Linux growth market with minimal associated cost. Using the new IBM Power Development Platform, ISVs can at no-charge use IBM Power Systems and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 to bring their applications to Linux on Power.

IBM also provides tools to help ISVs with rehosting their Linux x86 and x86_64 applications to System z. Like the Power Development Cloud, IBM has programs which provide remote access to a System z development instance, but one of my favorite tools is IBM’s zPDT development system. The zPDT is a System z emulator that runs on x86-64 hardware, creating a very cost-effective development and testing environment, and of course it runs on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

If you need more assistance with application re-platforming for either Power or System z you can look into IBM’s Chiphopper program. The Chiphopper team can help you check for portability up front, then provide you a System z Linux image to do your recompilation, build and testing of your application. It is also available for Linux on Power systems.

These offerings are excellent additions to the SUSE ISV Partner Program. The SUSE ISV Partner Program gives partners a no cost membership to our PartnerNet program at the Silver Level. By joining the program, ISV partners get access to SUSE Linux Enterprise software including SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kits for development and support efforts. The SUSE ISV Partner Program gives yearly access to SUSE Linux Enterprise maintenance updates to keep their development systems current. Other resources include access to training, enablement, and marketing resources like Brand Central which contains the SUSE Ready logo to be displayed on the Partner’s web pages. In addition, the ISV Partner can create entries in the SUSE Partner Software Catalog where SUSE Customers and Sales look for software that is tested and certified to be deployed on SUSE Linux Enterprise.

Take this opportunity to join the hundreds of ISVs who are providing software for IBM Power and System z on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server by porting and migrating your applications.