IBM adds extra Linux and automation to DB2

IBM will next week release editions of version 8.2 of its DB2 database software, featuring support for Linux clustering in addition to self-managing and tuning capabilities.

Codenamed Stinger and targeted at large and small-to-medium sized enterprises, the new editions debut on 17 September through IBM's direct and indirect worldwide channels.

Pricing will start at $25,000 for the Enterprise edition.

IBM has included extra automation features which it claims can complete complex jobs up to seven times faster than before.

Big Blue also maintained that the new version can reduce mundane administrative tasks by 65 per cent, and could help lower total cost of ownership for customers.

"This release is all about bringing a lot more autonomic features to the DB2 relational database," said Angus Falconer, DB2 product manager EMEA at IBM.

These autonomic features are designed to address traditionally time-consuming tasks such as monitoring, tuning, table maintenance or data backup in order to free up administrators' time.

"We feel this is the way the market is going and it is important to help our customers concentrate on high-value activities like business intelligence projects or managing highly complex, unstructured data by reducing the number of mundane administrative tasks," said Falconer.

Mike Ferguson, managing director at consultants Intelligent Business Strategies, told vnunet.com that IT managers facing tight budgets may be attracted to the proposition "particularly as the product is able to do a lot more itself and may contribute to a lower cost of ownership".

Tivoli System Automation software has also been coupled with the new DB2 release to provide advanced clustering capability for Linux-based environments.