How do you think the Linux SERVER technology (i.e. product features
etc.) will evolve over the next two years? What features do you think
a Linux SERVER needs to offer to meet the needs of a data center
customer?

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Clarification of Question by suse_unix_win_redhat-ga on 02 Feb 2005 23:05 PST

So, Just a little bit of clarifiction: Having read a lot about the
Linux/Unix/Windows fight, I am just wondering what will it take for
open source/vendor(Red Hat/Novell) supported Linux to muscle its way
against the proprietary giants such as Windows and Unix in the Server
market.

Being concerned primarily with data centers, I want to find out what
features would Linux enterprise server edition need to offer to win
this fight - especially over Unix.

In the next two years:
Directory servers will make headway, Novell will start pusshing
eDirectory a little harder, going against Microsoft Server. IBM will
push their eServers, websphere and other products.

SAMBA will definately evolve. Hardware support will expand. Printing,
Scanning, and other devices are almost at the point where you plug it
in, it automatically is set up and working. VoIP will take off HUGE,
Linux PBX's routing voice over the internet is going to take off.
www.voip-info.org

Features that I think are needed are:
Error messages that give you possible solutions, Novell did this quite
well with netware.

Features that a data center customer would need out of a Linux Server?
* Load Balancing http://lcic.org/load_balancing.html
* Hot-Swap capabilities 
* Heart Beat monitoring http://www.linux-ha.org/
* Statistics, graphs on cpu, memory, disk access, network traffic, SNMP
cacti, mrtg, plenty of others
* UserMode Linux, running Linux in Linux
http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/