PeopleSoft Opens up to Linux
Running PeopleSoft Enterprise on a 100% Linux Platform
Posted on 1/9/2007 (originally published in print on 11/1/2004)
by Lorne Kaufman
Thinking of running your enterprise PeopleSoft Applications on Linux?
In this article I will respond to four basic questions around the topic of running PeopleSoft on Red Hat Linux and I'll draw a conclusion as to whether or not using Linux as the supporting Operating System is a viable solution for Enterprise Applications like PeopleSoft. The questions are:
Will I have issues with the Install?
How will it perform?
What is the cost?
What are the Risks/Benefits
Many architects, DBAs and even some executives have wondered since the release of PeopleSoft 8.0 when PeopleSoft will be prepared to support a Total Linux solution (Web Server, Application Server and Database Server)? At the release of version 8, PeopleSoft supported Linux Red Hat 6.2 only as the Web Server (Weblogic and Apache at the time). This was a huge step for PeopleSoft. Not only did PeopleSoft break the mold when they re-architected and re-designed the PeopleSoft Application for version 8, but they also explored un-charted territories by supporting the Web Server layer on an Open-Source Operating System (Linux). Once this was done, the next logical step would be to provide the capability to run PS in a complete Linux environment, and PeopleSoft delivered in version 8.44.
There is an old adage that says "be careful what you wish for because you might just get it." And on February 13th 2004 PeopleSoft answered the call by releasing the first version of the tools that would fully support Linux at every layer. The caveat to this was that PeopleSoft would only support the tools running on Linux Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1. Red Hat's support model looks like this:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux version
2.1
General Availability: May 17 2002
Full Support (including hardware
updates): to November 30 2004
Deployment Support: to May 31,
2005
Maintenance Support: June 1 2005
to May 31 2007
Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3
General Availability: Oct 23, 2003
Full Support (including hardware
updates): Oct 23, 2003 to Apr 30,
2006
Deployment Support: Oct 23, 2003
to Oct 31, 2006
Maintenance Support: Nov 1, 2006
to Oct 31, 2008
Many of the customers who are/were interested in running their Enterprise Applications on Linux are running Advanced Server 3.0 not Advanced Server 2.1 in their shops. This leaves many of PeopleSoft's customers in a quandary: do I try and get PeopleSoft to work with Advanced Server 3.0 (unsupported) or run an older version of Linux in my shop? It is important to understand that you can get PeopleSoft to run on a different version of the Operating System but you negate support from PeopleSoft by doing so. It is my understanding the PeopleSoft is internally in the process of certifying Linux Red Hat Advanced Server 3.0 on multiple versions of their tools, so stay tuned. I was able to run PeopleSoft 8.44 of Tools and 8.4 FDM Application in a lab environment on Linux Red Hat Advanced Server 3.0, but for the sake of this article, the environment was set up using version 2.1.
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