ISVs and developers that want to migrate to some combination of open-source/Linux/J2EE environment from the all-Microsoft, all-Windows world are faced with several decisions in terms of tools, platforms and techniques.
First step is to identify your software requirements, says Bob Matsuoka, founder, president and CEO of RunTime Technologies, a Web-tools ISV. "This means looking carefully at all of your servers, including Web, applications servers, database servers and e-mail servers, and making sure that you can move to Linux or Unix equivalents," he says.
There are two approaches, according to Kevin Carlson, CTO of Verteris, an Atlanta-based ISV. The first is to migrate your core infrastructure--which includes Domain Name Server, SAMBA, Network File Services and e-mail servers--before moving users and custom applications. Or, keep these services based on Windows and migrate the applications first.
Certainly, the issue of which operating system to use is huge. The biggest draws right now are Red Hat, BSD and, coming on strong, Mac OS X. Of the three, Red Hat offers the widest driver and third-party support. Some developers are mixing various Unix versions--one for their developers, one for their servers.
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