ORLANDO - One session at the conference for Share, a user group for mainframe and other large systems users, compared building a data center out with Intel-based Linux servers with a mainframe architecture that has virtual Linux servers. Keep in mind that this was at the Share conference, so the bias was clear: Scale up beats scale out. But the number-crunching exercise was still interesting examine in terms of hidden costs you might not expect from scale out.

First, the session was by Mark Post, a technical support engineer for Novell who does a lot of work around Linux on System z. He spoke about a specific project he was involved in with a previous employer, which he didn’t name. He also stressed that Novell was not involved with this project at all. That company did consulting for a client looking to build out an Intel-based Linux infrastructure. He then compared that with an estimated build-out for a z9 mainframe. Here’s the 3-year breakdown:

The only issue I might take with Post’s assessment is software. Post mainly looked at database and operating system licensing costs, but didn’t compare other third-party software costs; for example, systems management software from CA or BMC. One of mainframers’ biggest complaint is third-party software costs, which can often run them millions of dollars depending on what they have.

Still, even if you’re talking a couple million more on the mainframe side, it still shows a savings over the Lintel build-out. For a more complete breakdown of the figures, check out Post’s presentation.