Shell to use Linux supercomputer for oil quest

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Linux, the free computer operating system, is expected to win another high-profile victory on Tuesday when Anglo-Dutch oil company Royal Dutch/Shell will announce it is going to install the world's largest Linux supercomputer.

Shell's Exploration & Production unit will use the supercomputer, consisting of 1,024 IBM X-Series servers, to run seismic and other geophysical applications in its search for more oil and gas.

Data collected in Shell exploration surveys will be fed into the computer, which will then analyze it.

The announcement comes just days after Swedish telecom operator Telia said it would use a large Linux mainframe to serve all its Internet subscribers, replacing a collection of Sun Microsystems servers.

"Linux is coming of age," said one source close to the deal.

Linux, developed by the Fin Linus Torvalds and a group of volunteers on the Web, has been embraced by International Business Machines Corp. as a flexible alternative to licensed software systems such as Microsoft's Windows or the Unix platforms.

With Linux companies can quickly add or remove computers without worrying about licenses for the operating software. Over the past year the software has been tested and trialled for business critical applications. Major deals have now started to come through.

Recently Musicland Stores Corp., the U.S. company that owns Sam Goody, said it would install new Linux and Java-based cash registers. The most recent announcements indicate that Linux usage is becoming more versatile, with the operating system moving into many different applications, not just Internet computers.

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Linux
Shell
IBM Corporation
Musicland Stores Corporation

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