IBM has previewed what it called a major new release of i5/OS, its operating system for IBM's System i Unix servers, as well as a new Power6-based System i server that will include the new OS.
Expected in 2008, i5/OS v6 will feature new security, web services and virtualisation capabilities. Specifically, new features in i5/OS v6 include:
- An encryption feature to help companies protect vital data by encrypting data held on disk devices and backed up to tape.
- Virtualisation support that allows one i5/OS partition to host storage for another i5/OS partition. This will eliminate the requirement for separate partitions to maintain their own, individual hardware, making it easier for users to flexibly test and deploy new i5/OS applications, according to Big Blue.
