
10 Linux for IBM System z9 and IBM zSeries
2.1 Choosing a 64-bit or 31-bit Linux distribution
The Linux 2.6 kernel has undergone a substantial testing in 64-bit mode, and is
intended for large-scale, highly available systems. The IBM strategy is focused
on middleware applications running on 64-bit platforms. Whenever possible, a
64-bit enterprise Linux distribution is recommended. The 64-bit kernel offers
greater memory addressability, and provides greater flexibility for running Linux
on zSeries. With the 64-bit kernel, you can run many small Linux images or fewer
but larger Linux images in a given z/VM partition. Applications that can benefit ...