Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers have access to a new Linux-based operating system. This system, dubbed Linux 2, is available for both their local and cloud-based servers on the AWS platform.
Amazon Linux 2 is the tech giant’s answer to its competitors’ hybrid cloud offerings. A hybrid cloud allows enterprises to use local servers in addition to the cloud in a connected, fluid environment. Companies like Microsoft and Oracle have been promoting hybrid cloud solutions as alternatives to Amazon’s AWS.
This is Amazon’s first hybrid-like offering, giving users the ability to install an operating environment that closely matches that of its cloud servers, locally.
Amazon Linux 2 will run many of the applications system administrators have relied on for years. VMware, Microsoft’s Hyper-V, Oracle’s VM VirtualBox, and Docker among them.
A Single Operating Environment Optimized for AWS
What Amazon proposes with Linux 2 is a single, optimized experience that is built from the ground up to work with its AWS platform.
Amazon Linux 2 is fine-tuned for Amazon’s EC2 platform. Theoretically, users should expect improved performance and seamless integration with other AWS services, as a result.
Local Installations Supported
Users also gain the advantage of running their servers in an operating environment with long-term support. Security patches, bug fixes, and more are guaranteed by Amazon for five years.
Amazon Linux 2 is offered as a virtual machine and container image for local installations. Administrators can use it to create a local environment for development and testing that is consistent with Amazon’s cloud. This gives developers a consistent environment for building, testing, and deploying their applications.
What This Means for Businesses
For enterprises looking for a proper development and live environment for their cloud services, Linux 2 offers a unique solution that boasts faster development times and a stable support plan.
It is an additional tool in the comprehensive Amazon AWS toolbox, and one that Amazon hopes will make it a stronger competitor to a growing number of hybrid cloud solutions.
