The advantages of using Linux for scientific research include the fact that it is open source and more malleable than other operating systems. To protect intellectual property, Linux is generally preferred to other operating systems as it is more secure than Windows and Apple (though its OS is built on FreeBSD UNIX).
This combination affords researchers who code with the ability to make changes and share code with anyone for whatever purpose they desire. Linux also helps users resurrect older computer systems and repurpose them as a file server, firewall, router or backup server, for example. And there are a huge number of distributions to choose from to suit varying purposes and budgets.
To serve Linux users, Lenovo recently announced that it will be certifying its full workstation portfolio for Ubuntu and Red Hat Linux distributions. This will help researchers looking for off-the-shelf solutions that reduce the common hassles that can occur when deploying enterprise hardware within Linux distributions.
This is different from Lenovo’s usual modus operandi when it comes to certifying only specific products for Linux with a fixed set of configurations for certain hardware.
All ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations will now be certified in Ubuntu LTS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Ubuntu LTS
The OEM version of Ubuntu LTS is preloaded on Lenovo products, which makes sense as it is the most popular Ubuntu distribution. Part of the reason this version of Linux is so popular as a preloaded OEM version is because it has a five-year support cycle, making system stability very reliable for these users. The company that produces Ubuntu is Canonical, and it certifies and performs regression testing on these systems to ensure perpetual stability for users.
Red Hat Linux
Lenovo is increasing its Red Hat Enterprise Linux certifications to cover all its workstations, meaning more potential customers can buy Lenovo products with the OS baked in. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is extraordinarily stable and comes will a very high degree of support.
Lenovo has also partnered with the Fedora project in the Red Hat ecosystem and is supporting a pilot program for ThinkPad and ThinkPad P53 as well as P53 and P1 Gen 2 systems.
Bottom Line
Having access to the latest open-source platform for community-based distribution is important for scientists and researchers who use Linux distributions and prefer ThinkPad products.
Many academic institutions throw huge support behind open-source and FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) communities that rely on Linux distributions. For many scientific and academic research environments, Linux has huge computational advantages over operating systems like Windows, which has a more challenging development environment. Within Linux is the UNIX architecture model, which supports shells like bash, which makes developing custom code for specific research projects that rely on instrumentation and serious computer power much easier to carry out.