Migrating Domino servers to Linux and forgetting about license costs

When Transports Tendron decided to completely renew its IT infrastructure, they realized that software licensing would represent 3/4 of the total costs if he stayed in a Microsoft / Windows / MSSQL environment. Hardware replacement would consitutes only 1/4 of the total costs.

They did not like this idea.

So they decided to take this opportunity to go all Linux and open source software while he was renewing his servers.
It worked, and it payed : they're now running his whole IT infra on open source, free software, and they realized enormous cost savings in the process.

• The virtualization layer is Linux with Xen.
• All servers are under Linux CentOS except when otherwhise not possible, and that includes the electronic messaging platform with Domino.
• The client computers are all running on Linux with Ubuntu, and they include a full IBM Notes client.

The feeling of not being dependant on a sole software and license provider is also a nice reward.

And I ? What did I learn in the process ? That Domino runs fine on CentOS and that it is really not that difficult to install, configure and administer on this platform. A very useful lesson, and an experience I can come forward with to other customers facing licensing cost issues !