Linux becomes available to China via 21Vianet. (Photo : Getty Images)
China will soon be enjoying the open source operating system CoreOS Linux thanks to Microsoft Azure as 21Vianet becomes the first ever officially supported cloud provider in the country.
In a press release posted on their official website, Linux announced that the CoreOS would soon be made available for Chinese computer users together with Microsoft's cloud operating service, Azure.
Recently, Microsoft revealed its plans on expanding its market share in the country, something that could mean nothing but progress for the CoreOS Linux.
CoreOS Linux
Developed by infrastructure software developer CoreOS, Linux can now enjoy the benefits of modern, microservices container deployments by community members in China.
The OS is also known to support hybrid cloud scenarios such as a single cluster of CoreOS Linux running on cloud and bare metal environments.
CoreOS is a company that is founded to provide "secure, scalable and resilient infrastructure" and is responsible not only for CoreOS Linux but also other projects like rkt and etcd, as well as enterprise solutions such as the infrastructure platform for distributed applications Tectonic and a private image registry known as Quay.
Support in China
"As a supporter of Linux and open source, we believe in the importance of working with innovators in open source like CoreOS to enable choice and flexibility for cloud customers," Microsoft Azure Chief Technology Officer Mark Russinovich said in a statement cited by PR NewsWire.
According to Russinovich, the tandem of CoreOS Linux and Microsoft's cloud could provide aid for the "creation of new applications and collaboration across teams around the world."
Aside from that, people from outside China who are already using the operating system and "wish to extend their presence" in the country will be benefitting from the expansion, per CoreOS Linux head Alex Crawford.
"The open-source community in China as well as Chinese businesses who want to adopt secure, reliable container infrastructure more easily will benefit from using CoreOS Linux in China," Crawford explained.
Crawford added that the CoreOS Linux is expected to provide both small- and large-scale organizations the right tools in running their applications in the same global standard as the rest of the world.
"With open source infrastructure solutions like CoreOS Linux available in China, Chinese businesses will be able to more easily adopt container infrastructure, while companies outside China can extend a single container platform worldwide and more easily deploy applications in China," IDC enterprise infrastructure group vice president Al Gillen said.
