Red Hat Launches Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4; Linux Moves Closer to Displacing Solaris in the Enterprise

Business Wire, Feb 15, 2005

BOSTON -- Red Hat (NASDAQ:RHAT), the leading provider of open source solutions to the enterprise, announced global availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4 last night at a press conference hosted by Red Hat executives, partners and customers. This latest release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux enables enterprise organizations to realize the benefits of open source innovation throughout their IT environment, particularly in the areas of performance and security. Red Hat Enterprise Linux proves that Linux solutions can effectively eliminate for the need for Solaris in the enterprise.

"This release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a defining milestone in the evolution of Linux as the backbone of the enterprise," said Paul Cormier, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Red Hat. "Red Hat Enterprise Linux in 2002 marked the entrance of Linux in the enterprise. The second version one year later put us at par with Unix in terms of reliability, and ahead in terms of value. Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4 has the performance, scalability, security, and application portfolio needed to make Linux the sensible choice for every deployment, from servers connected to client and desktop systems. This methodical delivery of innovation is helping create unprecedented value for the customer."

Red Hat has engineered Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4 with a focus on:

--Platform stability and maturity based on a well-tested Linux 2.6 kernel

--Productivity improvements particularly for the desktop

--Technologies to meet enterprise security and compliance demands

--Exceptional performance and scalability for both 32- and 64-bit workloads

Red Hat continues to place great emphasis on the importance of partner relationships and collaboration with the community. This work is most evident in the breadth of architecture and application support of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4:

--Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4 is available on 64-bit Intel(R) Xeon(TM) and Intel(R) Itanium(R) processor-based systems, AMD64, IBM POWER, z-Series and S/390 and other x86 systems

--Hundreds of applications are currently in process to become certified on Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4

--With the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4, more than 750 systems have been certified on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

--Red Hat has collaborated with the community to bring to market mature open source technologies such as SELinux and Firefox, which greatly increase security and browser experience from servers through desktops and clients.

--Red Hat Desktop has made great strides in improving office productivity and usability. Also, capabilities ranging from mobility/wireless support (including Intel Centrino), to plug-and-play USB device recognition, to power management for laptops have been significantly upgraded.

--Customers will have a wide range of technologies to choose from, all based on a standard, single code base.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.4 is now available in 15 languages worldwide. For more information please visit http://www.redhat.com or call 866-2-RED-HAT.

Industry Support

Dell

"Dell and Red Hat are committed to continuously improving the performance and value proposition of Linux for our enterprise customers," said Reza Rooholamini, director, enterprise solutions engineering, Dell. "The release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 on Dell PowerEdge servers is another proof point of how we are enhancing the Linux platform to provide customers with solutions that scale to meet their needs today and in the future."

EMC

"As customers continue to adopt Linux to run critical enterprise applications, assurances of support and cross-platform interoperability are very important," said Tom Joyce, Director of Platforms Marketing at EMC Corporation. "EMC is committed to supporting our mutual customers using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 by working to ensure interoperability in their robust Linux environments."

Hitachi

"Hitachi, Ltd. welcomes the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4," said Kazuhiro Fujisaki, General Mamanger, Hitachi, Ltd. Software Division. "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 provides high performance, stability and high scalability, as well as improved security. Hitachi expects this release to further expand the Linux enterprise market."

HP

"As Linux becomes a more critical piece in IT datacenters today, Red Hat continues to offer customers improved capabilities for performance and value across open source and commercial environments," said Martin Fink, vice president of Linux, HP. "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 integrated with industry-leading HP systems, particularly as a foundation for our Linux Reference Architectures, offers a powerful foundation for our joint customers to become more flexible and competitive, reduce TCO, and address their solution integration needs."

IBM

"The introduction of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 is another important step in the maturation of Linux, and one our mutual customers will welcome enthusiastically," said Scott Handy, vice president of Linux for IBM. "The improved performance and security offered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 will enable customers to deploy a resilient infrastructure to handle their mission-critical needs in every industry, from telecommunications to the financial services sector."