Red Hat, Intel launch Linux deployment program

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 05 April 2006 20:01

IT Industry - Strategy

In what they claim is a first, chipmaker Intel and Linux vendor Red Hat have unveiled a joint program to help customers plan for, accelerate and optimise their deployments of Linux solutions.
The two vendors claim the program will be the first of its kind for Linux solutions development, initially focused on developing and disseminating tools for virtualisation of enterprise computing.

“The Red Hat and Intel Solution Acceleration Program will give customers real-time access to the critical information, tools and support they need to build and optimise high-value Linux solutions on Intel-based platforms,” said Jon Bork, director of Intel’s Open Source Program Office. “This program will help customers quickly and effectively take advantage of new Intel platforms and technologies as they come to market"

“We’re responding to what customers have told us; they really need to support their advanced deployments of Linux and open source,” said Tim Yeaton, executive vice president of Enterprise Solutions at Red Hat. “The programs Intel and Red Hat have selected are aimed at equipping customers with in-depth domain knowledge and providing hard core data to make complex architectural decisions.”

The new Red Hat and Intel program operates online and at centres that include hubs in the US, India, Germany, and 14 satellite locations around the globe. The hubs will be equipped with Intel Itanium 2 and Intel Xeon processor-based servers, Intel Pentium 4 processor-based corporate desktops, Intel Centrino mobile technology-based laptops, and Intel-based storage devices, including key pre-production platforms. All of the centres will be located at Red Hat facilities and be used by services and solution experts from Intel and Red Hat, as well as customers and other collaborators who participate in solutions deployment.

Services offered at the centres and online will include:

 - Training and Knowledge transfer: Customers will have access to advanced training as well as a knowledge repository of technical white papers, case studies, benchmarks, Web seminars, reference solutions and more.

- Proof of Concept Support: Customers can save time and resources by running proof of concepts using the state-of-the-art hardware, software and technical support offered at the program centres. Customers will be invited to actively participate at the local centres.

- Reference Solutions and Certified Solution Stacks: The program will give customers access to information about previously tested or deployed solutions based on Red Hat and Intel technology. Red Hat has begun certifying a number of software solution stacks, and through the program will work with Intel to expand the number of certified solution stacks available and introduce a hardware component into certified solution stacks.

- Application Testing and Porting: The program will make available hardware and software for customers to test recently ported RISC and other code, and test operating systems and application compatibility.

- Channel and Vertical Product Definition: Red Hat and Intel will work together to define and test hardware and software solutions specifically for the reseller channel and for select vertical market segments.

- Advanced Knowledge Projects: The program will also concentrate on new technology initiatives to ensure the combination of Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Intel platforms supports the latest technology trends including virtualisation and multicore. For example, program centre will be used for pilot projects of Intel® Virtualization technology on Fedora Core 5 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 using the Xen hypervisor.

The program will begin operating this month.