IBM and Red Hat Expand Relationship to Deliver Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 Across all IBM eServer Systems

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Now Packaged With IBM eServer xSeries and BladeCenter Systems

RALEIGH, NC, and ARMONK, NY—December 11, 2003—IBM and Red Hat today announced that Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3, Red Hat's newest offering, is now available across the entire IBM eServer product line.

The two companies are also announcing that Red Hat Enterprise Linux is now packaged with sales of IBM's xSeries and BladeCenter servers in Japan, North America, and eventually around the world. The packaging will include Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, ES and WS, and in the future the recently released Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3.

Today's announcement represents an expansion of the existing multiyear agreement that commenced last year. The agreement calls for the two companies to work together to provide broad Linux support, including servers, software and implementation services, to customers worldwide.

Server, Workstation and Storage Support
Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 will span all IBM eServer platforms with a single Linux architecture -- iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, zSeries, BladeCenter (including the BladeCenter JS20 based on POWER technology), Clusters 1350 and 1650, e325, IntelliStation and TotalStorage. IBM will work closely with Red Hat to ensure optimum performance across all IBM eServer products. Unique advantages of Linux on IBM eServer platforms include:

• iSeries - Linux deployments on iSeries are rising dramatically as customers can consolidate infrastructure workloads and integrate applications on a single server with shared processor partitioning, dynamic resource movement, and resource virtualization. With Capacity on Demand, processors can be dynamically activated and moved into running Linux and OS/400 partitions to give immediate power to changing workload demands.
  
   
• pSeries - Linux on IBM's pSeries brings flexibility and customer choice to an already highly scalable and reliable POWER platform that customers are using today. Through the robustness and openness of POWER technology, customers can run Linux without compromise - from the entry level 1-2 way POWER4 systems to the high-end 32-way POWER4 systems alone or with AIX through Logical Partitioning - all at very affordable pricing.
  
   
• xSeries - A reliable foundation for Linux solutions, xSeries servers leverage IBM Enterprise X-Architecture state-of-the-art, industry-leading technologies to deliver enterprise class power, scalability, and availability at very attractive prices.
  
   
• eServer BladeCenter - BladeCenter running Linux provides a new way to achieve the critical goal of doing more with less (pay as you grow) with easy modular scalability. Last month, IBM introduced the industry's first blade server based on POWER technology - the IBM eServer BladeCenter JS20 - extending blade technology to 64-bit computing through a Linux-based blade solution.
  
   
• zSeries - IBM eServer zSeries benefits -- performance, scalability, security and reliability -- are combined with the flexibility and open standards of Linux. Allows consolidation from tens to hundreds of independent Linux servers onto a single server, deployable in minutes.
  
   
• Services and Support - IBM Global Services will provide support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3, building off of its support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 and Red Hat Network managed software services. Red Hat and IBM Global Services will provide comprehensive end-to-end service to customers with Linux technical knowledge and engineering resources, as well as collaborate and package each other's consulting and service offerings to provide one-stop support for customers' Linux requirements. Red Hat and IBM Global Services continue to offer customers migration services to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
  
   
• Software Support - IBM will also deliver support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 across its key software portfolio, spanning WebSphere, DB2, Lotus, Tivoli and Rational. IBM is currently the largest provider of software that runs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, with more than 200 software products that support the distribution. With expanded Red Hat support across IBM's server offerings, IBM will also be the only company to deliver a broad array of software for xSeries, iSeries, pSeries and zSeries running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
   

"IBM and Red Hat are deepening their alliance to provide the advantages of Linux to customers everywhere," said Scott Handy, vice president of Linux strategy and market development at IBM. "The two companies create a compelling value proposition, combining forces to enable a business to deploy a resilient infrastructure throughout the enterprise built on Linux."

"Red Hat Linux v.3 will enable IBM's customers to leverage the power and value of open source across several hardware architectures within a compute infrastructure," said Mike Evans, vice president of Channel Sales and Development at Red Hat. "The common code base will promote security, stability and ease of manageability. The availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 on all of IBM eServer Systems signals the deep commitment our companies have to jointly deliver enterprise Linux solutions to the enterprise."

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information, visit http://www.ibm.com/linux.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world's premier open source and Linux provider. Red Hat is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. and has offices worldwide. For more information visit http://www.redhat.com/index.html.