Canonical to Certify Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition on HP ProLiant G6

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux project, is expected to announce a collaboration with Hewlett-Packard to deliver an additional high-performance server configuration for Ubuntu users.

Canonical will announce on June 17 the certification of Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition on HP's new ProLiant G6 servers, company officials said. This move will extend Canonical's support of Ubuntu Server Edition on the HP ProLiant servers to 17 configurations. HP officials said the HP ProLiant G6 servers deliver a combination of high performance and energy efficiency.

The certification of the HP ProLiant G6 servers for Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition is the result of extensive testing at the Canonical labs, the company said. Canonical also has changed the designation for all tested HP servers from validated to certified, reflecting the verification of results by HP. Additionally, HP will release the ProLiant Support Pack for Ubuntu, which includes agents, drivers and utilities that can enhance the manageability of Ubuntu Server Edition on HP ProLiant servers.

"We are committed to certifying Ubuntu Server Edition on the hardware platforms that our users choose to run," Steve George, director of commercial services at Canonical, said in a statement. "HP ProLiant servers are easily one of the most popular of those platforms, so it is heartening to have HP's participation in this certification program along with its recognition and verification of our work. Users who are looking for an open platform or thinking about building a cloud-based infrastructure on Ubuntu need the reassurance of strong, compatibility-tested hardware. This certification offers peace of mind along with a great hardware base on which users can start to build their new data centers."

Also in a statement, John Gromala, director of marketing for Industry Standard Servers at HP, said, "Customers want an open operating system that reduces business risk and lowers maintenance costs. Canonical's certification of Ubuntu Server Edition on HP ProLiant G6 servers provides customers a powerful, cost-effective and energy-efficient operating platform."

Ubuntu Server Edition is available as a free download here. Services including migration services, support, training and cloud computing consulting are available from Canonical here.