Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Development
    • Servers

    HP Inks Subscription Agreements with Novell, Red Hat

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    October 13, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Hewlett-Packard Co. has signed new multiyear global subscription agreements with both Novell Inc. and Red Hat Inc. that will consolidate and expand HPs existing Linux use agreements with the two vendors.

      “In a nutshell, what this does is take internal Linux usage at HP up a notch. While there are currently more than 15,000 Linux-based systems in use within the company, these are umbrella license agreements for the whole company and allow us to build and deploy internal Linux systems and solutions more easily and more rapidly,” Efrain Rovira, HPs worldwide director of Linux marketing in Houston, told eWEEK on Wednesday.

      While Rovira declined to detail the specifics of the deal or its cost, he did say that “at this point in time, it is mostly around the operating systems. I cant disclose how many licenses were involved and how much we paid, but we bought enough to consolidate all of our existing licenses under one agreement as well as provide for significant growth beyond that,” he said.

      HP currently uses Linux for a variety of internal tasks such as managing its corporate directory, synchronizing its wireless network, managing its DNS infrastructure, expediting core firmware development, providing secure instant messaging worldwide, and handling more than 3TB of incoming mail a year.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifClick here to read more about HPs Virus Throttle for Linux product, announced at LinuxWorld San Francisco in August.

      David Patrick, the vice president for Linux, Open Source Platforms and Services at Novell, said that HPs growing internal embrace of Linux would accelerate the process of promoting Linux adoption at the corporate level.

      “HPs enhanced use of Linux reflects a strong trend in enterprise IT, where customers are choosing the combination of open-source and traditional solutions that best works for them,” he said.

      HP is also not mandating that those staff who currently use Windows and Windows-based applications move to Linux.

      “We are giving them the same choice that customers have, given that we support Windows, Unix and Linux. We believe that this move shows our further commitment to Linux, not just as a business beneficiary from it and open source but also as a user of the technology,” Rovira said.

      Next Page: LinuxCOE.

      LinuxCOE

      HP had also chosen its open-source LinuxCOE (Linux Common Operating Environment) product, which currently supports some 70 percent of its 15,000-plus internal Linux hosts, to provide provisioning and lifecycle support for all the Red Hat and SuSE systems covered by the new internal use agreement, Rovira said.

      “LinuxCOE lets users install, manage and update Linux far more easily and efficiently. It also allows them to centralize the interaction they need with the software that is included in the image they create. It lets them work on the image once and then redeploy it multiple times,” he said.

      HPs Open Source Review Board had recently approved the licensing of the LinuxCOE, which was developed by HP Managed Services, under the General Public License (GPL), he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifRead more here about the GPL 3 process.

      Asked what the benefit of open-sourcing this technology was to HP, Rovira said that customers wanted a partner that was not only capable of building its own Linux solutions but which was also committed to Linux and open source.

      “When a partner hears that we are not only making Linux more widely available within HP, but that we are also making technologies available to the community, that gives them confidence that HP is really committed to Linux and that we will can integrate Linux into their own environment,” he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifTo read more about HPs open-source plans, click here.

      HP, by using LinuxCOE internally, also has a very thorough understanding of the solution and its usage, Rovira said.

      “You could say our staff are ongoing testers of the product and that we eat our own dog food, if you will,” he said.

      “Our IT department uses it to build images that are server- and workstation-related and which can then be redeployed across HP, which removes the need for staff in each of the companys business units and divisions to monitor and update their systems. We will now have one central way of doing this, which makes it a lot faster and more efficient to utilize Linux inside of HP,” Rovira said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×