IBM To Pre-load Red Hat Linux On Power4 Platform

Red Hat on Tuesday announced it had expanded its partnership with IBM to allow its open-source Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 to be pre-loaded on IBM's eServer hardware.

Previously, Red Hat's agreement with IBM meant that, while customers could order Linux with various servers, the operating system software was actually shipped separately to the end user by Red Hat.

The new deal lets IBM customers order Power4+-based systems, including entry-level one- or two-way servers, high-end 32-way boxes, and IBM's eServer JS20 BladeCenters, with the Red Hat distribution pre-installed.

Red Hat said that the arrangement is significant, as it's the first major Linux distributor to get its OS pre-loaded onto the Power4+ platform.