Bank of America, AutoTradeCenter, Sandia Labs Demonstrate Broad Vertical Adoption of HP's Linux-Based Systems

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 5, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced new Linux-based management and clustering solutions designed to help enterprise customers realize a better return on information technology (IT) through the use of open systems.

Several new management software products deliver rapid deployment of multiple Linux and blade servers, basic network management and real-time performance monitoring and problem resolution across Linux systems. New clustering solutions include a factory-integrated technical compute cluster from 16 to 128 nodes; enhanced clustering software for Linux servers, storage, database and messaging deployments; and a "do it yourself" cluster kit for Oracle(R) Real Application Clusters.

HP's announcements build on the company's established market leadership as the No. 1 provider of Linux-based solutions. To date, HP has generated more than $2 billion in Linux systems, software and professional services revenue. According to IDC, HP was the leader in worldwide Linux server factory revenue for the first quarter of calendar year 2003.(1)

With more than 5,000 Linux services and support professionals, HP offers customers the largest Linux support organization in the world. HP's industry-standard Linux systems enable enterprise and technical computing customers, including HP's newest Linux customers AutoTradeCenter, Bank of America and Sandia National Laboratories, to take advantage of Linux's cost savings while accelerating their transformation into adaptive enterprises.

"Customers expect HP to deliver rock-solid Linux solutions with support services on industry-standard platforms to better manage their IT infrastructures, to increase their bottom line and to power mission-critical applications," said Martin Fink, vice president of Linux, HP Enterprise Servers and Storage. "By increasing management and clustering capabilities and by offering comprehensive service and support, HP makes it easier for customers to use Linux in a wide variety of commercial and technical computing environments, thereby driving Linux further into the enterprise."

"IDC surveys consistently find end users citing manageability as one of the shortcomings of Linux. HP's continued expansion of its Linux solutions portfolio, in particular, products related to managing Linux, address one of the key requirements that Linux users have," said Al Gillen, research director, system software at IDC. "We believe that HP's effort will help continue the penetration of Linux into mainstream commercial use."

HP Software Simplifies Management of Linux Systems, Applications

As management of IT becomes increasingly critical for enterprises, HP is developing user-friendly management software to ease customers' Linux deployments. HP's latest Linux-based management software offerings include:

-- HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack Linux Edition: Software that automates the process of deploying and redeploying HP ProLiant servers. The Linux Edition, which integrates the Altiris Deployment Solution, extends the benefits of the Rapid Deployment Pack to pure Linux environments and includes unique features for HP ProLiant blade servers, such as rip-and-replace capability, automatic detection and display of location. Using HP Rapid Deployment Pack Linux Edition, customers can deploy large numbers of servers in minutes thereby increasing IT support for business agility.

-- HP OpenView Network Node Manager Starter Edition 7.0 for Linux: An entry-level product designed for smaller networks needing basic network management from a single management station. A new graphical user interface provides an easy-to-understand summary of network status and quick access to detailed event data and targeted maps.

-- HP OpenView GlancePlus for Linux: Software that maximizes uptime of applications through real-time performance monitoring and diagnostics on Linux; enables quick problem resolution; and optimizes resource utilization with details on systems, applications, processes and end-to-end response times.

-- HP OpenCall Media Platform on Linux: A carrier-grade software-based media platform for use in a wide range of applications, including voice portals, mass alarming and alerting, and voicemail replacement. The platform is open, highly scalable and easy to manage with the ability to support next-generation services and network architectures as well as VoiceXML.

Clustering Technologies Enable Flexible Linux Deployment

HP's new Linux-based clustering technologies allow customers to demand more with less. Customers can have more flexibility - in the management of several systems from remote locations; more scalability - they can buy what they need when they want it; and more value - Linux on industry standards increases a customer's return on IT investment with lower costs and greater performance. The company's latest offerings include:

-- HP High Performance Clusters LC series: A set of factory-integrated high-performance technical computing solutions using industry-standard HP ProLiant servers running Linux, which is targeted for the entry-level to midrange Linux computational market. The HP LC series arrives as a ready-to-go solution, shipped directly from HP and offers customers a range of cluster configurations from 16 to 128 nodes and features HP ProLiant DL380 and DL360 servers. Customers can select the number of processors, memory, storage options and partner-proven software options for a complete cluster solution. The HP LC series provides the reliable compute and storage performance, with support from HP Services, required for high-performance computing at a lower total cost of ownership.

-- Enhanced HP Serviceguard for Linux: This high-availability clustering software provides efficient, continuous access to critical applications, information and services. The enhanced software supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 now certified up to 16 nodes; includes MySQL and Oracle toolkits for rapid integration; and provides increased HP ProLiant and StorageWorks portfolio coverage. Support also is planned for 64-bit HP Integrity servers in late 2003.

-- HP ProLiant Server Solutions for Lotus Domino: This Linux clustering solution increases management and control of Linux environments, while enhancing scalability and availability of Lotus Domino server applications. The pre-configured and tested offering enhances availability of Lotus Domino enterprise servers using the SteelEye LifeKeeper clustering solution, industry-standard HP ProLiant servers, HP StorageWorks Modular SAN Array 1000 storage systems and HP Adaptive Enterprise technologies such as rapid provisioning for Linux with HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack.

-- HP Parallel Database Cluster for Linux on Oracle clustering technology: This "do-it-yourself" cluster kit accelerates deployment of Oracle Database clusters on HP ProLiant servers running Linux. Tested in real-world applications, the kit is reliable upon repeated deployment processes. Additionally, customers of the HP Parallel Database Cluster for Linux can access round-the-clock phone support from specialists who work in conjunction with HP Services to provide assistance well beyond traditional break/fix support.

New Customers Demonstrate Broad Vertical Adoption of Linux

HP announced new customers today in the enterprise and technical computing markets that add to the growing roster of companies running HP's industry-standard Linux hardware, software and services to support and manage their IT infrastructures. Bank of America, AutoTradeCenter and Sandia Labs are among the new customers across financial, entertainment, government, oil and gas and other industries that have chosen HP's Linux solutions to improve the utilization and management of IT resources while simultaneously lowering operating costs.

Bank of America has ordered industry-standard HP ProLiant servers to support the deployment of Reuters Market Data Systems (RMDS) on Linux in its new trading room in London. HP, Reuters, Intel and Red Hat are working with financial institutions to reduce cost and improve the flexibility and performance of their market data platforms through seamless migration to Linux running on the Intel(R) Architecture. RMDS on Linux is the first commercial example in the financial sector of an open system, which is fast gaining popularity among the largest investment institutions.

AutoTradeCenter (ATC), one of the world's leading Internet-based automotive remarketing companies, has carved out a lucrative niche for its business-to-business e-commerce services. ATC depends on the performance, reliability and responsiveness of its HP e-commerce infrastructure to attract and retain blue-chip clients, including American Honda Finance Corporation, Audi Financial Services, Daimler Chrysler Financial Services, Subaru of America, Volkswagen Credit Inc., and others.

After carefully evaluating competing systems, ATC determined that HP possessed the greatest knowledge and experience with Linux. "HP was hands-down a much better choice for us due to HP's close collaboration with Oracle, extensive Linux experience, industry-standard HP ProLiant servers and mature - and affordable - HP StorageWorks solutions," said Jorge Borbolla, chief information officer, AutoTradeCenter. "ATC provides 24x7 access to portfolios representing thousands of vehicles. That's why we put so much stock in our e-commerce solutions, which are based on the HP Adaptive Enterprise strategy."

Sandia Labs selected HP to provide computational capacity for its laboratories. A "Best Value" competitive bid contract was awarded to HP for the procurement of the institutional computing clusters at Sandia. The Best Value criteria were based on application performance, price, contractor's experience and the company's ability to meet 130 mandatory and desirable requirements. These clusters will provide much needed computing capacity across the entire laboratory. These critical resources will provide 512 nodes (1,024 processors) to several computing environments in New Mexico and 128 nodes (256 processors) to a California site.

"In order to make the Sandia and HP partnership successful, we have been working overtime to streamline the delivery and acceptance testing on the contracted system," said John Zepper, manager of infrastructure computing systems, Sandia Labs. "Our focus has been to provide leadership and technical expertise to deliver highly available and stable computing solutions to our customers."

All of the institutional computing clusters at Sandia are configured with dual Intel(R) Xeon(TM) processors at 3.06-GHz microprocessors with Myrinet XP Cluster Interconnects. Delivery and acceptance testing begin in September; user operations are scheduled to begin in October.

Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) is an oil and gas producer that replaced an older UNIX(R) system and migrated to the open, cost-effective Linux operating system on an HP 64-bit platform. ADMA-OPCO engineers have deployed a cluster of 24 HP Integrity rx2600 Itanium(R) 2 servers running Linux with Schlumberger Eclipse reservoir simulation software to find and exploit petroleum resources faster and more cost-effectively.

More Linux News from HP -- the Cornerstone Sponsor of LinuxWorld

HP is the cornerstone sponsor at LinuxWorld San Francisco, Aug. 5-7, booth 1047. Peter Blackmore, executive vice president of the HP Enterprise Systems Group, will deliver the opening keynote address on "Linux: The Next Stage." HP's new products, services, customers and initiatives will be on display at the company's booth, including information regarding the following:

-- HP and BEA are expanding their strategic alliance to deliver comprehensive Linux solutions for the enterprise. The companies will jointly offer a Linux-based solution on industry-standard HP ProLiant or Itanium 2-based HP Integrity server hardware, BEA WebLogic Enterprise Platform(TM) software and joint services that can help make it easier for enterprise customers to evaluate, migrate to, and deploy Java(TM) applications in Linux environments.

-- PartnerONE Linux Elite: This new partner designation is intended to promote and reward value-added reselling partners that acquire HP Linux solutions expertise. Small- and medium-size business customers now have the option to work with expert Linux resellers who can recommend, implement and support HP Linux solutions.

-- BEA Performance Benchmark: HP and BEA also unveiled results of a recent SpecJAppServer benchmark test that confirmed the new offering delivered performance that was 37 percent faster and had 60 percent lower total cost of ownership than directly comparable results from a competitive (IBM) offering.(2)

-- SAP Performance Benchmark: HP broke new ground with a Linux on four-processor SAP Standard Application Benchmark. An HP ProLiant DL560 server supported 491 SAP(R) standard application sales and distribution (SD) benchmark users. This makes the HP ProLiant DL560 server the first to benchmark the IA-32 four-way platform on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 running SAP R/3(R) Release 4.7 using Oracle.(3)

-- HP ProLiant Server Solutions for Lotus Domino Express: A joint Lotus and HP "loose" bundle, this enterprise-class e-mail solution is targeted to SMB customers with fewer than 1,000 employees and includes Linux or Windows(R), HP StorageWorks systems and HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack on pre-tested/pre-configured HP ProLiant ML350 or ML370 servers.

More information on HP's Linux initiatives is available in an online press kit at http://www.hp.com/go/linuxworld .