Working through HP, you can select from one of four Linux distros in the United States: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise, Oracle Enterprise Linux and Debian GNU/Linux. Each of these distributions has been tested with HP's extensive range of servers and workstations, and comes with different levels of support depending on your selection.
Note: This section focuses on Red Hat and SUSE distributions, which are most suitable for the SMB environment.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
This is a widely deployed commercial Linux distribution in North America, developed by Red Hat, Inc. HP and Red Hat enjoy a close working relationship, which is demonstrated by the high number of HP servers that are certified for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
The key benefit of selecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux is its scalability. You can deploy it as a simple file server, or use it to manage large databases, websites or email installations. Red Hat Enterprise Linux also offers virtualization through Xen, a virtual machine technology that lets you run virtual servers to develop new software and test applications and patches before rolling them out to your production environment.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux contains an important security feature called SELinux. This technology was initially designed by the National Security Agency, and, in an unusual move, was open sourced for the community to build upon. SELinux can limit the amount of damage that anyone can do to your system, should they attempt to hack it for malicious purposes.
Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise
Another commercial distribution that's available through HP is SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, developed and produced by Novell. SUSE Linux was originally based in Germany and acquired by Novell in 2003.
SUSE Linux Enterprise includes a wide range of application software, including email, file, web and database servers. In addition, like Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE includes Xen virtualization support, increasing the value you'll get from your software investment.
Selecting a commercial distribution
A major advantage of selecting a commercial distribution over a free distribution is the support provided by HP and the distribution manufacturer. Red Hat and Novell employ a number of developers who work on the packages they provide, so if a bug arises, they have access to the core developers to quickly find a solution.
Perhaps not so clear is the stability of commercial distributions. All of the commercial distributions maintain significant versions of their packages; for example, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ships with a 2.6.18 kernel and that's guaranteed not to change for the lifecycle of that product. However, minor patches are occasionally needed to fix bugs and security issues in the kernel. Both companies rigorously test each new patch before release to ensure it maintains compatibility, giving you an extra level of assurance that the update is safe to apply in your environment.
The economics of Linux
Cutting costs is a major goal of most SMBs. HP offers version-less Linux subscriptions that give you access to all of the currently supported versions of that distribution. No longer do you have to factor in a large capital outlay when you need to do an upgrade. The subscription cost enables your finance teams to budget effectively, and lets you leverage the latest technology when you need to, not when you can afford to.
Note: Red Hat subscriptions include free upgrades to newer releases and support for each product version for seven years
To learn more about Linux subscriptions and services, visit the appropriate Red Hat and Novell SUSE Linux web pages.
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