Red Hat has revealed ambitious plans to simplify enterprise software development and IT by pushing a single Linux-based operating system across enterprise systems, from servers to desktops to single-purpose clients to handhelds and other embedded devices. The strategy reveals a growing role for embedded Linux devices in the enterprise.

Red Hat also revealed short-term plans to re-enter the desktop Linux market, with a “Red Hat Desktop” (RHD) operating system to be released in mid-May. Red Hat had previously appeared to be moving away from client-side computing last November, when it end-of-lifed its desktop distributions.

The announcements came today in London, where CEO Matthew Szulik held a press release.

Thin clients and devices for the enterprise

Red Hat will work with embedded partner Wind River to develop and market thin client and embedded device operating systems based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Red Hat hopes that an embedded Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) will enable enterprises to use a single operating system throughout the entire organization. Such standardization could simplify enterprise software development, promote interoperability, and reduce maintainance expenses, according to Red Hat and partner Wind River.

“The enterprise today requires a truly collaborative infrastructure that enables next-generation devices to exchange data with enterprise computers running highly available applications,” said Brad Murdoch, vice president of strategic alliances for Wind River. “In order to connect the device to the enterprise efficiently, companies must optimize device software development. With Wind River and Red Hat, companies have the two industry leading standards in device software that will enable device to server connectivity better, faster at a lower cost and more reliably.”

The announcement hints at the emergence of embedded Linux as a standard platform for embedded development that is replacing proprietary, home-grown, in-house, one-off, and custom embedded operating systems.

Red Hat Desktop

In the shorter term, Red Hat will return to the desktop with RHD clients that, while not embedded systems, do aim to simplify maintenance and lower cost through central management and network security features.

The RHD clients will work in conjunction with servers running either Red Hat Network Proxy (RHNP) or Red Hat Satellite Servers (RHSS) that “greatly simply” administration, according to Red Hat. The distribution will feature mature open source office applications, including an email client, browser, and office suite, as well as forthcoming desktop software from Red Hat partners Adobe Systems, Citrix, Real, and VMWare. It will target government, academic, and enterprise IT organizations, with the “ideal pilot site” being one with developers who need both Linux-hosted development tools and productivity/workgroup applications, Red Hat says.

Potential early adopters include LVM, an insurance company in Germany currently maintaining 8,400 internally-sourced Linux desktops. “We are considering the Red Hat Desktop solution because of the open source merits of security, manageability, and cost-effectiveness,” said Matthias Strelow, Technical Team Leader at LVM.

RHD will ship in mid-May, on AMD64, and Intel x86 and EM64T. Initial pricing is set at $2,500 for 10 clients for use with Network Proxy, or $13,500 for 50 clients for use with Satellite Server. Extension packs for 50 clients will cost $3,500 for either configuration.

Big picture

“Several industry trends are coming together which are likely to change how organizations deploy information technology on the desktop,” commented Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's VP of system software research. “Strategies to lower costs while still providing a well managed, secure platform are increasingly important. This announcement makes it clear that Red Hat understands these emerging requirements and has a strategy to provide the needed products and services.”

Szulik said, “Open source is now causing the enterprise to question traditional models of software and software availability. This is an architectural alternative that extends from devices, through the network, and into the datacenter, deployable and flexible without concern of lock-in.”

Red Hat VP of embedded Linux James Prasad also discussed Red Hat's embedded Linux strategy with regard to enterprise computing in an interview with LinuxDevices.com last week, citing a growing interest in embedded Linux among enterprise customers as a top reason for the company's recent partnership with embedded giant Wind River.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.