Red Hat debuts more scalable Linux

Red Hat Inc. launched a new version of its Linux operating system this week

that is designed to let the open-source operating system handle bigger workloads,

potentially a big selling point for agencies concerned about the system's

scalability.

Red Hat Linux 6.2 features load-balancing technology the company calls

"Piranha." The aim of the technology is to allow multiple small World Wide

Web servers to behave like one larger Web server, said Michael Tiemann,

the company's chief technology officer. That makes it especially useful

for growing e-commerce systems.

The new version also uses the Beowulf open-source clustering software.

And the clustering features can now be administered by a new Web-based management

console. Besides offering greater scalability, the ability to run on clusters

of servers also makes the OS more reliable, because it can switch to another

server in the event one server fails.

Version 6.2 is available now and comes in three editions. The Professional

Edition, priced at $179.95, includes the most extensive help desk support

services and add-on applications. The Deluxe Edition costs $79.95. And the

Standard Edition costs $29.95.

— Weil is senior U.S. correspondent for IDG News Service