At this week’s Linux World expo, the companies introduced a software bundle designed to slide on to HP’s Blade System hardware. The initiative is part of Red Hat’s collaboration with HP’s Blade System Solution Builder program, designed to help simplify and accelerate the deployment of blade servers.

Red Hat Network products will be offered with an HP Blade System toolkit consisting of Red Hat Global File System (GFS) which becomes available with HP Service guard for Linux - Service Guard is HP’s clustering software and GFS is Red Hat’s clustering file system. The two companies said that the two systems have been tested together for compatibility.

Buyers get RHEL and a provisioning module, plus Red Hat Network Proxy, available for the first time to HP’s blade users; HP also claimed to be the first vendor to support a bundle with Red Hat Network, which allows IT managers to re-purpose and provision a blade server in minutes. The toolkit also includes automatic detection and configuration tools that support HP ProLiant Integrated Lights Out remote management.

“Customers use Linux today for the flexibility and control of open source. As a solution plat-form, customers are utilizing HP Blade System for its efficient, modular and integrated infrastructure,” said HP’s Blade System product manager Rick Becker.

The bundle is expected to be available in September 2005. HP will also release a bundled product of HP Service guard for Linux and Red Hat GFS which should be available worldwide in the autumn.