rPath Spurs Operating System Evolution with Ubuntu, CentOS Support

rPath Expands Multi Operating System Support with Ubuntu, CentOS 
Spurs the Evolution of the OS; Assembly and Binding of OS Components to Application Key to
Virtualization, Cloud Success
 
RALEIGH, N.C. - November 19, 2008 - rPath today announced support for the Ubuntu and CentOS Linux
operating systems as part of rBuilder and the rPath Lifecycle Management Platform. rBuilder is the
category-defining build and release management system for creating virtual appliances and
application images. The rPath Lifecycle Management Platform extends rBuilder with a comprehensive
system for controlling the cost, complexity and risk of deploying, managing and maintaining
application images in virtualized and cloud-based environments.
 
The rPath approach assembles and binds application functionality with an operating system, creating
a self-contained application image that can be easily deployed, managed and maintained. This
approach sets the application free from the constraints and manual configuration of hardware
infrastructure, allowing applications to be instantly deployed, while providing IT operations a
scalable platform for managing and maintaining images over time.
 
rPath already supports Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise and rPath Linux. With the addition of Ubuntu
and CentOS, rPath delivers a broad set of options for deploying and managing applications in
traditional, virtualized and cloud environments.
 
"Corporate developers and ISVs creating virtual appliances are likely to have a distribution
preference for a variety of reasons. Adding Ubuntu and CentOS, two important distributions within
the Linux ecosystem, gives those developers choice and flexibility," said Al Gillen, program vice
president, System Software at IDC. "By expanding the list of Linux deployment options, rPath opens
up new market opportunities both for itself and for its customers."
 
In virtualized and cloud-based environments, the operating system is split in two. Hardware-based
services are handled by the hypervisor, and application-based services are attached to the
application image, which becomes a self-contained and fully functioning set of virtual machines.
This approach is typically based on just enough operating system - or JeOS - which assembles only
the pieces of the operating system and other tooling necessary to support the run-time requirements
of a specific application. This makes the application simple to deploy, portable across run-time
environments and far more cost-effective to maintain over time.
 
"We're committed to an open and independent approach to the operating system," said Erik Troan,
co-founder and CTO of rPath. "We intend to support the operating systems that are critical to
virtualization and cloud. This is the best way to provide organizations the portability, business
agility, cost control, and other advantages that attracted them to this model in the first place."
 
For more information on rPath, please visit http://www.rpath.com. For additional perspectives,
please visit and subscribe to rPath RSS blog feeds at http://blogs.rpath.com/wpmu/.
 
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About rPath
 
rPath is the pioneer and leader in technology for virtualizing software applications and managing
the complete lifecycle of virtual appliances and application images. ISVs and enterprises rely on
rBuilder and the rPath Lifecycle Management Platform to automate the creation, configuration,
conformance, management and maintenance of application images for virtualized and cloud computing
environments. By producing application images that are optimized for any hypervisor, rPath frees
the application from the underlying hardware, and enables a more efficient, lower cost model for
development, maintenance and support and dramatically accelerates application deployments. rPath's
end-to-end technology simplifies the entire range of lifecycle management activities for
application images, while promoting scalability in response to dynamic demand. rPath is
headquartered in Raleigh, NC. Visit www.rpath.com.
 
rPath is a registered trademark of rPath. All other brand names and product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
 
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