Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04: Progress with HP
During a phone briefing with media that continues right now, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth said Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04 has been tested to run on 45 different server configurations from IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and smaller providers. Shuttleworth also hinted that Canonical’s server relationship with HP is growing stronger. Here are the details.
According to Shuttleworth, Ubuntu 9.04 Server edition is the first Canonical release to be fully tested on so many server configurations prior to an Ubuntu upgrade launch.
Shuttleworth also hinted that a closer working relationship with HP’s server team is expected to be announced within weeks. According to sources I’ve spoken with, the relationship will not involve HP preloading Ubuntu Server Edition — at least not initially. Instead, the HP relationship will initially involve compatibility testing and full certifcation of ProLiant servers to run Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04. Shuttlworth confirmed that forthcoming news with his own statements during the media briefing.
And longer term, the sources say, Canonical continues to negotiate server pre-load agreements with HP and other server providers — though there’s no guarantee such deals will come to fruition.
Also, Ubuntu Server 9.04 specifically targets Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) , he added. “It’s the fastest, easiest way to deploy Ubuntu on the server,” said Shuttleworth.
Shuttleworth also said Google is using Ubuntu Server as the glue to hold together the company’s IT infrastructure. “It’s the thing you’d use Windows for if you didn’t know better,” he quipped.
More News Coming
During an open Q&A, Shuttleworth said that customers should expect a major netbook OEM announcement within the next couple of weeks or months. Also, when answering a question about the Canonical-Dell relationship, Shuttleworth said the engagement continues to expand.
He noted that Dell’s Ubuntu efforts involve three programs: Netbooks, Linux enthusiasts aimed at high-end developers, and high-volume Vostro programs in India and China.
On the downside, though, Shuttleworth politely declined to answer a question about Canonical’s channel strategy for Ubuntu, stating that the question is best directed off-line to Canonical’s channel program managers. That answer suggests that the Canonical partner program remains a work in progress.
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I hope HP will also offer Desktops with Ubuntu. Most other manufactures just install the new operating system and expect this to sell.
HP offers a generous hardware selection (printers, scanners, Blu-Ray etc. Hopefully HP will test for compatibility with Ubuntu and eliminate some of the frustration new users might experience.
Joseph: During the media briefing today, Shuttleworth did mention a new netbook OEM relationship would surface soon… wonder if it involves Lenovo or HP? Not sure. Worth tracking…
The real test of the HP-Ubuntu relationship is whether or not HP will extend its own Linux servicing program to include Ubuntu. They already offer services for Debian, RHEL and SuSE.
Here’s the link for Debian services:
http://h20219.www2.hp.com/services/cache/442406-0-0-225-121.html
After Ubuntu certification is complete, I would expect to see a similar page and set of “part numbers” for HP Care Packages aimed at Ubuntu. The most interesting question of course will be, will those Care Packages be re-packaged Canonical support services or will they be primarily in-house HP support?
-jef
Jef: I would expect the HP-Canonical relationship to start out very slowly. This is uncharted water for HP, and even the certification step is taking slightly longer than I had originally expected.
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Considering HP has had really good support for such a long time now it would be awesome if they started preloading on desktops.
Didn’t HP already have a Ubuntu based netbook. The one they produced the nice sleek UI for? It would be such good news to see more of the same from HP.
[...] Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04: Progress with HP During an open Q&A, Shuttleworth said that customers should expect a major netbook OEM announcement within the next couple of weeks or months. Also, when answering a question about the Canonical-Dell relationship, Shuttleworth said the engagement continues to expand. [...]
[...] “During an open Q&A, Shuttleworth said that customers should expect a major netbook OEM announcement” http://www.workswithu.com/2009/0…; [...]
[...] are signs that HP intends to certify its servers for Ubuntu. But actual Ubuntu Server Edition preload deals haven’t really materialized. And most independent [...]