Trillian Project Releases IA-64 Linux Source Code for Itanium Processor to the Developer Community

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Feb. 2, 2000 -- Today the Trillian project team announced that the source code for the port of Linux to Intel's forthcoming IA-64 processor family for servers and workstations is being released to the Open Source community. The operating system source code is publicly available at http://www.kernel.org.

Representing a key milestone in the Trillian project, the source code release is an invitation to the Open Source community to participate in the development of the IA-64 Linux kernel and applications for IA-64. This event is another step in enabling the development of applications that demand the computing power of IA-64 in a Linux operating system environment.

"This marks the first time that software can be developed by the entire Open Source Community for a pre-production processor architecture," said Sri Chilukuri, Trillian program director and director of business development for VA Linux Systems. "This source code release is an example of successful cooperation between companies and the Open Source community."

"IA-64 will be the engine for e-business that powers a wide variety of platforms and applications," said Ron Curry, director of marketing, Intel IA-64 processor division. "Today's announcement represents a key milestone toward the delivery of robust software solutions for Intel's Itanium processor when it moves into production later this year."

The Trillian Project was formed in early 1999 to port the Linux operating system to IA-64 architecture. The project currently includes Caldera, CERN, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Red Hat (Cygnus), SGI, SuSE, TurboLinux and VA Linux Systems, and represents the first major effort by the server and workstation industry to support an Open Source project of this depth and scale. For more information on Project Trillian, visit http://www.linuxia64.org.

Addendum/Quote Sheet:

"eCommerce sites will be looking to the Intel Itanium processor and Linux to provide a higher level of scalability. Releasing the Trillium code to the Open Source community will provide Linux solutions and options to next generation eCommerce sites and Internet servers. It raises the standard." - Ransom Love, president and CEO of Caldera Systems

"In pursuing solutions to massive 64-bit Linux processor farms for CERN's next generation accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, it is a pleasure to collaborate with our partners in the Trillian project, in order to assure rapid availability of Linux on Intel's new generation 64-bit processors." - Prof. Manuel Delfino, leader of the Information Technology Division of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research

"HP has contributed its Linux/ia-64 source code base - which forms the basis of the system's kernel - to the Trillian Project for the benefit of the Open Source community. We will continue to work with the Open Source community to make Linux a stable, high-performance platform to meet the demands of the evolving Internet economy." - Fred Luiz, director of Advanced Technology Programs at HP Labs

"This announcement is an important step in enabling Linux for the enterprise. The Trillian Project's contribution of source code to the open source community helps ensure that the full benefits of the new Intel architecture are available to Linux users when IA-64 microprocessors ship later this year." - Jerry Kilpatrick, IBM executive on the Trillian Project

"By working with Red Hat from the start, Intel ensured that Linux for IA-64 would deliver its open source promise: a common set of tools, APIs, and ultimately applications, across a wide range of platforms gives customers a wider choice in performance, scalability, and cost than any proprietary platform could offer." - Michael Tiemann, chief technology officer, Red Hat, Inc.

"SGI is participating in the Trillian project in order to accelerate the adoption of Linux in the technical and creative computing marketplace. The kernel features, OpenGL implementation, XFS (journaled file system), and development tools are targeted to provide software developers the fastest start possible in this new environment." - John R. "Beau" Vrolyk, senior vice president, Product Group, SGI

"Porting Linux to the IA-64 architecture is a logical consequence of the tremendous success of IA-32 based Linux servers. SuSE's goals include to enable Linux and Open Source in general to move in the ultra high end of computing. This port is a step in that direction." - Dirk Hohndel, chief technology officer, SuSE

"TurboLinux has focused its research and development on pushing Linux into the enterprise as a building block for ecommerce infrastructure. We are excited about working with the Open Source community through the Trillian Project to offer high-end scalability and reliability with Linux on the IA-64 platform." - Cliff Miller, chief executive officer, TurboLinux

"VA Linux Systems was founded on Open Source principles, and we have always felt that the Trillian Project should be open sourced as soon as it was practical. We look forward to the community's input on the code base and its successful development in the future." - Gregg Zehr, vice president of engineering, VA Linux Systems, Inc.

About Caldera

Caldera Systems, Inc. provides Linux for eBusiness technology solutions. For more information please visit Caldera Systems at www.calderasystems.com or call 888-GO-Linux (888-465-4689).

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

About IBM

IBM, the world's largest information technology company with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate, creates, develops and manufactures the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, networking systems, storage devices, and microelectronics. The fastest way to get more information about IBM is through the IBM home page at http://www.ibm.com.

About Intel

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available on the Web at http://www.intel.com/pressroom.

About Red Hat, Inc.

Founded in 1994, Red Hat (NASDAQ:RHAT) is the market leader in open source software, services and information, spanning powerful enterprise and Internet servers to next-generation devices and pervasive computing platforms. Red Hat shares all of its software innovations freely with the open source community under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and other public licenses. For more information, visit http://www.redhat.com.

About SGI

SGI is a market leader in technical computing, offering the world's most powerful servers, supercomputers and visual workstations. SGI uniquely provides a broad range of high-performance computing and advanced graphics solutions that enable customers to understand and conquer their toughest computing problems. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with offices worldwide, the company is located on the Web at http://www.sgi.com.

About SuSE

SuSE, one of the leading international Linux companies, is well known for the award-winning SuSE Linux which is used by more than 50,000 business customers worldwide due to its stability and high quality. SuSE, with a workforce of over 250 people, offers an extensive range of qualified consulting and support services for using Linux in a business environment, as well as commercial Linux software and complete Linux systems.

About TurboLinux

Founded in 1992, TurboLinux is the world's fastest-growing Linux company with investment backing from more than 20 global computer companies. A market leader in Linux software clustering solutions and Linux Internationalization, the company's high-performance consumer and business Linux products run on Intel workstation and server platforms. Headquartered in San Francisco, TurboLinux has offices in Tokyo, Beijing and Sydney. The company's home page is located on the Internet at http://www.turbolinux.com.

About VA Linux Systems

Founded in 1993, VA Linux Systems is the leading Linux and Open Source solutions company, offering a single point of contact for Linux systems, Open Source software, world-class professional services and enterprise-level support. VA Linux owns and operates many popular community web sites, including Linux.com, Themes.org and SourceForge, the world's largest Open Source development center. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., VA Linux is located on the Web at http://www.valinux.com.

Note: VA Linux Systems is a trademark of VA Linux Systems, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.