VA Linux Systems Expands Professional Services Division and Marketing Team with Key Management and Engineering Hires

SUNNYVALE, CA -- November 30, 1999 -- VA Linux Systems, a leading provider of Linux-based solutions, announced today that it has expanded its Professional Services Division with key hires including Jeremy Allison, one of the leaders on the Samba Team, who will serve as senior professional services engineer.

Also joining VA Linux Professional Services is Marty Larsen, who will serve as director of the division and will be responsible for its expansion. In addition, VA Linux Systems has named Paul Papageorge as vice president of corporate marketing, to focus on building brand awareness for the company.

"VA Linux Professional Services is building unique expertise in applying open source technology to enterprise-class problems," said John T. Hall, vice president of services for VA Linux Systems. "Jeremy Allison brings exceptional experience in porting server applications from legacy Windows NT systems to Linux, giving users access to the scalability and reliability that Linux offers."

Jeremy Allison has worked on Samba since its development began in 1993. Samba is an open source Windows(TM)-compatible file and print server for UNIX systems used in multinational corporations and educational institutions worldwide. Mr. Allison's work on the Samba Team includes release engineering, coordination of worldwide Samba development efforts, and serving as a liason to companies using the Samba code commercially. Jeremy Allison has an extensive background in both UNIX and Windows NT systems, and has held engineering positions at SGI, Whistle Communications, Cygnus, Vantive and Sun Microsystems.

As director of professional services, Marty Larsen is now in charge of expanding the VA Linux Professional Services Division. Mr. Larsen brings over 16 years of experience in the IT industry, with significant depth and breadth of experience in planning and managing large-scale Internet and IT solutions. Mr. Larsen joins VA Linux from Intel IOS (Internet Online Services), where he held positions in strategic planning and architecture management. Prior to that, Mr. Larsen was director of consulting services at EDS, where he oversaw the strategic business units in energy and communications for four years.

Paul Papageorge, VA Linux Systems' new vice president of corporate marketing, comes to VA with a proven track record in creative and strategic branding. Mr. Papageorge was previously with USWeb/CKS, where he served as vice president of European operations based in London. During his three years at USWeb/CKS, Mr. Papageorge specialized in Internet marketing, and was responsible for establishing the pan-European branding and advertising practice. Prior to joining USWeb/CKS, Mr. Papageorge spent 12 years at Apple Computer in Cupertino, where his roles included worldwide consumer marketing director. Mr. Papageorge will report to Brian Biles, VA Linux Systems' vice president of marketing.

About VA Linux Systems

VA Linux Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of Linux-based solutions, integrating systems, software and services. VA Linux's broad-based technical expertise in systems and software design, as well as its focus on the Linux operating system and other open source solutions, enables the company to provide high-quality Linux-based systems designed for optimal performance, reliability and scalability. VA also offers comprehensive services and support through its staff of Linux system and software engineers. VA Linux Systems is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and 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.