Red Hat to Acquire JBoss

JBoss Joins Red Hat: Frequently Asked Questions

What is being announced?

Red Hat has announced the completion of its acquisition of JBoss. As one company, we believe we can change the economics of the industry. We can create better software faster, systematically driving out costs and simplifying IT. Our joint mission is to bring exponential value to our customers. By acquiring JBoss, the global leader in open source middleware, Red Hat is positioned to define the shift to Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) and enable the next generation of web-enabled applications running on a low-cost, powerful open source platform.

What is Red Hat's technology roadmap for integrating JBoss?

As part of its commitment to open source, Red Hat is focused on ensuring continuity and growth for the JBoss solutions portfolio, customers, and community. Red Hat will also reach out to the wider open source community to encourage continued and active participation in JBoss open source projects.

Red Hat will focus initially on integrating efforts in developer outreach, certification, management, and SOA platform development. Finally, Red Hat will ensure that JBoss products like JBoss Application Server and Red Hat products like Red Hat Directory Server will work well together.

I know JBoss provides middleware. What is it, and how does it differ from Red Hat products?

Red Hat is well known for work on the Linux¨ operating system and on the libraries used to build applications for Linux. In a corporate IT environment, Linux is often the operating system for a sea of computers set up to serve and receive different kinds of data: database servers, web servers, content management systems, directory servers, etc.

Middleware is the code that lies between the operating system and all of these services, enabling their communication. Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) is the leading standard for middleware, and the JBoss Application Server is an open source implementation of the JEE standard.

What is Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and why is it important?

Enterprises are looking to eliminate as much delay and business process friction as possible, and SOA is a path to do this. SOA enables more flexible and reusable services that may be reconfigured and augmented more swiftly than traditional stove-pipe applications. Hence, SOA can accelerate time-to-business objective, resulting in better business agility.

Why is Red Hat acquiring JBoss?

Red Hat has built a successful and profitable business, delivering value to customers by helping them unlock the benefits of open source. A CIO Insight magazine survey has named Red Hat #1 in value two years running. Through a unique subscription model, Red Hat has helped customers shift from closed, proprietary systems to open, standards-based systems. Specifically, the migration from Unix to Linux has helped customers lower their deployment costs while giving them new flexibility to scale their IT infrastructures.

But the promise and possibilities of open source go beyond just deployment. Open source has the possibility to alter the entire cycle of IT projects, from development, testing, and certification to deployment. As IT infrastructures become more complex and loosely coupled (with web services and service-oriented architectures), and as development teams become more global and distributed, the innovation and transparency of open source software are creating new sources of economic value for forward-thinking IT organizations. Red Hat is seeking to redefine the technology landscape by helping to unlock the value of open source software and open communities for customers. The acquisition of JBoss is the next major step toward achieving this goal.

What about JBoss World in Las Vegas? Is it still going to be held?

JBoss World Las Vegas will be held as planned. In fact, we expect the JBoss World users' conference to draw even more attendees than previously estimated and very much welcome their involvement in this global user conference event.

Will JBoss continue to support multiple operating systems? Will Red Hat continue to support multiple middleware platforms?

Yes. The infrastructure required to deploy service-oriented architecture for customers must support heterogeneous platforms. It is important to customers that the combined company provide an open platform that can perform in customers' heterogeneous environments. Red Hat will continue to support multiple middleware platforms and the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite (JEMS) will continue to operate on multiple operating systems.

How will customers benefit from this acquisition?

Customers will ultimately benefit from the business agility and expanded low-cost, high-value solutions provided by the powerful combination of the Red Hat¨ Enterprise Linux platform and the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite. Specifically:

• Increased confidence from one open source platform for the enterprise, spanning from bare metal to applications.
• The simplicity of a single platform, reducing cost and improving efficiencies across the entire application life cycle: design, development, testing, and production of mission-critical applications.
• More choices for building an open source architecture via a large and vibrant ecosystem of solution and service partners.
• Additional long-term stability for the combined companyÕs products and services.
• A low-cost on-ramp to service-oriented architectures.

How does this impact my current sales and support contacts?

For now, all of your JBoss or Red Hat contacts for support and sales stay the same, including escalation contacts and all contact information. For customers who have both Red Hat and JBoss subscriptions, you may use either support channel, and we will route issues to the appropriate support contact as needed.

Will my current contract remain valid?

All JBoss support and subscription contracts will be honored, and customers will continue to receive the same excellent support they have come to expect, backed by the same core technology experts from JBoss. Further, there are no plans to change the pricing at this time.

What is Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the leading platform for open source computing. It is sold by subscription, delivers continuous value and is certified by top enterprise hardware and software vendors. From the desktop to the data center, Red Hat Enterprise Linux couples the innovation of open source technology and the stability of a true enterprise-class platform.

What is JBoss and the JEMS product line?

JBoss is now a division of Red Hat focused on producing middleware. JEMS is the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite and is the JBoss set of middleware products. This set includes industry-leading products like JBoss Application Server, JBoss Hibernate, and JBoss jBPM.

What is Red Hat Network?

Red Hat Network is an enterprise management platform that makes managing thousands of systems as easy as managing a single system. It provides one-click provisioning, quick set-up, a flexible implementation, and a simple interface. Red Hat Network makes Linux deployable, scalable, and manageable. Red Hat Network consists of four primary modules:

• Update. Basic access to Red Hat Network to patch systems. Included with all Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions.
• Management. Allows you to scale your Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Solaris¨ deployments with tools so you can manage a thousand systems as easily as one.
• Provisioning. Remotely deploy fully configured Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems in minutes rather than hours, or quickly re-deploy existing systems to meet changing business needs.
• Monitoring. Maintain system availability by tracking the performance of your Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems and applications.

What is JBoss Operations Network?

JBoss Operations Network is the JBoss Enterprise Management platform for JEMS. It provides capabilities like inventory management, service-pack delivery and patch management, centralized cluster-wide administration, monitoring, and provisioning. JBoss Operations Network also includes the JBoss customer support portal. Conceptually, JBoss Operations Network is similar in many ways to the Red Hat Network Satellite offering.

How will Red Hat Network and JBoss Operations Network be combined?

Will the JBoss Operations Network be replaced by Red Hat Network? In the near term, Red Hat will continue to offer and support both RHN and JBoss Operations Network. In the future, as RHN and JON have many similar characteristics, Red Hat will look into integration and extension of its management capabilities between RHN and JBoss Operations Network.

Will Red Hat continue to offer the JBoss subscription?

Yes. Red Hat and JBoss have extremely similar subscription-based business models and will continue to act as agents of change to evolve the business landscape of IT computing and deliver consistent customer value.

Will there be any changes to JBoss product licenses?

JBoss distributes all of its products under OSI-approved open source licenses, primarily the LGPL. Currently, Red Hat has no plans to change any of the JBoss product licenses.

Is Red Hat dropping Tomcat?

Red Hat is not dropping Tomcat. Instead, because JEMS includes Tomcat, Red Hat will be expanding its support for Tomcat from just Red Hat Enterprise Linux to other platforms through JBoss.

Will the JBoss code base be merged with Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

The JBoss code base is multi-platform in nature and will continue to be multi-platform. As such, Red Hat will not be merging the JBoss code base into Red Hat Enterprise Linux. However, where it makes sense, Red Hat may opt to have JBoss products take advantage of features specifically in Red Hat Enterprise Linux when they are deployed there.

Will Red Hat continue to invest in Red Hat Application Server?

Red Hat will not continue to invest in its JOnAS-based application server offering but will consolidate its efforts behind JEMS. However, Red Hat customers will not experience any interruption in services. Red Hat will continue to honor all existing subscription and services agreements.

Will Red Hat continue to have a relationship with other middleware providers?

Red Hat supports customer choice and will support customers and their preferred middleware solutions. The goal of this acquisition is to create a complete, end-to-end open source solution across the IT life cycle, from application development to testing and certification to production deployment. But we will continue to support customer choice and work with ISVs providing customer solutions.

I am a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE). Will I need to re-certify on JBoss products?

There are no requirements for RHCEs to re-certify, but we strongly encourage our RHCEs to engage in continuing education and to sign up for the JBoss administration classes.

Will Red Hat and JBoss offer joint training courses?

The classes will not be combined at this time. However, both Red Hat and JBoss will offer both suites of training. You can register for all of the classes on http://www.redhat.com or http://www.jboss.com, as the training websites will be cross-linked.

How will technical support delivery for Red Hat and JBoss products change?

Support delivery for both Red Hat and JBoss subscribers will largely remain unchanged. However, we will be prepared for customers who contact Red Hat Global Support Services asking for JBoss support and JBoss customers who ask for Red Hat support. In those circumstances, we will effect a warm-transfer of the customer to the appropriate support organization where their issue will be dealt with according to normal operating procedures.

In addition, we will provide cross-links to our support sites from both Red Hat and JBoss web pages.

Are all languages now supported for JBoss?

Currently we are supporting English. We hope to have support services in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese within six months.

What will happen to the JBoss partnerships?

All existing JBoss partnerships will be honored for the life of the contract. Both companies have a strong focus on cultivating and nurturing partner ecosystems around core capabilities, and we see an opportunity to accelerate this and grow the entire partner community around open source as a result of this combination.

My company is a Red Hat ISV Partner. Will I need to become a JBoss Partner?

No, there is no requirement for Red Hat ISV Partners to become JBoss partners or vice-versa. However, we believe that many of the partners in the Red Hat and JBoss partner programs will be interested and motivated to obtain the benefits of partnering with the combined Red Hat and JBoss. We will ensure that interested partners can easily enjoy the benefits that come from the combination.

How will the Red Hat and JBoss communities interact?

Red Hat and JBoss both have large communities around them. As those communities continue to better understand each other and how our products function together to solve the problems discussed above, it seems inevitable that the communities will come together and integrate. It will happen over time, as it is demonstrated that those interactions are the best course of action.

What will Red Hat do to keep the JBoss community intact?

Red Hat is focused on ensuring continuity and growth for the JBoss community, as well as the broader open source community as a whole. Red Hat is committed to JBoss solutions and plans to invest resources to promote the adoption and growth of JBoss, expanding its leadership role as the open source middleware platform of choice. Red Hat will also reach out to the wider open source community to encourage continued and active participation in the success of JBoss open source projects.