Red Hat Linux Powers Google's Award-Winning Search Engine

Red Hat Linux is an Essential Component of Google's Innovative Web Searching Technology

RALEIGH, N.C -

Red Hat®, Inc. (Nasdaq:RHAT), a leader in open source Internet infrastructure solutions, today announced that its operating system powers Google's Internet search engine services. Google, one of the fastest growing search engines on the Web, operates its search engine and all of its computing functions on a cluster of more than 4,000 PCs running Red Hat. Google plans to significantly increase its use of the Red Hat Linux operating system as it increases its computing power to meet the growing demand of users worldwide.

Google has used Red Hat Linux for all its Internet computing functions since its inception in 1998. To generate the necessary power for its in-depth searching capabilities, Google needed a large cluster with the dependability and scalability of UNIX, but without the prohibitive cost. With the support of Red Hat, Google has seen significant success. To match the site's growth, Google has scaled its current Linux cluster to more than 4,000 computers, and plans to increase this number as the site's popularity continues to grow.

"Red Hat's easy installation, reliable operating environment, and scalable server support cut down the time and person power needed to oversee the thousands of Internet servers in the Google Linux cluster, thereby helping Google to maintain its focus on developing new technologies that improve a user's search experience," said Urs Hoelzle, Google's vice president of engineering.

Unlike other Internet search engines, Google combines an easy-to-use interface with complex algorithms to determine the importance and relevancy of Web pages âeuro” a task that requires a high-performance back-end system.

Google will continue to deploy the Red Hat Linux operating system as more computing power is needed to answer search queries and handle growing worldwide traffic. Red Hat provides the high-performance Linux software necessary for processing and retrieving search queries across all Google data centers.

"By successfully utilizing one of the world's largest Linux clusters, Google has proven Red Hat's scalability and reliability for mission-critical Web solutions," said Billy Marshall, VP of Product Marketing, Red Hat, Inc. "As Google grows, Red Hat will continue to provide the power and support that its innovative searching technology requires."

"IDC's studies show that Linux is often used to support Web infrastructure," said Dan Kusnetzky, vice president, IDC. "By using Red Hat Linux to power its Web searching service, Google is taking advantage of the flexibility and power of Linux. The growth of paid shipments of Linux as a server operating environment has been impressive. It's grown faster than any other server operating environment between 1997 and 1999."

About Red Hat customers
Thousands of organizations around the globe successfully utilize Red Hat's open source products and services, including ISPs, e-Commerce vendors, software developers, government institutions and Fortune 500 companies. To see how Red Hat solutions can help in your industry, or to contribute your own Red Hat success story, visit http://www.redhat.successes.com.

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat, the world's leading open source and Linux provider, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with satellite offices spanning the globe. Red Hat is leading Linux and open source solutions into the mainstream by making high quality, low cost technology accessible. Red Hat provides operating system software along with middleware, applications and management solutions. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide and through top-tier partnerships. Red Hat's open source strategy offers customers a long term plan for building infrastructures that are based on and leverage open source technologies with focus on security and ease of management. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com

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Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release that are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, management's plans and objectives for future operations, and management's assessment of market factors, constitute forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, reliance upon strategic relationships, management of growth, the possibility of undetected software errors, the risks of economic downturns generally, and in Red Hat's industry specifically, the risks associated with competition and competitive pricing pressures, the viability of the Internet, and other risks detailed in Red Hat's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be accessed through the SEC's Web site at http://www.sec.gov.

LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. RED HAT is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  • About Red Hat
  • Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.



  • Forward-Looking Statements
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