Red Hat expands 'stack' with JBoss
Red Hat Application Stack, available online, includes Linux and open-source middleware for building new applications.
The Red Hat Application Stack is a set of server components targeted at corporate customers and developers who are looking to build and run new applications. It is available through Red Hat's existing sales channels.
The bundle includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the JBoss Application Server, database-access software called Hibernate, and the Tomcat Web application server. The stack is certified to run with open-source database PostgreSQL and includes MySQL, another popular open-source database.
Red Hat has certified that the different components work well together and customers can pay a yearly subscription fee for support services that covers the entire package, said Todd Barr, director of enterprise marketing at Red Hat.
JBoss, which makes a popular open-source Java application server, was acquired in April by Linux distributor Red Hat. The company's plan is to expand its product portfolio, focusing on open-source infrastructure software.
"We're really positioning ourselves for a future, even today, as an infrastructure provider for flexible and low-cost (computing)," said Barr. "Open source is really the means by which you can get there."
With its first application infrastructure release, Red Hat is aiming to create the base components needed for a wide range of applications, Barr said.
The Application Stack includes the software needed to run applications in PHP and other scripting languages, he said. Or customers can create Java applications if they have more-demanding jobs, he said.
The Application Stack will be sold by Red Hat's direct sales force and through Red Hat's distribution network, which now represents more than 60 percent of the company's revenue, said Barr.
Pricing starts at $1,999 per server per year.
The company may create different applications "stacks" for specific industries, Barr said.