RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 21 – Red Hat, Inc., the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced general availability of the next minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4. It has been optimized for performance, stability and flexibility, and designed to help organizations manage their workloads across physical, virtual and cloud environments. Red Hat Enterprise Linux introduces several new components that help enterprises meet these core business objectives.

Scale-out Data Access Through Parallel NFS (pNFS)

Red Hat has collaborated with its partners and the upstream community on the parallel Network File System (pNFS) industry standard. This helps to solve the problems associated with NFS sprawl, characterized by the explosive growth of data and the increased burden of managing file system complexity. Capabilities have also been added that result in performance gains for I/O intensive workloads like database access. Using the first-to-market, fully supported pNFS client -- delivered in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 -- customers can begin to plan and design next-generation, scalable file system solutions based on pNFS.

“NetApp and Red Hat are seeing considerable demand for pNFS capabilities from customers looking to modernize their data center environment to address the extreme requirements around scale, performance and manageability,” said Patrick Rogers, vice president, solutions and integrations, NetApp. “With Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4, Red Hat has achieved a significant milestone advancing pNFS client support, which reflects their continued leadership and innovation in enterprise-class open source solutions.”

Focus On Security Through Enhanced Identity Management

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 continues to expand security through enhanced identity and host-based access management. This release also provides easier interoperability in heterogeneous environments, whether identities are Linux- based or managed by Microsoft Active Directory.

Improved Virtual Guest Experience on VMware and Hyper-V

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 .4 now includes the Microsoft Hyper-V Linux drivers, improving the overall performance of the operating system when running as a guest on Microsoft Hyper-V. The latest release also offers installation support for the VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V para-virtualized drivers, improving the deployment experience for users working in these environments.

Updated Management Capabilities

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 provides enhancement to control groups (cgroups), allowing multi-threaded applications to migrate smoothly between them. In addition, this release includes updated performance monitoring tools that support new counters (performance monitoring units, or PMUs) from Intel.

New Tools and Improved Productivity Support

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 includes several key productivity-focused improvements, including enhanced interoperability with Microsoft Exchange, calendar support in Evolution, and new functions, such as alarm notifications and the ability to schedule meetings. This update also includes support for newer Wacom tablets, which benefits professional animators and design artists.

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux has long been considered the premier open source operating system for enterprises, and this latest iteration further cements the platform as a compelling foundation for mission-critical solutions across physical, virtual and cloud environments," said Jim Totton, vice president and general manager, Red Hat's Platform Business Unit. "The features found within Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 — from support for pNFS to expanded security features and much more — exemplify our commitment to innovation and providing our customers with the advanced tools they need to attain their business goals."

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, taking 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.

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Source: Red Hat