Red Hat releases Enterprise Linux beta

Network World - Red Hat has released Enterprise Linux 6.4, a beta that deploys a number of new features, many of which are focused on interoperability with the Microsoft ecosystem.

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A new integration between RHEL's system security services daemon and Active Directory should make it easier to control identity management in IT environments that feature both RHEL and Windows, the company said in its announcement.

RHEL will now also work better as a guest operating system on Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization platform, and para-virtualization support was added for both Hyper-V and VMware.

The Microsoft angle is also apparent in the end-user features introduced in Version 6.4, which more closely integrates Red Hat's Evolution email client with Microsoft Outlook, and makes it easier to sync calendar information between the two applications.

There were several non-Microsoft-related features rolled out as well, of course - a preview version of a new file system adds I/O speed improvements, particularly for high-intensity workloads like databases. Web hosting companies and ISPs will also benefit from efficiency improvements made to the file system's swap functionality, the company says.

The new beta is Red Hat's third major release in a week. The company last Tuesday announced the availability of a new private platform-as-a-service product - called OpenShift Enterprise - that allows businesses to develop and host cloud applications in either public or private clouds. On the same day, Red Hat also rolled out a beta of Fedora Version 18, dubbed Spherical Cow. Fedora is the successor to the company's discontinued Red Hat Linux product.

Email Jon Gold at jgold@nww.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.

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