SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Red Hat Readies New Enterprise Linux

Sources close to Red Hat Inc. tell eWEEK.com that the company will release RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) 4.0, the next version of its Linux operating system, at an event in conjunction with February’s LinuxWorld trade show in Boston. This is the first major release of RHEL since September 2003. This also will be the […]

Jan 20, 2005
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Sources close to Red Hat Inc. tell eWEEK.com that the company will release RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) 4.0, the next version of its Linux operating system, at an event in conjunction with February’s LinuxWorld trade show in Boston.

This is the first major release of RHEL since September 2003. This also will be the first version of RHEL based squarely on the Linux 2.6 kernel.

Novell Inc. first released its Linux 2.6-based server operating system, SLES (SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9), in August 2004.

The actual gold code for the operating system has already been finished and is in the hands of a few developers. Several of them report that the next version of RHEL is based solidly on Red Hat’s experimental Linux, Fedora Core 3.

Click here for a review of Fedora Core 3.

“RHEL 4 is Fedora Core 3 with new logos,” one programmer with access to the gold code said. “I can even use third-party [software] packages for FC3 [on RHEL 4].”

There are some differences, though. The latest version of Fedora runs on the Linux 2.6.10 kernel, while RHEL 4 will use the 2.6.9 kernel.

Developers tell eWEEK.com that the system is very stable.

Among other features, the new RHEL will boast improved support for SELinux, the National Security Agency-based Mandatory Access Controls security subsystem for Linux.

In this new version, SELinux is enabled by default with a new “targeted” policy that locks down only a few typically vulnerable system services, such as Bind and Apache. In addition, there are tools that make adjusting SELinux’s security policies much easier.

For an interface, RHEL 4 comes with both KDE 3.3 and GNOME 2.8.

It also will have Evolution 2.0 for its default mail client. In addition, it comes with the Firefox Web browser and the Thunderbird e-mail client.

Perhaps the most significant changes in this server distribution will be in its revised I/O (input/output) system and LVM (Logical Volume Manager). These improvements will increase the system file I/O performance and let it address petabytes of data. This, in turn, will make RHEL 4 much more attractive for massive database work.

RHEL pricing is expected to remain the same.

Check out eWEEK.com’s for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

Recommended for you...

OneTrust Research & Product Updates Show Need for AI Governance
Jordan Smith
Sep 9, 2025
RavenDB Unveils Database-Native ‘AI Agent Creator’
Luis Millares
Sep 8, 2025
Orchestrate Technologies CEO on Success with Syncro
Jordan Smith
Sep 8, 2025
VMware 9.0 and AI Push Broadcom to Record Highs
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.