[ISN] HP to sell secure version of Linux

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Thu Aug 23 2001 - 02:11:13 PDT

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    http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6943901.html?tag=mn_hd
    
    By Stephen Shankland
    Staff Writer, CNET News.com 
    August 21, 2001, 9:00 p.m. PT 
    
    Hewlett-Packard will sell a secure version of Linux, a product that
    marks a departure for computer makers that traditionally have favored
    partnerships with companies such as Red Hat that sell Linux.
    
    HP Secure OS Software for Linux, which will be announced Wednesday,
    will cost about $3,000, said Roberto Medrano, general manager of HP's
    Internet Security division. It includes a version 2.4 of Linux with
    open-source HP enhancements, higher-level software such as Apache Web
    server, and utilities that tightly control communications between
    programs and detect attacks.
    
    The move is a departure for companies such as HP that sell servers,
    the powerful networked computers on which the Linux operating system
    is most popular. HP, IBM, Compaq Computer and Dell Computer
    historically have preferred partnerships with the major companies that
    sell Linux--Red Hat, Caldera International, SuSE and Turbolinux--to
    creating a version of Linux of their own.
    
    The secure Linux product will be available for HP servers or others
    that pass the qualification tests Red Hat uses to assure a computer
    can run its latest version 7.1, said Bill Wear, product manager for
    HP's secure Linux offerings. HP will also sell consulting services to
    ensure a customer site has a secure enough infrastructure for the
    product, he added.
    
    Other organizations, including Guardian Digital and Bastille Linux,
    already are working on secure versions of Linux, while the National
    Security Agency is funding Network Associates to create a more secure
    version.
    
    HP's first version is a software package that is installed from
    scratch on a server. The company plans to accommodate upgrades of
    existing systems with version 2.0.
    
    In addition to the secure version of Linux, HP announced a software
    product, Chai-LX, that mixes Linux with HP's Chai software--a clone of
    Sun Microsystems' Java product.
    
    The software is used in HP's Digital Entertainment Center, a device
    expected later this year that can accept audio streams from the
    Internet and record CDs. HP plans to use Chai-LX in other consumer
    products, said Dino Brusco, marketing manager for HP's embedded
    software division.
    
    
    
    
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