Red Hat Achieves New Top Virtualization Benchmark

Red Hat Achieves New Top Virtualization Performance Benchmark with HP

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1 with Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor on HP ProLiant DL980 G7 establishes new SPECvirt_sc2010 benchmark with highest overall performance
Raleigh, NC - October 25, 2011
Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that it has achieved a new record-setting SPECvirt_sc2010 virtualization performance benchmark in collaboration with long-time partner HP based on the powerful Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor and HPProLiant systems.

The SPECvirt virtualization benchmark measures the ability of a system to host virtual machines that are running a set of typical server applications and is modeled to look like a customer’s real environment. The SPECvirt_sc2010 metric is derived from a combination of the performance of the virtualized applications, noting the number of virtual machines used in the test, and a Quality of Service (QoS) requirement.

The combination of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1 and its integrated KVM hypervisor and the HP ProLiant DL980 G7 has established new leading results -- 7,424@456VMs and 76 tiles -- setting the best virtual performance mark and highest number of tiles, or set of six virtual machines running an application, of any published SPECvirt result.

“Red Hat and HP today deliver another leading performance benchmark combining our compelling technology platforms,” said Navin Thadani, senior director, Virtualization Business at Red Hat. “This SPECvirt_sc2010 benchmark result shows the scalable virtualization performance that can be achieved running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1 with the powerful KVM hypervisor on HP ProLiant systems. Red Hat Enterprise Linux with KVM is the only virtualization solution to show scalability beyond 4 processors on SPECvirt benchmarks to date. The combination of this raw performance and scalability of KVM with the rich management features of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization brings to enterprises a truly strong virtualization solution.”

“Clients require solutions that are optimized for scalability and high performance in virtualized environments and today’s results from HP and Red Hat are highlighting just that,” said Lorraine Bartlett, vice president, worldwide marketing and strategy, Business Critical Systems at HP. “Achieving the highest overall 4 and 8 processor results to date in the SPECvirt_sc2010 benchmark demonstrates scalability across our product family.”

Including today’s record-setting result, 11 of the 18 published SPECvirt 2010 benchmark results published at http://www.specorg were achieved using KVM technology.

For more information about Red Hat Enterprise Linux, visit www.redhat.com/rhel. For more information about KVM and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, visit www.redhat.com/rhev.

For more information about Red Hat, visit www.redhat.com. For more news, more often, visitwww.press.redhat.com.

System configuration
All results from www.spec.org as of October 6, 2011.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions and an S&P 500 company, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with more than 70 offices spanning the globe. Red Hat provides high-quality, affordable technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with cloud, virtualization, applications, management, storage and service-oriented architecture (SOA) solutions, including Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and JBoss Enterprise Middleware. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company's growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, including events in Japan. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release.

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Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat, the Shadowman logo and JBoss are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds SPEC and the benchmark name SPECvirt_sc2010 are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), reprinted with permission.

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