With this new program, Oracle is focused on providing customers with faster, hassle-free deployment of Linux solutions. Oracle Validated Configurations are a result of the company's real-world testing environment and provide documented best practices, including details on what to deploy, how to deploy and the most robust hardware and software combinations. As a result, Oracle Validated Configurations can lead to faster problem resolution and reduced support costs, which are critical to customers' success. As an ongoing effort, Oracle and its partners plan to publish new configurations periodically and update existing configurations regularly as new versions of the components are released.

As a leading provider of Linux-based solutions and a trusted advisor on Linux, Oracle is deeply committed to developing, supporting, promoting and advancing Linux in the enterprise. Oracle partnered with leading vendors to design these complete stacks on Linux, including server, storage, chip, operating system and driver technologies. The Oracle Validation Test Kit has also been made available to the company's strategic partners so they can test and publish Oracle Validated Configurations. Strategic partners in the program include:

• Hardware partners: Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Network Appliance, Sun

• Platform technology partners: AMD and Intel

• Operating system partners: Novell and Red Hat

• HBA Driver partners: Emulex and QLogic

"Over the past few years, Oracle and its customers have learned a tremendous amount about best practices for running Linux in the enterprise," said Edward Screven, Chief Corporate Architect, Oracle. "Combining our knowledge with direct feedback from customers provided the catalyst for Oracle Validated Configurations. Along with our strategic partners, we believe this program will help ensure customers have the valuable resources necessary to build successful infrastructures with Oracle on Linux."

Oracle's Linux Heritage
Since introducing the first database to run on Linux in 1998, Oracle has been committed to furthering Linux adoption across the enterprise. Support has been a hallmark of Oracle's Linux organization since June 2002, when Oracle began providing integrated support for the entire software platform, including the Linux operating system. Currently, customers from around the globe tap Oracle for 24/7 technical support for Oracle on Linux. Oracle's Linux Kernel Group is dedicated to working with Linux vendors and the open source community to provide fixes and develop new functionality to benefit Linux users. According to Gartner's recently published report, "Market Share: Relational Database Management Systems by Operating System, Worldwide, 2005" May 23rd, 2006, Oracle holds 80.6 percent of the Linux relational database management system (RDBMS) market share based on total software revenue for 2005. Linux is the fastest growing operating system in the RDBMS market.

Availability
Oracle Validated Configurations are available now on the Oracle Technology Network at: http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/validated-configurations.

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Trademarks
Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft and Siebel are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Strategic Partners Laud Oracle Validated Configurations Program

AMD

"AMD and Oracle are continuing to work closely to ensure that AMD Opteron(tm) processor-based servers provide a world-class platform for Oracle's solutions," said Terri Hall, Vice President of Software Alliances for AMD. "The Oracle Validated Configurations Program extends this partnership and allows our joint customers to leverage the advantages of AMD64 technology while quickly deploying fully tested, validated, and supported systems that help reduce overall IT costs."

Dell

"Oracle Validated Configurations complements an initiative that Dell undertook to answer the call of customers who wanted to take the complexity out of deploying mission-critical business intelligence solutions," said Paul Gottsegen, Vice President, Dell Product Group. "Customers have taken advantage of our scale-out enterprise strategy by combining Dell engineering expertise with Oracle software for four generations of extensively tested and validated solutions."

EMC

"It's all about time-to-value in IT these days, and Linux is no exception," said Chuck Hollis, Vice President of Technology Alliances, EMC. "The Oracle Validated Configuration program helps save customers time and money as they deploy best-of-breed Linux stacks in production environments. EMC is proud to be a participant."

Emulex

"The Oracle Validated Configurations program helps eliminate confusion and provides guidance around the Emulex LightPulse Fibre Channel HBA drivers that work best with specific releases of products within the entire stack – software, hardware, storage, and networking components," said Mike Smith, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Emulex Corporation. "Teaming with Oracle via its OVC program helps ensure fully compatible, robust solutions that aid customers in improving overall system efficiencies."

HP

"As Linux is a strategic platform for both HP and Oracle, we are very much aligned in our commitment to offer customers choice and confidence when it comes to robust database environments," said Douglas Small, Vice President of Marketing, Open Source and Linux Organization, HP. "The Oracle Validated Configuration Program deploys high-availability Oracle Real Application Clusters on HP ProLiant and HP Integrity servers using HP StorageWorks arrays and network attached storage – a combination that provides customers with the seamless quality and reliability they have come to expect from an HP integrated offering."

IBM

"IT managers are living within fixed or flat budgets so they're looking to reduce costs whenever possible," says John McAbel, Worldwide Product Marketing Manager, System x, IBM. "And one of the means is to replace older servers with low-cost alternatives like System x running Linux that can provide a lower total cost of ownership, and yet drive the level of performance that customers are looking for here in the marketplace."

Intel

"Intel works with the leading Linux OS vendors to ensure the latest Intel platform features are optimized and enabled by the Linux OS. The Oracle Validated Configurations program further enables rapid enterprise-class deployments of Linux infrastructure on Intel platforms in data centers," said Doug Fisher, General Manager, Core SW Division, Intel Corporation. "These pre-tested configurations and best practices will help customers gain the benefits from Linux running on Intel architecture, while speeding deployment and reducing costs."

Network Appliance

"A hallmark of the partnership between Oracle and NetApp is the continued joint focus on simplifying the use of technology for our customers," said Phil Brotherton, Senior Director, Enterprise Alliances and Solutions, Network Appliance, Inc. "The Oracle Validated Configurations program is an example of how the companies closely collaborate to help customers deploy an optimum technology stack for a Linux-based infrastructure. With these pre-tested configurations, customers should be able to reduce both the time and cost of deploying Linux in their enterprise."

Novell

"Reducing complexity for customers is always the right move, and delivering validated configurations for Linux is a great way to do this," said Roger Levy, Vice President and General Manager for Open Platform Solutions, Novell. "We're excited be part of the Oracle Validated Configurations program for Linux. Oracle and Novell have already cooperated on delivering validated configurations on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, and the launching of Oracle's program will further expand ease of Linux adoption for customers."

QLogic

"With over 80 percent market share for Fibre Channel HBAs running Linux drivers, QLogic is hearing the loud voice of customers asking for simplified configuration of their Linux infrastructure," said Frank Berry, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, QLogic. "The Oracle Validated Configurations program helps eliminate confusion and provides guidance around the HBA drivers that work best with specific releases of products within the entire stack."

Red Hat

"Partnering with Oracle on the Validated Configurations program is yet another way our companies are working together to better serve a large set of joint customers," said Tim Yeaton, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and General Manager of Enterprise Products, Red Hat. "The mutual, internal utilization of our technologies for mission-critical computing has helped pave the way for robust validated configurations. As the world's leading provider of open source solutions and Linux, we are pleased to continue working with Oracle and the leading technology companies involved to make enterprise-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux solutions easier to deploy."

Sun

"Sun offers a complete solution for Oracle that consists of our industry leading Sun Fire servers, Sun StorageTek storage, N1 software and services," said Lisa Sieker, Vice President of Marketing, Sun Systems Group. "The Oracle Validated Configurations program provides guidance and peace of mind to customers when planning and deploying Oracle on Sun's x64 systems running Linux. We are pleased to be participating in Oracle's program and helping our customers improve efficiencies."