Red Hat and Compaq Announce Port of Red Hat Linux 7.2 to Compaq's Alpha Processors

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC—January 8, 2002—Red Hat, Inc announced today the port of Red Hat Linux 7.2 to Compaq Computer Corporation's (NYSE: CPQ) Alpha Processors with a target availability of Q1 2002. The Alpha port will support the same features as those found in the recently released Red Hat Linux 7.2.

"Compaq's AlphaServer platform is a popular RISC 64-bit platform in the Linux community, and Red Hat is glad to be continuing its long-time collaboration with Compaq with this upcoming release," said Paul Cormier, VP of Engineering, Red Hat, Inc. "We see this association as an integral part of our strategy to deliver capabilities for the most challenging computing applications in the enterprise and in high performance computing."

"Compaq is committed to coupling our high-availability AlphaServers systems and industry-standard ProLiant servers with leading software, such as Red Hat 7.2, to offer our customers a broad range of server and software solutions that support the right Linux operating environment for their business," said Bill Blake, vice president of High Performance Technical Computing for Compaq Computer Corporation. "Red Hat Linux 7.2 delivers the latest kernel enhancements for performance and stability valued by the high performance cluster customers that run Compaq's AlphaServer-based Linux clusters."

The port of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for the Alpha processor will be available direct from Compaq at www.compaq.com in Q1 2002. Red Hat Linux 7.2 is also supported on industry-standard Compaq ProLiantTM servers, as well as Compaq workstations and desktops.

Please see the list of Frequently Asked Questions about Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the leader in developing, deploying and managing solutions built on the benefits of an open source platform. More information about Red Hat is available at http://www.redhat.com/index.html. Red Hat is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C. and has offices worldwide. For investor inquiries, contact Gabriel Szulik at Red Hat, (919) 547-0012, x439.

Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release that are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, management's plans and objectives for future operations, and management's assessment of market factors, constitute forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, reliance upon strategic relationships, management of growth, the possibility of undetected software errors, the risks of economic downturns generally, and in Red Hat's industry specifically, the risks associated with competition and competitive pricing pressures, the viability of the Internet, and other risks detailed in Red Hat's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be accessed through the SEC's Web site at http://www.sec.gov/.

LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. RED HAT is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the Alpha Product

Q. When will Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha be available?
A. The current plan is to release the product in May 2002.

Q. Where can I get a copy of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha?
A. Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha will be available from Compaq. The ISO images will be available for download from:

http://www.compaq.com/alphaserver/linux/

A media kit can be ordered from Compaq. The media kit will not include product support, which can be ordered separately from Compaq.

Q: How is this version of Red Hat Linux 7. for Alpha different than previous Alpha ports that Red Hat has done?
A: Compaq contracted Red Hat with the idea of producing a version of Red Hat Linux for Alpha to be certified on specific AlphaServers, namely the DS10/DS10L,DS20E, DS20L, ES40, and ES45.

Q. How is the Alpha version different from the Intel versions (x86 and Itanium)?
A: The differences are minimal, and are limited to the additional patches needed to support Alpha architectures. This release of Red Hat Linux 7.2, though targeted at, and certified on, Alpha server products, can be installed on most older Alphas also.

Q. What is in Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha?
A. Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha has the same content and components as included in the standard Red Hat Linux 7.2 product However, Red Hat has only certified this release on the AlphaServer DS Series and AlphaServer ES Series. Testing of components have focused on server functionality and AlphaServer options, rather than desktop features.

Q. What AlphaServer systems will be certified with use of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha?
A. The AlphaServer DS Series and AlphaServer ES Series are being certified with Red Hat 7.2, specifically the DS10/DS10L, DS20E, DS20L, ES40, and ES45.

Q. Will new AlphaServer products be certified, as they are released?
A. Currently, there are no plans to certify this Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Alpha release on additional Alpha server platforms. Certification plans for future products will be announced as part of overall product announcements.

Q. What service offerings will be available for Red Hat Linux 7.2 on the AlphaServer systems?
A. Compaq will provide all support for Red Hat Linux 7.2 on AlphaServer systems through its portfolio of support options of Linux. See http://www.compaq.com/services/software/ss_linux.html for more information. All support issues should be reported to Compaq, instead of Red Hat. Details on how to do this will be made available.

Q. What is the plan for future versions of Red Hat Linux for the AlphaServer platform?
A. Currently, there are no plans for future releases of Red Hat Linux for the Alpha platform past Red Hat Linux 7.2. Red Hat and Compaq will determine a future roadmap based on customer input and demand.

LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. RED HAT is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.