rPath has announced support for the Ubuntu and CentOS Linux operating systems as part of rBuilder and the rPath Lifecycle Management Platform. rBuilder is the category-defining build and release management system for creating virtual appliances and application images. The rPath Lifecycle Management Platform extends rBuilder with a comprehensive system for controlling the cost, complexity and risk of deploying, managing and maintaining application images in virtualized and cloud-based environments.

The rPath approach assembles and binds application functionality with an operating system, creating a self-contained application image that can be easily deployed, managed and maintained. This approach sets the application free from the constraints and manual configuration of hardware infrastructure, allowing applications to be instantly deployed, while providing IT operations a scalable platform for managing and maintaining images over time.

rPath already supports Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise and rPath Linux. With the addition of Ubuntu and CentOS, rPath delivers a broad set of options for deploying and managing applications in traditional, virtualized and cloud environments.

"Corporate developers and ISVs creating virtual appliances are likely to have a distribution preference for a variety of reasons. Adding Ubuntu and CentOS, two important distributions within the Linux ecosystem, gives those developers choice and flexibility," said Al Gillen, program vice president, System Software at IDC. "By expanding the list of Linux deployment options, rPath opens up new market opportunities both for itself and for its customers."

In virtualized and cloud-based environments, the operating system is split in two. Hardware-based services are handled by the hypervisor, and application-based services are attached to the application image, which becomes a self-contained and fully functioning set of virtual machines. This approach is typically based on just enough operating system - or JeOS - which assembles only the pieces of the operating system and other tooling necessary to support the run-time requirements of a specific application. This makes the application simple to deploy, portable across run-time environments and far more cost-effective to maintain over time.

"We're committed to an open and independent approach to the operating system," said Erik Troan, co-founder and CTO of rPath. "We intend to support the operating systems that are critical to virtualization and cloud. This is the best way to provide organizations the portability, business agility, cost control, and other advantages that attracted them to this model in the first place."