Lenovo announced that it will begin pre-installing Ubuntu LTS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux on existing devices, including ThinkStation desktops and ThinkPad P-series notebooks, fulfilling its goal of providing workstation customers with more operating system options.
Lenovo says that while many users tend to customize their computers on hardware that does not include an operating system or by wiping the existing operating system and then configuring and installing Linux, this increases system uncertainty and incompatibility, affects performance and productivity, and even results in compromised IT support for the device.
Now, these users are moving out of that scenario and into the enterprise level. As a result, there is a high demand for out-of-the-box solutions for deploying enterprise-grade hardware in the Linux software ecosystem.
The entire ThinkStation and ThinkPad P-series product lines will be certified by Red Hat Enterprise and Ubuntu LTS, a process Lenovo explains that ensures everything is "tried, tested and formally validated."
This wave of Lenovo operations certainly brings some other benefits, as they commit the device's drivers to the upstream Linux kernel, which means that stability and compatibility will be further refined after purchase.
Contact also said that comprehensive network support, configuration guidance and a dedicated Linux forum will be provided to customers who purchase Linux workstations.
Lenovo notes that by certifying the entire ThinkStation and ThinkPad P-series workstation product line, they will prioritize the needs of professional end users and help ensure that workstations provide the best possible out-of-the-box Linux experience -- thereby increasing flexibility for users across industries.
According to Lenovo's plans, the first Linux-enabled workstations will be available to customers later this month, and will continue to expand over the summer.
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