Red Hat upgrades security

Linux software maker Red Hat on Tuesday released an update to its enterprise product with security upgrades, support for IBM Power5 servers, new driver support and bug fixes.

The security upgrades in Enterprise Linux 3 Update 3 include Exec-shield and Position Independent Executable (PIE) features to protect against stack, buffer or function pointer overflows and other exploits that involve overwriting data structures in memory. No-execute (NX) support will now be available for Intel x86, Intel EM64T and Advanced Micro Devices AMD64 processors.

These features are designed to reduce the ability of hackers to trigger the execution of compromising code, the company said.

Separately, the software maker announced a new partnership with Unisys. As part of the deal, Unisys ES7000 servers, running on both 32-bit and 64-bit Intel processors, will be available with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. For Unisys customers covered under its 3D-Visible Enterprise program, support will now be available for those choosing to use Red Hat-based products.

"Chief information officers are increasingly looking to standardize their data center environments on Intel platforms and move away from expensive, proprietary Unix/RISC-based systems," said Chander Khanna, vice president of Unisys platform marketing.