Red Hat unveils common Kubernetes platform for Windows and Linux

Red Hat has announced the general availability of its common Kubernetes foundation for Windows and Linux container workloads: Red Hat OpenShift Support for Windows Containers.

Containers allow organizations to package and run Windows and Linux applications on-premises and in the cloud. With Red Hat’s new service, enterprises can simultaneously manage Linux and Windows-based containerized workloads, eliminating the need for parallel software processing across hybrid cloud environments.

“Red Hat OpenShift already provides enterprises with a powerful foundation to connect workloads across the hybrid cloud and with each new feature or capability we aim further that mission,” said Ashesh Badani, senior vice president of cloud platforms at Red Hat.

“With Red Hat OpenShift Support for Windows Containers, organizations no longer need to manage separate IT stacks for their Linux and Windows containers — helping to break down silos and make it easier for enterprises to pursue their cloud-native agenda.”

Red Hat said OpenShift Support for Windows Containers uses the certified OpenShift operator Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) to manage Windows containers within the OpenShift console.

With WMCO as the linchpin, the platform orchestrates Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows to run as building blocks of applications. Organizations can choose to run Windows containers on Red Hat OpenShift across the open hybrid cloud, including bare-metal servers, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and, in the future, VMware vSphere.

Furthermore, Red Hat OpenShift Support for Windows Containers provides organizations with the ability to move Windows containers to Red Hat OpenShift without entirely rewriting the code.

The platform can help lower deployment costs for containerized workloads in heterogeneous IT environments and improve productivity and DevOps agility by providing cloud-native management.

Finally, Red Hat says the platform can increase applications’ survivability across hybrid cloud environments, including public cloud deployments and edge installations.