Lenovo is moving to certify the full workstation portfolio for top Linux distributions from Ubuntu and Red Hat – every model, every configuration.

While many users prefer to customise their own machines – either on hardware without an OS or by wiping an existing client OS, then configuring and installing Linux – this can raise uncertainty with system stability, restricted performance, compatibility, end-user productivity and even IT support for devices. Now that these users are making their way out of the proverbial shadows and onto the enterprise floor, the demand is high for an out-of-the-box solution that removes the barrier for the deployment of enterprise-grade hardware within a Linux software ecosystem.

For the users deploying Linux on a desktop or mobile workstation, Lenovo has historically certified only certain products with a limited subset of hardware configurations. Our entire portfolio of ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations will now be certified via both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu LTS – a long-term, enterprise-stability variant of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution. This total certification will assure users their workstation investment is tried, tested and officially verified.

To ensure an effortless Linux experience, Lenovo workstations will work intuitively with the host Linux OS and offer full end-to-end support – from security patches and updates to better secure and verify hardware drivers, firmware and bios optimisations. What’s more, Lenovo will also upstream device drivers directly to the Linux kernel, to help maintain stability and compatibility throughout the life of the workstation.

With the preloaded OEM version of Ubuntu LTS, Lenovo provides a highly stable and more secure version of the widely used Ubuntu distribution. Ubuntu LTS benefits from an extended five-year support cycle, providing increased user confidence and system stability across their deployment. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, performs certification and regression testing on these systems on an ongoing basis to ensure that it remains as stable as possible for end-users.

In addition to Ubuntu LTS, Lenovo’s expanded Red Hat Enterprise Linux certifications will also cover Lenovo's entire portfolio of workstations – offering Red Hat on more platforms than ever before. Fine-tuned to deliver peak-performance across graphics, animation, and scientific workflows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers the enterprise-grade support and unmatched stability users expect.

Also, in the Red Hat ecosystem, Lenovo has partnered with the Fedora project to offer a pilot program with a preloaded Fedora image on our ThinkPad P53 and P1 Gen 2 systems; providing the latest pure open-source platform for this community-based distribution.

Utilising Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu LTS not only benefits users but also their IT departments. Without specialised knowledge of Linux and its diverse landscape, IT departments are unable to troubleshoot issues, burdening the user and often complicating device management. Lenovo’s Linux preloads reduce end-user complexity, giving IT managers more visibility and autonomy over devices in their network, in addition to integrated support from Lenovo, Red Hat and Ubuntu. This finite foundation gives IT departments an easier route of deployment and insights about which version their employees are using and how to best support their devices, helping to simplify management across the organisation.

By certifying the entire portfolio of ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations, Lenovo is prioritising the needs of specialised end-users and helping to ensure workstations will deliver the best possible out-of-the-box Linux experience – increasing the flexibility of users across all industries.

The certified portfolio of workstations will be available fully customisable and configured-to-order starting this month rolling out over the next months starting with the ThinkPad P Series mobile workstations.