Ksplice, the technology that allows Linux kernel updates without a reboot, is now free for users of the Fedora distribution. Using Ksplice is like “replacing your car’s engine while speeding down the highway”, and it can potentially save your Linux systems from a lot of downtime. Since Fedora users often live on the bleeding edge of Linux development, Ksplice makes it even easier to do so, and without reboots!

Fedora joins Ubuntu Desktop as a supported desktop distribution for the free installation of Ksplice Uptrack. Red Hat, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu Server and CloudLinux are supported server distributions, and pricing for these systems is pretty modest. Here’s the full press release:

Ksplice Removes Need for Rebooting on Fedora

* Ksplice Uptrack service makes Fedora the latest Linux distribution to update without a reboot

* Service to be offered free of charge

Cambridge, Mass., August 31, 2010 – Ksplice Uptrack, the rebootless Linux update service, is now available for Fedora Linux.

The offering, which is free of charge, makes Fedora the latest Linux distribution to instantly install crucial updates and security patches without any downtime.

Hundreds of the world’s cloud-computing providers, Web hosting firms and enterprise Linux installations use Ksplice Uptrack to update their kernels seamlessly, without disruption to customers. Today’s news adds the same capability for millions of Fedora users.

“Ksplice was originally developed on Fedora in the first place,” said Jeff Arnold, Ksplice’s founder and chief executive. “We’re thrilled to contribute our service back to the Fedora community for free.”

“Ksplice Uptrack is an interesting technology that promises to make it easier for our users to keep Fedora installations up-to-date,” said Jared Smith, Fedora Project Leader. “We appreciate Ksplice’s participation in the Fedora community.”

Major Linux distributions ask their users to install a kernel update roughly once each month. Before Uptrack, each such update required a reboot. Until a system can be updated, it remains vulnerable to security flaws. By allowing users to install kernel updates without downtime, Uptrack slashes the cost of system administration and dramatically increases compliance with security updates.

Ksplice has contributed its software to the Fedora Project for integration into future versions of the distribution itself. In addition to Fedora, Ksplice Uptrack is available for users of seven other leading versions of Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, CloudLinux, Ubuntu, Debian GNU/Linux, CentOS, and OpenVZ. The service for Fedora and Ubuntu Desktop is free of charge. For other distributions, the subscription fee starts at $3.95 per system a month, after a 30-day free trial.

About Ksplice: Ksplice is an enterprise software company making reboots a thing of the past. Organizations use Ksplice Uptrack, the company’s first product, to make their Linux systems more secure, reliable and maintainable through seamless updates. Ksplice was founded in 2008, based on research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2009, the Wall Street Journal named Ksplice the most innovative security company of the year. Ksplice is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.ksplice.com.