Leading Edge R&D:

GX TECHNOLOGY STRENGTHENS OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION EFFORTS

Linux NetworX, a provider of powerful and easy-to-manage cluster computing solutions, announced that seismic imaging solutions company GX Technology has purchased an 84-processor Evolocity cluster to be used in its oil and gas exploration efforts. This is the third cluster system provided to GX Technology by Linux NetworX. The first two Linux NetworX systems delivered to GX processed seismic data at a much faster rate than the company's previous non Linux-based clusters.

Linux NetworX optimized the Evolocity cluster to work with GX Technology's seismic imaging applications to perform processes such as wave equation and Kirchhoff pre-stack depth migration and prestack time migration. The 42-node Evolocity system includes 84 1.2 GHz AMD Athlon MP processors, with each node containing 1.5 GB of memory, and two 10/100 Ethernet networks for redundancy. GX Technology also utilizes the Linux NetworX ClusterWorX management software tools, and signed an on-going service agreement to ensure system stability.

"This is the first dual AMD Athlon MP processor-based Linux cluster system, and we are ecstatic that GX has chosen an AMD Athlon processor-based cluster from Linux NetworX," said Lee Little, AMD's director of field marketing for the Americas. "The AMD Athlon MP processor delivers outstanding performance for software applications that help the research efforts of the oil and gas industry."

"The first Linux NetworX cluster we purchased allowed us to process seismic data at a much faster rate than our previous non Linux-based clusters. We anticipate similar results with this next system," said Tony Sabatino, vice president Houston Service Center for GX Technology, which boasts a Linux cluster of more than 400 processors. "Cluster management is a big concern to us, and is a big part of why we selected the Linux NetworX solution. We need to focus our resources on processing seismic data, not cluster administration. The technical expertise of Linux NetworX, combined with its ClusterWorX management software, allow GX to better focus on our core competencies instead of system maintenance."

Linux clustering, a method of linking multiple computers together to form a unified and more powerful system, is being increasingly adopted by the oil and gas exploration industry as a stable and powerful high performance computing platform. In 1998, GX Technology was one of the first seismic imaging providers to implement Linux clustering technology.

"Organizations in the oil and gas industry typically have the resources to manage and maintain Linux cluster systems, but today these same organizations are seeing that cluster management tools like ClusterWorX help lower the total cost-of-ownership," said Glen Lowry, president and CEO of Linux NetworX. "With the massive amounts of data GX Technology and other seismic companies are dealing with, it's imperative that the cluster is very stable and operates efficiently all of the time -- ClusterWorX helps administrators accomplish this."

About GX Technology Corporation

GX Technology is a leading provider of advanced seismic imaging solutions, focused especially on prestack depth and time migration. Oil and gas companies use GXT's services to produce the highest fidelity images of the subsurface, significantly reducing the cost and risk of finding and producing petroleum. GX Technology is headquartered in Houston, has Service Centers in Houston, Calgary, London and Jakarta and has additional offices in Paris and Beijing. Its Web site can be accessed at www.gxt.com.

About Linux NetworX

Linux NetworX, www.linuxnetworx.com, brings its powerful and easy-to-manage cluster technology to those demanding high performance and high availability systems. Linux NetworX provides solutions for organizations involved in oil and gas exploration, aeronautical and chemical modeling, biotechnology research, graphics rendering and visual effects, Web serving, ISPs, ASPs, and other technological research fields. Through its innovative Evolocity hardware, ICE cluster management tools and professional service and support, Linux NetworX provides end-to-end clustering solutions. To date, the company has built some of the largest cluster systems in the world, and boasts numerous Fortune 500 customers.