Looks like Ingres is going to try to build its own stack, starting with a database software appliance.

It's integrating the Ingres database with rPath Linux, calling the joint development Project Icebreaker.
They're just using those pieces of the operating system necessary to the database making the OS transparent.
rPath is the appliance start-up kicked off in January by former Red Hat VP of engineering Erik Troan and former Red Hat VP, North American sales Billy Marshall. rPath says its Linux will run most of the programs that run on Red Hat and SUSE without modification. The start-up also claims to have some widgetry called Conary that combines existing components "in novel ways."

Anyway, Ingres says the pair has gotten to the proof-of-concept stage in five months. It claims Icebreaker will be cost-effective, easy-to-use, cut installation efforts and provide a single maintenance stream covering both the OS and the database, a capability, it says, that will be unique to Ingres.

How unique is debatable considering Oracle's support of Linux though Oracle's stack doesn't include the operating system - at least not yet - or a single maintenance stream. Microsoft doesn't either. Nor do the LAMP purveyors, Ingres says.

Ingres says the joint product will be put on the market later this year under the GPL version 2. It expects other people to build service appliances on top of it and is talking about virtualizing appliances and managing virtualized operating environments.

Icebreaker, it says, is designed to work as a virtual environment out-of-the-box. The company is also talking about working with hardware vendors about creating 32-bit x86-based turnkey solutions.

Ingres says it won't charge upfront for Icebreaker. It'll be available at the company's standard support subscription rates based on physical CPUs. Ingres will be the single point of contact. It will distribute rPath's updates.