Dell Computer, Oracle and Red Hat on Wednesday said they had teamed up to help large corporations run more of their business software on Linux, a low-cost operating system.

Under the technology companies' partnership agreement, Dell has certified and bundled Red Hat's new Linux Advanced Server software--its first version for large corporations--and the latest version of Oracle's 9i database software on its PowerEdge servers.

That Dell product is currently available. Pricing starts at $11,900.

The companies' announcement comes as large corporations look for ways to save money on technology. Running a nonproprietary Linux operating system is seen by some corporations as one way to do that.

"Over the last six months, we have seen a significant increase in Linux interest from our corporate customers," said Russ Holt, vice president of Dell's Enterprise Systems Group.

On other fronts, Hewlett-Packard said it would ship a certified configuration of the new Red Hat and Oracle offerings on its ProLiant DL580 servers this summer.

Oracle's latest database software includes a feature called "clustering," which enables users to tie servers together, rather than replacing that hardware with bigger, more expensive boxes.

Shares of Dell, the world's No. 2 personal computer maker, finished the regular Nasdaq session down 7 cents at $26.86. Database software giant Oracle saw its stock land at $8.66, up about 11 percent, while Red Hat shares were up nearly 3 percent at $5.

Shares in HP--which earlier this year became the No. 1 personal computer maker through its acquisition of Compaq Computer--finished down about 1 percent at $18.79.

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