From:	 Annette Oevermann <aoevermann@pacifico.com>
To:	 <lwn@lwn.net>
Subject: Varco Chooses MontaVista Hard Hat Linux
Date:	 Mon, 05 Nov 2001 08:44:45 -0800

Varco International today announced that it will standardize on MontaVista's
Hard Hat Linux for its oil rig equipment controllers. The first systems
using Hard Hat Linux are operational today in the North Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico. More detailed information can be found below and at
http://www.mvista.com/dswp/Varco.pdf

With kind regards,
Annette Oevermann
Pacifico, PR & Advertising
408-293 8600 x341
----
Varco International Chooses MontaVista Software For Next-Generation Oil Rig
Controllers

Standardizes on MontaVista Hard Hat Linux

SAN DIEGO, November 5, 2001 ­ Varco International, Inc. today announced it
will standardize on MontaVista� Software¹s embedded operating environment,
Hard Hat® Linux®, for its full line of oil rig floor equipment controllers.
Varco made the selection after the company had exhausted its search for an
off-the-shelf next-generation industrial controller that would meet its
complex needs and tested several major embedded operating systems for its
own custom controller product.

Varco International produces equipment and automation systems for the oil
and gas drilling industry. Varco¹s next-generation oil rig controller, its
e-Drill product, promises equipment that has a far higher level of
automation and functionality (through sophisticated robotic algorithms); is
simpler to set up and maintain (through thin-client, web browser-based
³screens²); and leverages the Internet to allow remote diagnostics,
monitoring and control of these systems.

³Varco was able to meet very aggressive time-to-market deadlines using Hard
Hat Linux. MontaVista¹s superb technical support helped our engineers
overcome technical and reliability challenges,³ said George Boyadjieff,
chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Varco International.

Varco evaluated various embedded operating systems for the e-Drill
development and set up two pilot projects, each using a leading embedded
operating system. At the end of the test period, Hard Hat Linux had met all
the requirements, which included real-time performance and the ability to
function without a display or keyboard.

In less than one month, MontaVista Software integrated and ran Hard Hat
Linux, IBM¹s VAME (Visual Age Micro Edition), and support device drivers on
selected target hardware. Varco was able to run equipment after only six
months of development, testing and application programming.

The first systems using MontaVista¹s Hard Hat Linux are operational today in
the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and many additional systems have
already been shipped and will be commissioned later this year. Reliability
is critical in these applications, with operator liability often exceeding a
quarter of a million dollars a day for any equipment downtime.

About Varco International, Inc.
Varco International, Inc. is the world¹s leading manufacturer and supplier
of innovative drilling equipment and rig instrumentation, oilfield tubular
inspections and internal coating techniques, solids control systems and
services, and coiled tubing and pressure control equipment for both land and
offshore drilling operations. Its operations span six continents, 49
countries and every major oilfield market in the world. For more
information, visit the Varco Web site at www.varco.com.

About MontaVista Software, Inc.
MontaVista Software, Inc. powers the embedded revolution by providing
open-source systems software solutions for embedded developers. Founded in
1999 by real-time operating system (RTOS) pioneer James Ready, MontaVista¹s
principal products include Hard Hat Linux, a Linux-based embedded source and
binary distribution, cross development platform and a set of tool kits for
x86/IA-32, PowerPC, StrongARM, MIPS, SH, ARM, XScale and other
microprocessor architectures. MontaVista offers developers a family of
products and services for embedded design and development targeted for
applications ranging from communications infrastructure to thin-client and
consumer devices. MontaVista Software also provides several technology
add-on products addressing specific customer needs such as the Java
Development environment, High Availability technology, powerful graphics
toolkits and more.

Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, in Sunnyvale, Calif.,
MontaVista Software is a privately held company funded by leading investors
such Alloy Ventures, US Venture Partners, RRE Ventures, WR Hambrecht + Co.,
and Intel Capital. For more information about MontaVista, please visit
http://www.mvista.com, email to info@mvista.com or call (408) 328-9200.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Hard Hat is a registered
trademark, and MontaVista is a trademark of MontaVista Software Inc. All
other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks
of their respective companies.


For More Information Contact:

Varco International

Dave Cardellini,
Director, Engineering
(714) 456-1230
dcardellini@varco.com

MontaVista Software

Joe Samagond, Director, Marketing &
Corp. Communications
(408) 328-9234
jsamagond@mvista.com

Patricia Colby, 
PR Strategy & Business Dev.
Pacifico, Inc.
(408) 293-8600, ext. 340
pcolby@pacifico.com