BIOS: Technology Means Business

Novell has today updated its flagship Linux product, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9. Succeeding version 8.0, which was released in November 2002, the software is pitched at larger organisations looking for a more flexible and cost-effective server operating system than Windows. The updated software is based on a Linux 2.6 kernel, which works better than previous versions on large multiprocessor systems, is easier to manage, and it supports databases better. Novell bought SuSE Linux earlier this year for $210 million, and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is a significant part of Novell's ongoing attempt to establish its Linux credentials and win share from dominant Linux seller Red Hat. According to Novell, AMD, Computer Associates, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Oracle and others express support for the company's latest Linux offering.

Pros: 2.6 kernel; wider processor support; better management tools
Cons: Technical support is offered for an additional charge

Release: Novell today introduced SUSE SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, with significant performance, scalability, manageability and security enhancements designed to handle corporate workgroup and data centre requirements with ease. With this release, Novell extends its lead in the Linux market by offering the first enterprise-class Linux server built on the new Linux 2.6 kernel and supported by leading hardware and software vendors. Novell ZENworks Linux Management further strengthens this offering by adding the market-leading change and configuration solution for the enterprise.

'With the release of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, Novell is giving customers compelling reasons to deploy Linux at the core of their business,' said Jack Messman, chairman and CEO of Novell. 'It's secure, it's reliable, it scales, and its manageability is unbeatable. Novell's extensive partner community, global support infrastructure and indemnification program offer customers the ability to deploy Linux with confidence'

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is backed by Novell's global ecosystem of enterprise-level consulting, training and support. Novell is actively partnering with hundreds of software and hardware companies to ensure that their latest offerings support SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, providing business customers a trusted, reliable Linux foundation. Novell's Linux Indemnification Program, which gives customers protection from third-party copyright litigation, offers additional confidence to customers.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 features unique, integrated management capabilities, including support for ZENworks Linux Management, which enable IT professionals to more easily deploy, configure and update Linux servers. SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 also delivers enterprise-level security. This new offering contains all the components required for compliance with the Common Criteria Evaluation CAPP/EAL 4+, improving on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8's already top-rated CAPP/EAL 3+ certification.

'We're very pleased to see SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 supporting the innovations that come with the 2.6 Linux kernel,' said Shawn Schwegman, vice president of Technology, Overstock.com. 'This can only stand to improve the performance and stability of our most critical servers, and it clearly demonstrates Novell's commitment to the commercial Linux market.' Reflecting strong industry endorsement of Novell's Linux strategy and offerings, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is supported by the market's leading hardware and software vendors, including AMD, CA, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, IBM, Intel, Oracle and others.

'Linux is becoming an increasingly attractive option for enterprises because of its flexibility and value,' said Ben Williams, vice president, enterprise and server/workstation business for AMD. 'AMD and the open source community are leading the charge to 64-bit computing. The powerful combination of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture will deliver an incredibly strong foundation for any organisation deploying Linux.'

'As a leading proponent of Linux in the enterprise, CA welcomes Novell's introduction of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, which offers customers a powerful platform for the deployment of business-critical applications and servers,' said Sam Greenblatt, senior vice president and chief architect of the Linux Technology Group at CA. 'SuSE Linux is a preferred Linux distribution and CA is fully supporting these deployments with a full range of proven Linux management solutions - including eTrust for security management, BrightStor for storage management, Unicenter for operations management and open source Ingres for high-performance database management.'

'Fujitsu Siemens Computers welcomes the announcement of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9. Linux is a key element of our Business Critical Computing strategy, together with Solaris, Windows and BS2000/OSD', said Dr. Joseph Reger, CTO, Fujitsu Siemens Computers. 'The new version of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server with kernel 2.6 delivers higher scalability and performance. In addition, the support of peripherals and larger storage devices are substantially improved with this version. Therefore SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is a big step forward for Linux as an enterprise operating system.'

'Novell SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is based on superior capabilities from the 2.6 Linux kernel; when combined with industry-standard HP servers, customers have a strong Linux solution that provides increased value and flexibility,' said Martin Fink, vice president of Linux, HP. 'HP's Linux expertise and end-to-end solutions enable customers to meet their mission-critical needs with confidence.'

'IBM is working closely with Novell to introduce SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 in the marketplace, and supporting it across our eServer line and across our key software portfolio,' said Jim Stallings, general manager, Strategic Growth Initiatives, IBM. 'Linux continues to make great strides in the enterprise and in the corporate data centre. SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 leverages the power of the 2.6 Linux kernel and helps our customers tackle the toughest enterprise tasks.'

'Novell's announcement of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 delivers an enterprise-class Linux to the market for the Intel Itanium processor family with IA-32 Execution layer technology and Intel Xeon processor family with Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology,' said Will Swope, general manager, Software and Solutions Group, Intel. 'The combination of Novell and Intel provides customers a reliable, secure and high-performance computing environment to meet their breadth of needs.'

'By setting the world record TPC-C performance benchmark for Linux on non-clustered systems, Oracle and Novell have demonstrated that Oracle Database 10g and Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 are a powerful combination that can handle the toughest workloads,' said Richard Sarwal, vice president of Server Performance, Oracle Corp. 'This achievement further demonstrates the power of Oracle Database 10g and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 to meet the scalability and high performance requirements of enterprise environments.'

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 includes multiple new features and enhancements:

Industry-leading performance and scalability capabilities, from the workgroup to the data center: Kernel 2.6 based enhancements, including advanced memory management, advanced processor support, Native Posix Thread Library (NPTL) and advanced I/O capabilities, offer the industry's best performance. The unique class-based kernel resouce management (CKRM), co-developed with IBM, allows the dynamic allocation of resources to the Linux server. In addition, hyperthreading support and NUMA (non-uniform memory management) support have been improved and provide more effective scalability across large-scale implementations.

Multi-server fail-over components designed for mission-critical use and reduced downtime: HotPlug services allow IT administrators to change hard disks, processors and other periphery at runtime. The new Enterprise Volume Manager (EVMS) eases administrators' tasks when setting up and maintaining servers sharing storage resources in clustered environments. And a new administration console configures clustered-server deployments.

Unique management capabilities lower the deployment and administration costs of Linux systems: YaST, a comprehensive installation, configuration and administration tool, gives IT personnel a common foundation for managing the operating system components, network services, open source components and third-party applications. YaST now supports the common information model (CIM), a standard interface used by enterprise systems management solutions, making it easier to support large-scale IT environments and to interact with third-party systems management tools. The AutoYaST feature allows IT administrators to automatically deploy Linux servers without user or IT intervention.

Centralised control over Linux software configurations: Novell ZENworks Linux Management, a powerful and secure software management solution, allows administrators to easily configure, update, secure and manage SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 from a central location, providing enterprise-level IT management across the entire organisation.

Robust application support, including comprehensive open source functionality, support for third-party applications and tools for delivering applications on Linux: SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 supports Samba 3 file and print services, and includes numerous e-mail services, databases and middleware services, such as Apache Web Server, Java, Tomcat and JBoss, and a broad range of network services. A Software Development Kit for SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, available separately, provides comprehensive development tools and runtime environments, including Eclipse and Kdevelop, Mono, Perl, Java and Python, and offers maximum flexibility to create Linux-compatible applications. User Mode Linux capabilities facilitate testing of disparate Linux configurations.

Created with Novell's unique AutoBuild system, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is the leading enterprise Linux system and delivers a common code base across all popular hardware platforms, from small department servers up to large mainframes. AutoBuild guarantees that all SuSE Linux-based products experience uniform quality assurance through a rigorous testing regimen designed for meeting businesses' most challenging needs, offering customers unmatched enterprise Linux reliability, availability and serviceability. For IT professionals, this provides flexibility and cost savings, while easing system administration.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 is now available. Supported hardware architectures include x86, AMD64 and Intel EM64T, Intel Itanium Processor Family, IBM POWER, IBM zSeries and IBM S390. Yearly maintenance service subscription for x86 architectures starts at 349 euros per server with two CPUs. Current users of SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server with active upgrade protection/maintenance will be able to download version 9 for no charge at http://portal.suse.com. Evaluation versions of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 for x86, AMD64 and Intel EM64T are available as free downloads from www.novell.com/download.

For more information about the power of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, please visit www.novell.com/linux/sles. Learn more about the solutions, services and expertise that make Linux migration quick, painless and manageable at the free 'Linux in Your Enterprise' Web Seminar Series from Novell, www.novell.com/linuxseminars.