| SLE 11 adds enterprise features |
Mar. 24, 2009
 Novell announced the availability of SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Desktop (SLED) and Server (SLES) 11, offering new support for virtualization and cloud computing. The SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) 11 distributions also include the Mono project extension for .NET compatibility, and a High Availability extension.
(Click for larger view of of SLED 11's desktop)
Both new SLE versions are based closely on the OpenSUSE 11 community-maintained version that shipped last summer. (Whereas rival Red Hat controls its community Fedora version, Novell last Fall allowed the OpenSUSE Project an independent board.) OpenSUSE 11 featured a redesigned installer, KDE 4.0, GNOME 2.2.2, and the flashy Compiz Fusion 3D window manager (see below), and over 200 new features. For more on desktop-specific features of OpenSUSE 11, and by extension, for SLED 11, please see our earlier coverage.
Meanwhile, Novell has added a number of enterprise-oriented features and extensions to the new SLE distros, led by the new Mono support for .NET compatibility. Novell points to its somewhat controversial five-year partnership with Microsoft as a key to helping make SLE 11 work seamlessly with Microsoft Windows "in cross-platform virtualization, systems management, identity/directory federation, and document compatibility," says the company.
 
SLED 11's COMPiz 3D view (left) and F-Spot app
(Click on either to enlarge)
Here are some highlights of SLE 11's enterprise features:- Mono-based .NET compatibility -- SUSE Linux Enterprise Mono Extension is said to be the first commercial implementation of the Mono project's Microsoft .NET-based emulation framework that shipped last year. The Mono Extension enables seamless running of .NET applications on Linux without having to recompile, says Novell. Mono Extension is also said to be offered for customers performing mainframe-based workload consolidation, letting them run .NET-based applications on IBM System z. More information may be found in our detailed earlier coverage of Mono, here.
- HA -- SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability (HA) Extension is billed as a new clustering product for ensuring mission-critical uptime. This integrated suite of open source clustering technologies is said to help customers reduce unplanned downtime, while providing an affordable alternative to proprietary HA products.
- Zen-like management skills -- The new Novell ZENworks Linux Management 7.3 application is said to imbue SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 with policy-driven automation for deploying, managing, and maintaining Linux resources across desktop and server systems.
- Xen-like virtualization -- Novell has added the Xen 3.3 hypervisor, which is said to offer greater scalability, performance and security. SLE 11 is also optimized to run "at near-native performance" on all major hypervisors, including VMware ESX, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Xen, says the company.
- Cloud computing -- The SLE 11 distros will soon be certified and supported in Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), says Novell. The company is also collaborating with IBM to deliver SLE 11-based virtual instances of IBM DB2, Informix Dynamic Server, WebSphere sMash, IBM Lotus Web Content Management, and IBM WebSphere Portal instances for cloud environments.
- Moonlight and Microsoft compatibility -- SLED 11 adds support for Windows multimedia file formats, including the addition of the Mono project offshoot Moonlight, which provides a Microsoft Silverlight media playback clone for Linux. SLED also now offers desktop accessibility for the disabled, as well as the latest version of OpenOffice.org Novell Edition.
- NFS support -- SLES 11 adds support for swap over the NFS (Network File System) protocol remote storage.
- Package management -- SLE 11 adds new package technologies to automate and accelerate installing, removing, upgrading, and configuring software, says Novell.
- Improved hardware support -- SLE 11 now supports x86-32, x86-64, Itanium, IBM Power, and IBM System z.
SLED 11 applications
(Click to enlarge)
Next month, Novell plans to ship SUSE Linux Enterprise JeOS (Just enough Operating System), along with a suite of tools that enables ISVs to assemble a virtual appliance with a minimalist JeOS implementation. Appliances that pass Novell's "supportability" algorithm will receive technical support for their custom JeOS configurations of SLE 11, says Novell.
Stated Matt Eastwood, group VP at IDC, which recently published a Novell-sponsored study on Linux deployment plans, "By fully supporting physical, virtual, appliance and cloud computing models with SUSE Linux Enterprise, Novell can help customers at each step in the evolution of the data center. Novell has delivered a comprehensive set of solutions for identity, security and systems management."
Availability
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 are available now, along with SLE Mono Extension and Novell ZENworks Linux Management 7.3, says Novell. SLE JeOS will be available in April and SLE High Availability Extension will be available in the second quarter. Later in the year, Novell plans to release updates to SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service, SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time Extension, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Thin Client.
More information on the SLE 11 release may be found here.
-- Eric Brown
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