Novell Delivers Open Enterprise Server for Flexibility and Choice

Novell Delivers Open Enterprise Server for Flexibility and Choice

BOSTON (LinuxWorld Conference & Expo 2005)
15 Feb 2005

Combination of Linux and Novell NetWare delivers world's first 'mixed-source' solution for the enterprise

Novell today announced the upcoming availability of Novell® Open Enterprise Server, a secure and reliable suite of services that combines NetWare® and SUSE® LINUX Enterprise Server to deliver proven file, print, management, collaboration and application services. Open Enterprise Server incorporates the best from leading commercial and open source networking platforms along with integrated management tools, identity-based services and Novell’s global support ecosystem to meet enterprise-class computing needs.

“Novell Open Enterprise Server brings together the best of Novell and the best of Linux,” said Jack Messman, Novell chairman and CEO. “Open Enterprise Server truly gives customers flexibility, allowing them to manage their enterprise in a way that makes sense for them, without being confined to a particular platform or vendor, and without the costly 'rip-and-replace' approach to migration. The platforms, software stack and support ecosystem behind Open Enterprise Server make it a rock-solid solution for any enterprise.”

Novell Open Enterprise Server entered open beta testing in late December and has experienced more than 7,000 beta downloads, the largest number in Novell history. And it enters the market with the support of major hardware and chip companies including AMD, Dell, HP, IBM and Intel. In addition, leading anti-virus and backup software vendors BakBone Software, CommVault Systems, McAfee, Syncsort, Trend Micro and VERITAS will soon be introducing products that enhance the capabilities of Open Enterprise Server.

“Intel is pleased to see the release of Novell Open Enterprise Server,” said Shane Wall, vice president of Sales and Marketing Group and general manager of Intel's Channel Software Operation. “The release of OES running on Intel-architecture-based platforms should continue to support the progression of Linux and applications further up the stack on Linux in the enterprise market segment.”

Click here [ http://www.novell.com/news/press/pressroom/presskit/linuxworld2005/oes_quotes.html ] to read the quote sheet for additional comments from these partners.

The Appeal of Open Enterprise Server

Novell Open Enterprise Server provides benefits to users of various platforms, adding functionality to Linux and NetWare while offering many advantages to those migrating IT infrastructure from Windows NT to Linux.

Open Enterprise Server provides significant value to businesses looking to scale their use of Linux beyond the capabilities of the standard services included in Linux today. For example, it can lower the cost of deploying and managing servers and configuring services in large-scale environments, enabling IT to respond more quickly to environmental change. Novell Open Enterprise Server also extends the capabilities of Linux by delivering workgroup networking services for end users, identity-driven security, greater scalability, robust management tools, and a centralized directory and pattern-based deployment for easier setup and installation, for a lower total cost of ownership.

With Open Enterprise Server, NetWare users will also gain the benefits of Linux for application hosting and will have the opportunity to add Linux to their environments in a non-disruptive way. In addition, they will have more flexibility for server consolidations and will be able to expand their use of Linux for IT infrastructure.

Novell is including tools to make it easy for NetWare, Windows or Linux users to upgrade to the advanced services of Novell Open Enterprise Server. Whether in simple or complex server environments, user-friendly migration and consolidation utilities simplify and accelerate the migration of data from older servers to new server hardware. Most important, the new services will coexist with existing platforms.

Roger Fenner, infrastructure services manager for Comair, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, said, “Open Enterprise Server on Linux is simply an amazing product. It not only provides the NetWare core services but has the potential to replace every Microsoft server in our enterprise, which will simplify administration and reduce risk. Open Enterprise Server not only provides all the services you would receive from a Microsoft operating system, but it goes beyond by implementing industry standards in an open, flexible, yet compliant manner.”

Novell Open Enterprise Server includes:

A suite of core networking services, including directory, identity management, file, print and provisioning services aimed at user productivity that can be deployed on either NetWare or Linux.
Uniform, integrated management tools via Novell iManager that make it easy for IT staffs to install, configure, support, monitor and manage their network infrastructure, regardless of the mix of NetWare or Linux servers.
Novell Storage Services™ to support large-scale, distributed rich file access with the highest security and access-control flexibility of any shared file system.
Novell Cluster Services™ for enhanced scalability and failover with the simplest management in its class. Novell Cluster Services also provides a foundation for business continuity services. Customers can create a clustered mix of NetWare and Linux servers with complete interoperability and service failover between these platforms.
Two operating systems with complete code set for NetWare and SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server.

“Organizations are seeking ways to lower overall costs while making their IT investments prove real business value,” said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's vice president of system software research. “Novell has a long track record on these two factors. It is very likely that Novell will be able to leverage its expertise and help make Linux a better fit for large-scale deployments in an organization.”

Pricing and Availability

Novell Open Enterprise Server will be available in early March through Novell channel partners. Pricing remains unchanged from current NetWare pricing. More information and details can be found at http://www.novell.com/products/openenterpriseserver/pricing.html. For more information on Open Enterprise Server, visit http://www.novell.com/oes. For more on Novell's Linux strategy and complete line of Linux offerings, see http://www.novell.com/linux.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services to over 50,000 customers in 43 countries. With more than 20 years of experience in data center, workgroup and desktop solutions, Novell's 6,000 employees, 5,000 partners and support centers around the world are meeting customer requirements for identity-driven computing and Linux solutions. By providing enterprise-class software and support for commercial and open source software, Novell delivers increased operating flexibility and choice at a lower total cost of ownership. More information about Novell can be found at http://www.novell.com.

Novell, NetWare, Nsure and Ximian are registered trademarks; exteNd, Novell Cluster Services, Novell Storage Services and Nterprise are trademarks; and Ngage is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE LINUX AG, a Novell business. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.