Novell Actually Ships Open Enterprise Server 2

Published: October 8, 2007

by Timothy Prickett Morgan

After months of preparation, Novell has finally launched Version 2 of its Open Enterprise Server operating system. With the shift to OES 2, the hybrid NetWare-Linux platform moves entirely to a Linux kernel, which means NetWare becomes a layer of services riding atop SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 or a virtualized operating system running inside of a Xen hypervisor partition hosted by SLES 10. Novell will, of course still sell customers NetWare 6.5 Service Pack 7 (inside OES 2) and will support it for many years to come.

OES 2 is based on SLES 10 Service Pack 2, which was rolled out earlier this summer and includes support for 64-bit Linux running on dual-core and multicore IBM PowerPC and Power, Intel Core and Xeon, and Advanced Micro Devices Athlon and Opteron processors. OES 2 is only supported on X86 and X64 platforms, however, since NetWare only runs on these machines. OES 2 supports paravirtualized host operating systems, thanks to SLES 10 SP1, that sit on top of the integrated Xen hyperverisor that Novell first shipped inside SLES 10 back in July 2006 when that product was launched. Novell had to tweak NetWare to run in paravirtualized mode with Xen, which is one of the reasons OES 2 lagged SLES 10 SP1, and that paravirtualization support, which also allows SLES 10 to support Windows instances, is one of the reasons why SP1 was delayed from its original expected shipment at the end of 2006 to the end of June of this year.

On the storage front, OES 2 has iFolder 3.6 file management and Distributed Files Services, a distributed file system that supports virtualized Novell Storage Services volumes from NetWare servers. The platform also includes Novell's Archive and Version Services, which allows network users to restore deleted files on NetWare machines. OES 2 includes a new feature called Dynamic Storage Technology, a hierarchical storage management program that watches which data is used most frequently and stages it from fast disk arrays to slower ones and out onto tape based on the frequency it is used and the performance required by end users; how files are archived and where is based on a set of policies created with the tool. Novell now supports iSCSI storage area networks with OES 2 (thanks to SLES 10), and uses NetStorage authentication from NetWare to allow remote access to data stored on OES 2 machines. OES 2 has the same iPrint services that OES 1 included and has the same DNS and DHCP capability provided by the eDirectory server. The operating system also now has Kerberos authentication for Windows-based PCs and workstations hooked into OES through eDirectory or Active Directory links, and it will also support a 64-bit client for Windows Vista machines that want to access OES services.

OES 2 is available now, and within the next 30 days, Novell says it will create a new Open Workgroup Suite based on OES 2. Open Workgroup Suite combines OES, Novell's GroupWise groupware, its ZenWorks systems management tools, its SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop client software, and the Novell version of the OpenOffice office automation suite into a single bundle at a discounted price. Open Workgroup Suite first shipped in May 2006 based on OES 1, and it has been a good seller in the NetWare base, helping stall the decline in NetWare sales in the past year. Novell has kept the price for OES 2 the same as for OES 1, which is $254 for a single server license with one user activated; it costs $51 to add extra users to the machine. (In Europe, that is 239 euros for the server and 48 euros per user.) Sources at Novell say that they do not expect pricing on the future Open Workgroup Suite to change when it ships next month.

To help NetWare customers move to OES 2, between now and February 1, 2008, Novell is hosting a free four-hour training seminar for customers to help them understand the new technologies inside OES 2 and how they can take advantage for them. You can find out more about that here.

RELATED STORIES

Open Enterprise Server Not Launching September 26

Novell Sets OES 2 Launch for September 26

Novell Ships Service Pack 1 for SUSE Linux 10

Novell Previews SLES 10 Service Pack 1, OES 2 Extensions

Novell Previews Open Enterprise Server 2, Delays SLES 10 SP1

Novell Aggressively Launches SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

Novell Targets Windows Stack with Open Workgroup Suite

Open Enterprise Server Updated by Novell

Novell Delivers Open Enterprise Server, Preps SUSE Professional 9.3

Novell Combines NetWare and Linux with Open Enterprise Server

                     Post this story to del.icio.us
               Post this story to Digg
    Post this story to Slashdot