Novell: Strong Momentum

Novell highlighted strong momentum for its latest workgroup offering and outlined plans for the future of Linux-based workgroup computing.

Novell Open Enterprise Server, which experienced the most active beta program in Novell's history, has shipped more than 5 million licenses to approximately 4,000 new and existing customers since its launch in March. In the future, Open Enterprise Server is planned to deliver enhanced workgroup collaboration capabilities and support for NetWare applications using a virtual machine running on a Linux foundation. As a result, Novell customers can continue to leverage their NetWare investments while gaining new options with Linux to run their advanced services and applications, with little or no disruption to their current IT environments.

Novell Open Enterprise Server is a secure and reliable workgroup platform and suite of services designed to support information workers throughout an organization. It combines NetWare and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to deliver proven file, print, directory, management, collaboration and application services. With Open Enterprise Server, Novell is providing tools for customers to migrate to Linux as their business strategy calls for compatible applications and hardware. More than 65 percent of Open Enterprise Server customers who purchased in the first month of availability have indicated they would deploy the product in whole or in part on the Linux platform.


Businesses that rely on the productivity of information workers are looking to leverage the work processes and the management of these work processes for improvements. In response, along with advanced distributed management capabilities and the ability to run Open Enterprise Server on 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, future enhancements of Open Enterprise Server are planned to include advanced workgroup collaboration, with a complete stack of business productivity and communication services including teaming, conferencing, content management and workflow capabilities, Kerberos authentication to reduce administration costs, and NetWare and Windows migration tools and methodologies to enable simplified migrations for all NetWare and Windows workgroup services.

Novell is also helping customers gain the needed expertise to make a smooth transition to Linux, introducing a free Web-based training course that will help them transfer NetWare expertise to Linux. The course, "Bridging NetWare Skills to Novell Open Enterprise Server Linux," addresses the most common administration tasks such as running executables and batch files and administering user accounts, and it builds on participants' NetWare skills to perform those tasks on the Open Enterprise Server Linux platform.

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