REDMOND, Wash. and WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. are announcing the availability of a joint
virtualization solution optimized for customers running mixed-source
environments. The joint offering includes SUSE(R) Linux Enterprise Server from
Novell(R) configured and tested as an optimized guest operating system running
on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, and is fully supported by both companies'
channel partners, including Dell Inc., which will test and validate this
offering at the Microsoft and Novell joint Interoperability Lab in Cambridge,
Mass. The offering provides customers with the first complete, fully supported
and optimized virtualization solution to span Windows and Linux* environments.
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The new offering represents significant progress in the Microsoft-Novell
collaboration and business model first announced in November 2006, which
delivers seamless integration of SUSE Linux Enterprise and Microsoft Windows,
providing a bridge between proprietary software and open source software. The
virtualization solution is the first to include technology developed by both
companies at their joint Interoperability Lab, including virtual machine
adapters built to optimize SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as an optimized, or
often referred to as enlightened, guest operating system on Windows Server
2008 Hyper-V, providing optimized performance to SUSE Linux guests.
"The collaboration between Microsoft and Novell has been built by our
desire to meet our customers' and partners' IT needs, and to deliver solutions
that support customers' mixed-source environments," said Bob Kelly, corporate
vice president of infrastructure server marketing within the Server and Tools
Business at Microsoft. "For customers standardizing on Microsoft's hypervisor
who also have a mixed-source IT environment, this virtualization solution
gives that choice. For channel partners who need a cross-platform hypervisor
offering, our work with Novell gives them an easy starting point."
The new offering represents more than 18 months of technical collaboration
undertaken between Microsoft and Novell in response to customer demand for a
virtualization solution that provides high performance and ease of deployment,
and is tested and supported. The joint solution is fully supported by
Microsoft, Novell and participating channel partners, including Computer
Integrated Services Company of New York LLC (CIS), Continental Resources Inc.,
Dell, Insight, Total Tec Systems Inc., and 21Vianet. Dell is the only major
systems vendor to participate in the program and will provide updates on its
Web site -- http://www.dell.com/novell -- that references the validation
conducted on Dell PowerEdge server blades and rack-mounted systems.
"Virtualization radically simplifies IT, providing greater flexibility and
helping our customers focus their resources on innovation instead of
maintenance," said Rick Becker, vice president of Software and Solutions, Dell
Product Group. "By supporting this new solution from Microsoft and Novell, we
can provide our customers running mixed Linux and Windows environments with an
optimized solution that is quick and simple to deploy."
"We're very pleased to be offering this new virtualization solution with
Microsoft and our channel partners, which demonstrates the success of our
ongoing technical and business relationship and the unique, high-value
solutions we can deliver for our customers," said Roger Levy, general manager
and senior vice president, Open Platform Solutions, Novell. "Together, we
offer our customers dramatic cost savings and greatly enhance overall business
agility, allowing them to leverage SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as the best
virtualized guest for those who are using Hyper-V. Novell has worked closely
with Microsoft on virtualization solutions, and was a charter member of its
Server Virtualization Validation Program, with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server a
fully supported and validated operating system on Windows Server 2008
Hyper-V."
"The availability of this virtualization solution from Novell and
Microsoft further proves that the two companies can and are continuing to
deliver on the promises of their collaboration," said Janet Waxman, vice
president for Hardware Channels and Alliances at IDC. "This offering is a net
win for the channel partners who now can offer their customers a fully
supported and optimized virtualization solution for mixed Windows and Linux
environments."
The original November 2006 Microsoft-Novell agreement included four areas
of technical collaboration: virtualization, standards-based systems
management, identity federation and document format compatibility. Since then,
the companies have announced three other areas of collaboration: Moonlight,
accessibility and a new SUSE Linux Enterprise Server management pack for
Microsoft System Center product. With the new Linux Enterprise Server
management pack, Microsoft System Center customers can manage Windows and
Linux environments, both physical and virtual, from one common tool. Novell is
also a charter member of Microsoft's Server Virtualization Validation Program,
and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a validated operating system in the
program.
More information about the Microsoft and Novell agreement can be found at
http://www.moreinterop.com.
About Novell
Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers the best engineered, most
interoperable Linux platform and a portfolio of integrated IT management
software that helps customers around the world reduce cost, complexity and
risk. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell
harmoniously integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology
to work as one. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
Novell and SUSE are registered trademarks of Novell Inc. in the U.S. and
other countries.
* Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.