Novell and VMware join forces with Unified Certification for ISVs

Novell and VMware are making it easier for ISVs to optimize their applications for SUSE Linux Enterprise and VMware ESX. Unified Certification status means that applications tested and certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise within a virtual machine are automatically certified to run in a VMware virtualized environment with no modifications. ISVs taking advantage of this offering enjoy the benefits of each company's partner programs which means expanded market opportunities through these extensive ecosystems. This offering complements Novell's VMware Ready status - a certification that ensures optimal performance for virtual appliances built through the SUSE Appliance Program - the fastest and easiest way for ISVs to create and manage software appliances – and deployed within the VMware virtualized environment.

We're redesigning the Novell.com home page to improve the user experience -- and since you're a user, we want to know how you experience it.

Please take a look at what we've come up with, and let us know what you think. Fire when ready, and don't be shy. (Like you're ever shy...)

+ See the proposed home page

From Michael Loeffler, openSUSE Board Chairman ( http://news.opensuse.org/2010/01/27/wanted-linux-c... ):

"At the end of January, Zonker, our openSUSE community manager for the last two years, left Novell. On behalf of the whole openSUSE community I would like to take a moment to thank Zonker for all the great work he’s done. openSUSE is a larger, more open and more engaged community than ever before – one where experienced hackers and new Linux users can all find a home. Zonker has been at the forefront of our community outreach, and has been a great steward for SUSE. As he now moves to start the next chapter in his career, I want to thank him for all his hard work and wish him the very best for the future.
The openSUSE community is more vibrant than ever and we want to sustain the momentum. We are looking for the next great community leader who can help SUSE reach even more people and make an even bigger impact on the world. If you’re passionate about Linux, love to work with people around the world, have some ideas about marketing, and think you can make an impact, we want to hear from you! Please contact Joe Goss (jgoss at novell dot com) if you would like to be considered.
In the meantime, I will be working with Andreas Jaeger and other Novell colleagues in marketing and engineering to cover openSUSE community relations activities. Thanks everyone for your inquiries and support."

Save money in your computer labs and classrooms by deploying Multi-station SLED. Adel Saad from the University of New Mexico shares step-by-step instructions on how to virtualize SLED 11 with Userful Multiplier to allow multiple users to work on a single SLED 11 desktop concurrently.

1. Install your NVIDIA-compatible video cards prior to installing SLED 11. The card used during the test installation was an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 1GB video card.
   DO NOT use SLI or cards that have embedded SLI in them (e.g., 9800 GX2).
2. Obtain the SLED 11 ISO from Novell's Downloads section - http://download.novell.com/Download?buildid=31O5iweTHlg~
3. Download: SLED-11-DVD-i586-GM-DVD.iso
4. Burn the ISO to a DVD to create SLED 11 DVD CD media.
5. This installation creates a fresh copy of SLED 11 by using the entire hard disk and setting up new partitions. In other words, it doesn't use other partitions on the hard drive.
6. Keep the installation setting on the default settings. You want the quickest and easiest installation just to get SLED 11 on your hard drive.
7. Do not add repository selections. Anything you want can be added later through YAST and Software Management.
8. You MUST SKIP the patches.
9. Your installation should come up about with a SLED 11 GUI. Novell has done a wonderful job on detecting most hardware and we have yet to see a system not be able to start x. Most will come up with the standard login screen with at least some basic VGA video supported.
10. MAKE SURE your are logging in as ROOT from here on out.
11. Log in and check for NVIDIA on your screen. Even though you may see the NVIDA logo, you need to install the latest driver from NVIDIA. DO NOT depend on Novell's YAST repository.
12. Install Linux Kernel-Source and gcc (make) should already be loaded.

    Linux Display Driver - x86

    Version	109.53 (Certified)
    Release Date	2009.12.16
    Operating System	Linux
    Language	English (U.S.)
    File Size	22.9 MB

13. Download the NVIDIA and Userful Multiplier packages to your desktop:

    http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_ia32_190.53.html
    http://userful.com/support/all-downloads/umx-download

14. Press Ctrl+Alt+F2.
15. Open Terminal and login as Root.
16. init 3 shuts down x server so you can install NVIDIA.
17. cd to root and the desktop
    sh install .NVIDIA-Linux-x86-190.53-pkg1.run
18. After installation, type sax2 to configure the x server and then startx to log in again.
19. Restart the system once to see if it indeed restarts with NVIDIA working.
20. You should be able to log in to the GUI again. If not you need to run Sax2 again fire up the GUI by Start X
21. From the GUI while xserver is on install Userful Desktop, use the XTERM application to install Userful
    ./install (should be under the root\Desktop)
22. Userful will prompt for a reboot. It will reboot to the blue screen detecting the two or three video cards you have installed. Leave to default and then it will reboot one more time.
23. When you see some blank screens for a sec or two then small graphical “x’s” start showing up. You now have a Multiplied SLED 11 system.
24. Then install all software, patches, and activate SLED 11.

Contact Omni at sales@omni-ts.com or +1.780.423.4200 to receive a Userful Multiplier quote for your SLED implementation. Universities and K-12 schools can now take advantage of special $59-per-seat pricing (reg. $99).

SLED is licensed on a per-monitor basis. For example, you would purchase six licences of SLED for a 6-user Multiplier system. You save on hardware, power, wiring and Internet drops, and desktop management. Many education customers have SLED included in their ALA or SLA agreements. Here's an exciting chance to roll it out in a big way and maximize your budget.

More Information

• Userful Multiplier - http://www.omni-ts.com/linux-desktop/
• Success Stories - http://www.omni-ts.com/success.html#linux-computer-lab

Userful Multiplier - More than 400,000 licenses sold in 100 countries.

Based on our recent conversations with enterprise IT Managers and Directors, we've seen many pains involved with managing the IT build process. It seems that installing, customizing, and maintaining control over software deployments keeps them awake at night. So how does the SUSE Appliance Toolkit cure this insomnia?

In the wake of today's announcement, I thought I would take a moment and share some of the reasons why we believe people will care about the SUSE Appliance Toolkit, which includes:

• SUSE Studio Onsite: Quickly build and download software appliances
• WebYaST: Remotely configure appliances with this web-based tool
• SUSE Lifecycle Management Server: Securely maintain control over software deployment updates

In the end, the SUSE Appliance Toolkit matters because it helps enterprises reduce the complexity and costs associated with deploying and maintaining software in any environment (physical, virtual or cloud). Maybe more sleep is in people's future.

Are you in enterprise IT and face any of these challenges?