Novell and JBoss Expand Partnership to Accelerate the Adoption of Open Source in the Enterprise

- Combination of Products Delivers Powerful Application Platform for

J2EE and Linux Developers - Strategy of Embracing Open Source Enables Novell to Deliver More

Value to Customers SAN FRANCISCO, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo 2004, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL) and JBoss, Inc. today announced a new licensing and joint support agreement whereby Novell will bundle and support the open source JBoss(R) Application Server with SUSE(R) LINUX Enterprise Server and Novell(R) exteNd(TM). The widely deployed JBoss application server is the first open source application server to achieve J2EE* 1.4 compliance, a significant milestone for JBoss and the open source and J2EE communities. Together, Novell and JBoss will deliver the powerful combination of open source, Linux* and J2EE to the enterprise.

"Service-oriented architecture has become the foundation for delivering the flexible business applications that modern businesses require," said Chris Stone, Novell vice chairman -- Office of the CEO. "Linux is quickly becoming the de facto operating system for cost-effective computing. Building and deploying J2EE applications to open source platforms like JBoss and SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server provides organizations with the dual benefits of openness and power to deliver a huge competitive advantage."

SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9, also announced and shipping today, is the first Novell product to include the JBoss Application Server, which provides customers with a proven application development platform for Linux. The combined solution is complemented by a robust software development kit (SDK) with a wealth of documentation, tools and examples that make Linux developers more productive. Technical support for customers will be provided by Novell, with backing from JBoss.

Martin Fink, HP vice president, Linux, said, "HP applauds the inclusion of an established, J2EE-compliant application server with SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server. This supports HP's ongoing efforts to bring Linux, J2EE and open source, in general, to the enterprise market."

The next major release of Novell exteNd, planned for late 2005, will include JBoss Application Server 4.x in place of the Novell exteNd Application Server. Novell will continue to provide support for the Novell exteNd Application Server, as well as JBoss, IBM WebSphere*, BEA WebLogic* and Jakarta Tomcat*, but will no longer provide new releases of the exteNd Application Server.

As both the JBoss and Novell application servers are J2EE compliant, migration in most cases will simply involve redeploying applications to a new server. Novell will also provide a series of white papers and technical guides to assist customers. For additional guidance, Novell Worldwide Services can help with the development and execution of a migration plan to JBoss and assist in testing.

Marc Fleury, president and CEO of JBoss, Inc., said, "As Linux moves from the workgroup to the data center, businesses will increasingly rely upon open source to power mission-critical applications. Novell is one of the pioneers in the J2EE space, and the combination of JBoss, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server and Novell exteNd provides IT administrators with the most mature environment for delivering enterprise applications on Linux." About JBoss, Inc.

Through its Professional Open Source model, JBoss, Inc. is making open source a safe choice for the enterprise. The JBoss team of technical experts drives core development of freely distributed open source software products and stands behind them with 24x7 production support, development support, training, consulting and documentation. The company's federation of open source middleware now includes Tomcat, Hibernate, JGroups, JBossCache, Nukes on JBoss and the JBoss Application Server, the industry's fastest growing J2EE application server in use, with over five million downloads. Corporate Express, La Quinta and Nielsen Media Research, among others, rely on JBoss products for mission-critical enterprise applications. Partners who embed or bundle JBoss products and resell JBoss services include Apple, Computer Associates, HP, Novell and Unisys. JBoss has headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., and Neuchatel, Switzerland. For additional information, please visit http://www.jboss.com. About Novell

Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell Nsure(TM)), Web application development (Novell exteNd) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise(TM)), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell Ngage(SM)). Active in the open source community with its Ximian(R) and SUSE LINUX brands, Novell provides a full range of Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell's vision of one Net -- a world without information boundaries -- helps customers realize the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell's Customer Response Center at 888-321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com . Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom . NOTE: Novell and Ximian are registered trademarks; Nsure, exteNd 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. JBoss is a registered trademark of JBoss, Inc. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.