Novell Delivers Open Enterprise Server for Flexibility and Choice

BOSTON, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo 2005, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL) today announced the upcoming availability of Novell(R) Open Enterprise Server, a secure and reliable suite of services that combines NetWare(R) and SUSE(R) LINUX Enterprise Server to deliver proven file, print, management, collaboration and application services. Open Enterprise Server incorporates the best from leading commercial and open source networking platforms along with integrated management tools, identity-based services and Novell's global support ecosystem to meet enterprise-class computing needs.

"Novell Open Enterprise Server brings together the best of Novell and the best of Linux," said Jack Messman, Novell chairman and CEO. "Open Enterprise Server truly gives customers flexibility, allowing them to manage their enterprise in a way that makes sense for them, without being confined to a particular platform or vendor, and without the costly 'rip-and-replace' approach to migration. The platforms, software stack and support ecosystem behind Open Enterprise Server make it a rock-solid solution for any enterprise."

Novell Open Enterprise Server entered open beta testing in late December and has experienced more than 7,000 beta downloads, the largest number in Novell history. And it enters the market with the support of major hardware and chip companies including AMD, Dell, HP, IBM and Intel. In addition, leading anti-virus and backup software vendors BakBone Software, CommVault Systems, McAfee, Syncsort, Trend Micro and VERITAS will soon be introducing products that enhance the capabilities of Open Enterprise Server.

"Intel is pleased to see the release of Novell Open Enterprise Server," said Shane Wall, vice president of Sales and Marketing Group and general manager of Intel's Channel Software Operation. "The release of OES running on Intel-architecture-based platforms should continue to support the progression of Linux and applications further up the stack on Linux in the enterprise market segment."

See attached quote sheet for additional comments from these partners. The Appeal of Open Enterprise Server

Novell Open Enterprise Server provides benefits to users of various platforms, adding functionality to Linux and NetWare while offering many advantages to those migrating IT infrastructure from Windows NT to Linux.

Open Enterprise Server provides significant value to businesses looking to scale their use of Linux beyond the capabilities of the standard services included in Linux today. For example, it can lower the cost of deploying and managing servers and configuring services in large-scale environments, enabling IT to respond more quickly to environmental change. Novell Open Enterprise Server also extends the capabilities of Linux by delivering workgroup networking services for end users, identity-driven security, greater scalability, robust management tools, and a centralized directory and pattern-based deployment for easier setup and installation, for a lower total cost of ownership.

With Open Enterprise Server, NetWare users will also gain the benefits of Linux for application hosting and will have the opportunity to add Linux to their environments in a non-disruptive way. In addition, they will have more flexibility for server consolidations and will be able to expand their use of Linux for IT infrastructure.

Novell is including tools to make it easy for NetWare, Windows or Linux users to upgrade to the advanced services of Novell Open Enterprise Server. Whether in simple or complex server environments, user-friendly migration and consolidation utilities simplify and accelerate the migration of data from older servers to new server hardware. Most important, the new services will coexist with existing platforms.

Roger Fenner, infrastructure services manager for Comair, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, said, "Open Enterprise Server on Linux is simply an amazing product. It not only provides the NetWare core services but has the potential to replace every Microsoft server in our enterprise, which will simplify administration and reduce risk. Open Enterprise Server not only provides all the services you would receive from a Microsoft operating system, but it goes beyond by implementing industry standards in an open, flexible, yet compliant manner." Novell Open Enterprise Server includes:

-- A suite of core networking services, including directory, identity management, file, print and provisioning services aimed at user productivity that can be deployed on either NetWare or Linux.

-- Uniform, integrated management tools via Novell iManager that make it easy for IT staffs to install, configure, support, monitor and manage their network infrastructure, regardless of the mix of NetWare or Linux servers.

-- Novell Storage Services(TM) to support large-scale, distributed rich file access with the highest security and access-control flexibility of any shared file system.

-- Novell Cluster Services(TM) for enhanced scalability and failover with the simplest management in its class. Novell Cluster Services also provides a foundation for business continuity services. Customers can create a clustered mix of NetWare and Linux servers with complete interoperability and service failover between these platforms.

-- Two operating systems with complete code set for NetWare and SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server. "Organizations are seeking ways to lower overall costs while making their IT investments prove real business value," said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's vice president of system software research. "Novell has a long track record on these two factors. It is very likely that Novell will be able to leverage its expertise and help make Linux a better fit for large-scale deployments in an organization." Pricing and Availability

Novell Open Enterprise Server will be available in early March through Novell channel partners. Pricing remains unchanged from current NetWare pricing. More information and details can be found at http://www.novell.com/products/openenterpriseserver/pricing.html. For more information on Open Enterprise Server, visit http://www.novell.com/oes. For more on Novell's Linux strategy and complete line of Linux offerings, see http://www.novell.com/linux. About Novell

Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell Nsure(R)), Web application development (Novell exteNd(TM)) 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, NetWare, Nsure and Ximian are registered trademarks; exteNd, Novell Cluster Services, Novell Storage Services 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. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Quotes from Partners Supporting Novell Open Enterprise Server "AMD believes in customer-centric enterprise computing for the freedom to take advantage of an open, easy-to-deploy-and-manage environment. Open Enterprise Server offers just that with common management tools, identity-based services and backing by Novell -- an ideal ecosystem for the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture, which currently provides industry-leading performance-per-watt."

Joe Menard, AMD Corporate Vice President, Software Strategy "The combination of Dell PowerEdge servers and Novell Open Enterprise Server delivers an enterprise-class platform for customers looking to upgrade their current network infrastructures or deploy new large-scale Linux environments."

Linda York, Dell Product Group Vice President of Global Alliances Marketing "HP is working closely with Novell to support the launch of Novell's Open Enterprise Server, which leverages powerful open source technology within a suite of proven Net services software. With over 20 years of collaborated efforts, Novell and HP share the largest installed base of NetWare customers, and we are in a unique position to provide the most comprehensive support and functionality for customers considering Linux for the future."

Martin Fink, HP Vice President of Linux "We are pleased to be able to offer Novell Open Enterprise Server for IBM eServer xSeries. In collaboration with Novell, we're able to provide our mutual clients -- both existing and future clients -- compelling, supported networking services on both NetWare and Linux, the industry's fastest growing operating system platform."

Leo Suarez, IBM Vice President and Business Line Executive for xSeries Systems "Intel is pleased to see the release of Novell Open Enterprise Server. The release of OES running on Intel-architecture-based platforms should continue to support the progression of Linux and applications further up the stack on Linux in the enterprise market segment."

Shane Wall, Intel Vice President of Sales and Marketing Group and General Manager of Channel Software Operation "Open Enterprise Server will provide customers secure, highly available networking and application services in an open environment. BakBone is pleased to support Novell Open Enterprise Server and enable customers to realize the cost and performance benefits of Linux without compromising their enterprise-computing requirements."

Adrian Jones, BakBone Software Senior Vice President, Worldwide OEM and Alliance Group "We applaud the availability of OES on NetWare and SUSE LINUX. We have worked closely with Novell to integrate our QiNetix software with OES on NetWare and SUSE. The end result helps customers backup and protect their NetWare and SUSE data while leveraging the best-of-breed networking platform capabilities of OES."

Dave West, CommVault Systems Vice President of Business Development "Novell's launch of Open Enterprise Server provides a robust solution for deploying an enterprise-class IT infrastructure. To help Novell's OES customers secure and protect both their SUSE LINUX and NetWare servers, McAfee software is used to provide true enterprise-class protection against malicious threats targeted at these mission-critical environments. McAfee is proud to be working together with Novell to provide a secure and reliable solution for our joint customers investing in the Novell OES environment."

Steve Crutchfield, McAfee, Inc. Director of Product Marketing "MySQL is excited to be working with Novell to support the launch of Novell Open Enterprise Server. With the launch this week of both our MySQL Network and Novell's Open Enterprise Server, customers will now have additional flexibility and productivity in developing and deploying business-critical database applications using MySQL on the SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server platform. In supporting Novell's launch of this strategic offering, MySQL is proud to join Novell and HP with our sponsorship of the Expanding Choice Seminar tour, scheduled for Feb. 22 through March 3, 2005, covering 23 cities in North America."

Zack Urlocker, MySQL AB Vice President of Marketing "As evidence of our close partnership with Novell, customers can immediately benefit from the first data protection solution with integrated OES clustering support from Backup Express. Customers are demanding open source solutions that meet the reliability, scalability and performance requirements of today's business. Open Enterprise Server will help organizations ensure that critical systems and data are available at all times. Backup Express is pleased to offer data protection and high availability for the OES platform."

Dan Regan, Syncsort Incorporated Senior Vice President "Trend Micro ServerProtect supports Novell Open Enterprise Server to offer an award-winning file and application server-based antivirus solution for the demanding enterprise customer. Together, our companies' solutions help provide applications to meet the extensive scalability and manageability needs of complex organizations, while being constantly secured against threats to the network."

Richard Ku, Trend Micro, Inc. Director of Product Management "The launch of Novell OES offers customers an integrated platform that delivers enhanced business value for both NetWare and Linux customers. VERITAS and Novell share a common commitment to deliver integrated software that spans heterogeneous environments, offering customers the flexibility to select from and deploy a broad range of technologies and platforms across their IT infrastructures. VERITAS is pleased to provide data protection support for NetWare, as well as a broad range of storage and server management, high availability and automation solutions for SUSE LINUX."

Sanjay Poonen, VERITAS Software Vice President, Strategic Alliances