Watts Water Technologies lowers TCO with SLED and ZENworks

Watts Water Technologies needed to replace 1000 old shop-floor terminals with more flexible desktops. They ended up choosing SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop on Neoware thin client hardwares along with ZENworks to help manage the environment. You can also check out the Open PR blog entry for some info.  From the customer success story…

After evaluating several desktop and thin-client solutions, Watts Water Technologies selected SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop for use in a thin-client deployment, as well as Novell ZENworks to manage more than 1,000 desktops.

“Linux really shines and Novell has a great Linux strategy,” said Ty Muscat, Data Center Manager for Watts Water Technologies. “We have almost every platform imaginable and are moving more and more to SUSE Linux Enterprise desktops and servers. We like having an open platform with a lot of flexibility.”

The results:

“Without Novell, we would have had to invest far more to get anything similar to what we have with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop,” said Muscat. “The ongoing management and maintenance costs of other options would have been overwhelming for us.”

 

1 Year Later, Just the Facts

It’s been a whole year since the ground-breaking Novell-Microsoft Collaboration Agreement was signed and announced. The one-stop shop for official info is here: http://www.moreinterop.com So far, despite the noise in the press, MANY customers have decided to take advantage of the many benefits that the agreement brings to the table. Here’s a list of all 46 of the customers who are allowing us to mention them publicly. They include some of the largest and most recognizable organizations in the world – Wal-Mart, BMW, Costco, HSBC, Nationwide, Siemens and Southwest Airlines just to name a few…

• 1blu
• Abraxas Informatik AG
• ADIF
• AFG IT Consulting
• Arsys
• Arsys Internet S.L.
• Baker Hughes
• BATS Trading Inc.
• BMW AG
• State of California, Department of Fish and Game
• State of California Department of Technology Services
• Cash Converters International Ltd.
• CHRISTUS Health
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• City of Los Angeles
• CompuCom Systems Inc.
• Conductor Tecnologia S.A.
• Costco Wholesale Corp.
• Flagstar Bank
• Fujitsu Services Oy
• Gordon Food Service
• Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
• hi5 Networks Inc.
• Host Europe
• HSBC
• iLoop Mobile Inc.
• Leicester City Council
• Kent County, Mich.
• Mercury Insurance
• Nationwide
• Pioneer Corp.
• PRISACOM SA
• Reed Elsevier
• Riverside County, Calif.
• Save Mart Supermarkets
• Siemens Corp.
• South Carolina Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Services
• Southwest Airlines Co.
• Swiss Post
• Synovus Financial Corp.
• TDC Hosting
• T-Systems Enterprise Services GmbH
• Wal-Mart
• Washington State Department of Information Services
• Westmont College
• Zabka Polska S.A.
• Links here, here and here

On top of all these customers, several other developments in the relationship have occurred during the first year. Novell and Microsoft have completed building out and are now doing real engineering work and interoperability testing in the Microsoft and Novell Interoperability Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. More info on the lab is in the recent press release. Dell signed on as a partner for the agreement as well, working to help Linux customers with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

And most recently, Novell and Microsoft extended the agreement by agreeing to work together to make it easier for all software developers to develop applications for users with disabilities, such as blindness. From the press release:

Microsoft will make available its User Interface Automation (UIA) specification, an advanced accessibility framework that simplifies the development of assistive technology products for people with one or more disabilities, and pledge not to assert any Microsoft patents necessary to implement the specification against anyone, regardless of platform, in the open source and proprietary software communities. In concert, to promote interoperability between leading accessibility frameworks in the market, Novell will develop and deliver an adapter that allows the UIA framework to work well with existing Linux accessibility projects and complement the investments made by IBM Corp. and others. Novell’s work will be open source and will make the UIA framework cross-platform while enabling UIA to interoperate with the Linux Accessibility Toolkit (ATK), which ships with SUSE Linux Enterprise, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu Linux. The UIA solution will ensure interoperability of nonvisual access to the next generation of software applications.

“Microsoft’s commitment to make the specification for UIA freely available to others to implement, coupled with Novell’s plans to develop and deliver an adapter that allows Linux accessibility projects to work well with the UIA framework, are tremendous examples of how industry can come together to tackle interoperability problems for blind persons,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “The NFB challenges the entire IT industry to continue to look for creative opportunities such as this to solve longstanding interoperability challenges and reduce development barriers to accessibility.”

 

Microsoft Virtual Server Support for SLES 10

Interesting:

Virtual Machine Additions for Linux are designed to improve the usability and interoperability of running qualified Linux operating systems as guests or virtual machines of Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1.

Now with support for SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
Microsoft is committed to testing and supporting many third-party operating systems for use as guest operating systems on Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 virtual machines. To help make sure that you have a favorable experience when you run third-party guest operating systems in Virtual Server 2005, Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) has created a product support model for these third-party guest operating systems. This support model is consistent with the support model that is used for Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1. Product support for the Virtual Machine Additions will be provided through the normal support channels available for Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1.

More here.

 

“Most Disaster Recovery Plans Will Fail”, Expert Says

From the article:

CHICAGO — At the Data Center Decisions conference in Chicago on Monday, Oct. 22, controversial comments from Jon Toigo, CEO and managing principal of Dunedin, Fla.-based Toigo Partners International LLC, had attendees shaking their heads in bewilderment.

For one, Toigo advised attendees against using VMware in favor of mainframe systems, calling the virtualization software “shoddy” in comparison. But nearly all conference attendees were assembled to learn about implementing virtualization in their data center.

Toigo is knowledgeable about disaster recovery (DR) planning, which was the topic of his keynote session, but he warned users against ever feeling completely secure with their disaster recovery plans.

More here.

 

Inside the VirtualBox Project

From the “About” page for VirtualBox:

innotek VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software.

Some of the features of VirtualBox are:

• Modularity. VirtualBox has an extremely modular design with well-defined internal programming interfaces and a client/server design. This makes it easy to control it from several interfaces at once: for example, you can start a virtual machine in a typical virtual machine GUI and then control that machine from the command line, or possibly remotely. VirtualBox also comes with a full Software Development Kit: even though it is Open Source Software, you don’t have to hack the source to write a new interface for VirtualBox.

• Virtual machine descriptions in XML. The configuration settings of virtual machines are stored entirely in XML and are independent of the local machines. Virtual machine definitions can therefore easily be ported to other computers.

• Guest Additions for Windows and Linux. VirtualBox has special software that can be installed inside Windows and Linux virtual machines to improve performance and make integration much more seamless. Among the features provided by these Guest Additions are mouse pointer integration and arbitrary screen solutions (e.g. by resizing the guest window).

• Shared folders. Like many other virtualization solutions, for easy data exchange between hosts and guests, VirtualBox allows for declaring certain host directories as “shared folders”, which can then be accessed from within virtual machines.

VirtualBox is now included as a virtualization option in the openSUSE 10.3 release, available here. If you’re on another version of Linux, you can get more information about VirtualBox here, and download the binary and source versions here.

Enjoy,

RossB

 

From the “Sky is Falling” Department

Will Virtualization Doom Server Sales?

From the article:

The promise behind virtualization has long been that one well-equipped server could do the work of several. So what happens once customers begin following that idea — and buying fewer servers?

That scenario is cause for concern, according to industry analyst Infiniti Research. This week, the firm published a study indicating that server sales will trail off in coming years, and even decline, as virtualization reduces the need for physical hardware.

The company’s TechNavio online research unit released the findings to coincide with the upcoming Storage Expo conference in London next week.

The study suggests that sales will slow to two percent in 2008 — representing a marked decline from the 5.9 percent annual growth rates that fellow market researcher IDC saw in 2006, and the 8.9 percent from a recent Gartner study.

Read the rest of the article.

 

NetWare virtualized in Xen?

Yes!  NetWare can be virtualized using Xen on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1.  It’s part of the feature set of Open Enterprise Server 2 — more info:  product home page, audio podcast, Novell CTO blog, press release, workgroup blog

A couple of related news articles

• “Novell Actually Ships Open Enterprise Server 2” from IT Jungle
• “Good-Bye NetWare, Hello Linux: Novell Open Enterprise 2” from eWeek.com
• “A Novell SUSE Linux shop surprised by Xen’s polish” from SearchEnterpriseLinux.com

One great thing about the way that OES 2 was designed is that it is simply an add-on to SLES 10.  That means, all the hardware that is officially certified for SLES 10, is now officially certified to run virtualized NetWare (OES 2).  Get a list of the certified hardware on the Novell site here, and don’t forget to check your favorite hardware vendor’s own website for the latest info.

 

Event: Linux Day – Rochester NY (Next Week!)

• 

• October 23, 2007 @ Casa Larga Vinyard
• This seminar will provide a comprehensive overview of Novell’s latest Linux advances in desktop, server, deployment, virtualization and security. The session will provide you and your fellow business decision makers with a strategy update pertaining to key pain points within organizations. In addition to learning about time, energy and cost saving changes you can make within your organization, you’ll also have the opportunity to network with your peers.
• Register Now

Click for more events and training in the East…

 

How Safe is Your Virtualized Environment?

A new Aberdeen Group study reports that as Virtualization keeps expanding both in it’s role in the datacenter and as a tool for consolidation of services/storage and cost savings, it’s becoming even more vital as a way to provide Business Continuity, High Availability and Disaster Recovery.

For us, virtualization is a given. Our system utilization was low and if there was a peak, it only happened for an hour.

The rest of the time our systems are idle. Our application servers are just not using enough of the physical resources.

— Manager of Portal Operations for a Consumer and Applications Portal Company

The report includes a number of case studies and significant findings, such as:

• 54% of firms use virtualization to support DR plans
• 48% use virtualization to support HA strategies
• 50% use virtualization to support BC implementation

For the typical organization who suffers from excess capacity and the costs associated, virtualization is a must. Along with that move to enterprise level virtualization comes the need for enterprise level business continuity planning.

Since the use of virtualization for BC, HA, and DR purposes is still merging, it is imperative that companies make sure it is implemented with the careful planning and testing of systems. This also will help insure there are no unnecessary redundancies and more efficient process in data recovery management. This latter issue, which is just starting to take hold within the physical world, is certainly going to be the next big issue as more companies use virtualization to support BC, HA, and DR processes.

Recovering data generated from virtualized systems will become a crucial discussion in the coming months.

Register for a free copy of the report here.

Enjoy,

RossB

 

Credit Suisse to Virtualize 10,000 Systems

Never one to do anything in a small way, CSFB has plans to continue their use of virtualization using rations of up to 15:1.

“With 20,000 servers to manage, financial services powerhouse Credit Suisse had a long list of reasons to consider server virtualization: reducing the number of physical servers to manage, cutting power needs, improving software provisioning time, and deferring expensive datacenter buildouts. But it also needed a clear set of guidelines to determine when to virtualize, plus a clear set of procedures for managing a virtualization initiative.”

More on Credit Suisse’s progress.

 

Another Virtualization Mushroom Pops Up

As if there weren’t currently enough companies with a virtualization play, Hitachi has announced that it has placed it’s Virtage virtualization code on the firmware for it’s Xeon-based blade solution, the BladeSymphony 1000, which combines Itanium and Xeon CPU’s in a single chassis.

More here.

 

Novell + MS Agreement = Continuing Growth

From the article:

September 26, 2007 (Computerworld) — Novell Inc.‘s Linux business has soared 243% since last November, when the company signed its controversial deal with Microsoft Corp.

“The affect on sales year over year, for Novell’s first three quarters of our fiscal year, which ends Oct. 31 — our Linux business was up 243%,” said Justin Steinman, director of marketing at Novell, who, along with executives from both companies, spoke at a program hosted by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council.

And, that growth doesn’t seem to be short-lived.

“We’re continuing to see above market growth year [over] year and that clearly has resulted in the 243% Justin alluded to,” said Susan Heystee, general manager of global strategic alliance at Novell.

More here.

 

openSUSE 10.3 – new features, now available

openSUSE 10.3 is now officially released and available. Here are some of the highlighted improvements and links to more info:

• Beautiful green artwork
• KDE 3.5.7
• KDE 4
• Gnome 2.20
• GTK YaST
• 1-Click Install
• Multimedia (MP3 support out of the box)
• New/Redesigned YaST Modules
• Compiz and Compiz Fusion
• Virtualization (Xen 3.1, VirtualBox, KVM,…)
• OpenOffice 2.3
• New package management
• Faster boot times
• and more…!

openSUSE 10.3 GM announcement

Novell press release

ZDnet blog mention

Download openSUSE

 

Virtualization Was Made for Mainframes

Nationwide Insurance is a posterchild for the right use of virtualization, on all their platforms. A huge IBM Mainframe shop, they also use Linux in their X86 environment to cut costs and be more green.

“While many IT shops see virtualization as a question of adopting EMC’s VMware on servers running Windows or Linux, Nationwide Insurance has adopted the technology for both x86-based and mainframe-hosted servers.  After all,” notes Buzz Woeckener, the company’s zLinux/Unix server manager, “virtualization was invented for mainframes.”

More on Nationwide’s virtual environment

 

Whoa, Mainframe, Linux and Windows on a Single Box?

I’d buy that for a dollar. Well, lots of dollars, since it’s priced similarly to our friends at IBM’s mainframes. PSI (Platform Technologies Inc.) makes a plug-compatible set of machines called the System64 DS and ES, formerly only available through a 3rd party.

DS or Distributed Server and the ES or Enterprise Server hardware are currently shipping to early adopters and are competitively priced with IBM’s per-MIPS pricing of approximately $1200 to $1400.

The key to PSI’s systems are the ability to not only run OS/390 (IBM’s Mainframe OS) but also Linux and Windows. The DS system sports up to 8 Itanium v2 CPU’s and the ES supports up to 64 Itanium cores. Both support the production versions of z/OS, OS/390, HP-UX, Linux including SLES and Windows Server versions.

“Our customers have repeatedly told us that standardization and virtualization are key to their business success and an imperative for their IT strategy – today and for the future. We’ve developed the System64 product line to meet the industry’s challenges and drive customers’ success.”

You can get a lot more information from the PSI site, including quotes and whitepapers.

Enjoy,

RossB

 

Playing with High Availability Storage Infrastructure (HASI) (updated)

Just wanted to let you know that there is technical overview paper and a great step-by-step “lab” document available from Novell’s website which describes how to set up a lab environment with four exciting (and included, supported) features within SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10:

• iSCSI
• Oracle Clustered File System (OCFS) v2
• Heartbeat v2 – cluster service
• Enterprise Volume Management Service (EVMS)

These features are collectively known as the High Availability Storage Infrastructure (HASI) and provides an out-of-the-box capability to implement a fully clustered storage system. You don’t have to pay for clustering as a “premium” services with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10.

The document gives you step-by-step instructions that will allow you to get your hands dirty and try this out. You can even combine HASI with the Xen virtualization capabilities to implement a live migration of a virtual machine from one physical server to another… similar to VMotion — but again, included with the base OS, SLES 10.

If you’re interested, I also found this “lighter weight” how-to article at SearchEnterpriseLinux.com which talks about how to setup Heartbeat clustering on SLES 10.

 

Event: Linux Day – Memphis TN (Next Week)

• 

• October 4, 2007 @ Memphis Marriott
• This seminar will provide a comprehensive overview of Novell’s latest Linux advances in desktop, server, deployment, virtualization and security. The session will provide you and your fellow business decision makers with a strategy update pertaining to key pain points within organizations. In addition to learning about time, energy and cost saving changes you can make within your organization, you’ll also have the opportunity to network with your peers.
• Register Now

Click for more events and training in the East…

 

Event: Linux Day – Philadelphia PA (This week)

• 
• September 27, 2007 @ Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
• This seminar will provide a comprehensive overview of Novell’s latest Linux advances in desktop, server, deployment, virtualization and security. The session will provide you and your fellow business decision makers with a strategy update pertaining to key pain points within organizations. In addition to learning about time, energy and cost saving changes you can make within your organization, you’ll also have the opportunity to network with your peers.
• Register Now

Click for more events and training in the East…

 

How Do You Manage 100’s of Linux Machines???

In another of the “How do you do _____ with Linux?” series of questions, I have been doing presentations and having lots of discussions about how can you manage more than a few (10-25) Linux machines, (typically servers) ahem, intelligently.

Styles of Managing Systems

It’s all about styles and methods. First think of the two main management “styles” that people typically use:

• Command Line – Oh Sweet Mystery of…., er, ahem. Cough. Yes, it’s no secret that I use and love the command line a great deal, but it’s just so darned useful! When you do something every day the same way, repeatedly over and over, it’s supposed to be turned into a script, the Universe demands that you know how to write a script.

• Graphical User Interface – Yes, there are times when the GUI is the best thing, new users, something you haven’t done for 3 weeks and don’t expect to do again for another considerable stretch, that’s when a GUI wizard-thing is very handy.

These styles are just that, a style of managing Linux machines, you can use whichever makes the most sense for you, but remember that but almost more important are the “methods” of managing Linux machines.

Methods Of Managing Systems

SUSE Linux Enterprise offers built-in 3 methods for managing systems remotely

• 1 to 1 – This is you at a console session using ssh or VNC to remotely connect to a machine and run tools that are resident on that machine. This can work for up to about 25 or so production machines, but doing something repeatedly on box after box gets tiresome, and errors will likely occur.
• 1 to many – This is you sitting in front of a console session where a management tool like Zenworks Linux Management (ZLM) or a competing product’s management interface with the capability to have an agent on the managed machines (physical and virtual) that lets you do remote console/GUI, software management, imaging, patching/fixing/upgrading all from that single seat.
• Orchestration – The ability to apply an overall management grid application that can provision, deploy, migrate and manage tasks to sets of virtual and physical machines that have an agent installed. The grid is fully and atomically configurable, ie: you can manage an individual machine’s tasks, or manage thousands of machines automatically.

I would recommend you take a look at the Zenworks Linux Management product, it’s a must-have for anyone who has SUSE Linux Enterprise and Red Hat systems, it can manage both easily.

RossB

 

Sun Throws It’s Hat into the Virtualization Ring

In a move that was expected, Sun Microsystems has announced it has a Xen Hypervisor offshoot called xVM (stands for X86 Virtual Machine) that has appeared in OpenSolaris, but hasn’t yet been included in the standard version of Solaris.

Don’t expect to see this happen any time soon, and the first inclusion into Solaris will likely be in the form of a VMWare appliance, running on a hardware appliance.  Yes, thats right, Sun wants to provide a hardware appliance that would be the best place to host their virtual appliance.  Guess you have to get that hardware business into view at every opportunity, hmm?

Ian Murdock’s Project Indiana (an attempt to modernize and streamline the best of Linux-like advances into Solaris) will likely be the first place where we’ll see this integration occur.  Apparently there might be some performance enhancements that result from it’s running on OpenSolaris, or so this blog claims.

You can see some slides from a presentation about xVM and get more information.