Virtualization-aware NetWare beta due in May
Novell plans to begin beta testing in May its Open Enterprise Server 2, the second incarnation of its combined Linux and NetWare operating system bundle, the company announced at its Brainshare conference in Salt Lake City. The version is the first that will be able to run on the Xen virtualization software, meaning that NetWare 6.5 will be able to run side by side with other x86 operating systems.
Novell didn't announce pricing or final availability.
Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10, released in July, already is endowed with Xen support, but Novell also said Service Pack 1 will debut in the first half of 2007 with the new Xen 3.0.4 foundation. The updated SLES virtualization will support running Windows Server 2000 and 2003 as well as Windows XP on a virtual foundation; will permit "live migration" in which a customer moves a running operating system from one physical server to another; and will support AMD's virtualization hardware.
In addition, the company said its Suse Linux Desktop software now also can run on Xen.
SLES 10 SP1 is in beta testing now, with general availability scheduled for May.