SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server helps you save money, deliver mission-critical data center services reliably and securely and get the most out of your mixed IT environment.

Reliability, Availability and Serviceability

  • Swap over network file system (NFS)This feature allows you to use NFS over Internet protocols (IP) to access remote storage for local server needs. You can cut costs by using less expensive diskless servers. And by using swap over NFS, you can protect your systems against application restarts and costly downtime.
  • Control groupsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server features control groups for more fine-grained management of CPU, memory, storage and networking resources. Control groups let you assign specific hardware resources to applications, processes and threads. Such precise control helps you optimize system performance and maximize uptime for your mission-critical workloads.
  • Device mapper multipath I/OAsynchronous and multipath I/O capabilities reduce your overall disk read/write times and enable redundant storage paths and networks. The results are more efficient load balancing, improved performance and higher availability.
  • Carrier Grade LinuxSUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports the Linux Foundation's latest Carrier Grade Linux standard (CGL 4.0) and is validated for use in telecommunications environments.
  • Service Pack 2 (SP2) kernel improvementsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 ships with a modern 3.0 kernel, delivering greater RAS. Customers get improved scalability and data integrity with btrfs. A more resilient file system, new snapshot and rollback capabilities increase service availability. SP2 supports the RAS features in the latest Intel and AMD processors–like CPU and memory hot plugging.

Advanced Security

  • AppArmorThis security framework protects your Linux OS and applications from external and internal threats and zero-day attacks. AppArmor® comes with default policies for quick deployment so you can secure mission-critical applications quickly. Security profiles completely define what system resources individual programs can access, and with what privileges. AppArmor also includes learning-based tools and advanced statistical analytics that simplify the development of customized policies, even for the most complex applications. Additionally, changing security policies with AppArmor is dynamic, eliminating the need to reboot the system.
  • True firewall protectionSUSE Linux Enterprise Server protects your network from internal and external attacks with a "stateful" firewall. The Linux netfilter framework lets you establish an effective firewall that separates networks from each other. With the help of iptables—a generic table structure for the definition of rule sets—you can precisely control which packets are allowed to pass through a particular network interface. Setting up this kind of packet filter is simple with SuSEfirewall2 and the corresponding YaST® administration module.
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) supportSUSE Linux Enterprise Server includes support for the TPM standard, which facilitates the authentication of common hardware devices.
  • Comprehensive and precise security administrationSUSE Linux Enterprise Server exposes the latest hardware security features like the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) instruction set. Applications and hardware that leverage AES operate more securely as a result. Other capabilities include certificate creation and management, VPN, encryption, authentication, access control lists, intrusion detection and more.
  • New security features with SP2SP2 adds roll based access controls to AppArmor, enabling improved security. Fanotify offers standard APIs to Linux kernel, enabling greater usage of third-party anti-virus tools.

Cross-Platform Virtualization

  • Support for XenBoost hardware utilization and efficiency with this open source hypervisor that's integrated into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Xen 4.1 delivers superior performance–especially for I/O intensive workloads. The key is thorough support for single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) and single root address translation services (SR-ATS).
  • Support for Kernel Virtual Machine (KVM)A subscription to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server also includes full commercial support for KVM, an emerging open source hypervisor. KVM boosts performance by leveraging the Linux kernel's resources. Like Xen, it ships free with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
  • Paravirtualized driversWith paravirtualized drivers, you can run virtual Windows servers with near-native performance. These drivers are available with the SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack.
  • Optimized for major third-party hypervisorsAchieve greater utilization of older systems and increase performance on newer hardware. Run SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as a guest operating system in virtual environments created with VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V or Citrix XenServer. And it's affordable—one subscription entitles you to run an unlimited number of virtual guest instances per physical server.
  • More choice with SP2KVM now supports Windows guest operating systems in addition to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. And new with SP2 is commercial support for Linux Containers–highly efficient, low overhead OS virtualization. Use the virtualization solution that's right for you.

Simplified Administration, Development and Systems Management

  • YaST/AutoYaST/WebYaSTYaST is a user-friendly environment for installing and configuring Linux systems. Predefined patterns simplify setup and deployment. AutoYaST extends this functionality to larger numbers, letting you deploy server subsets or entire groups—even unattended. WebYaST offers the functionality of YaST via a web browser.
  • Efficient package management with ZYppManaging package installations and resolving dependencies can be a nightmare. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server includes ZYpp, the fastest update stack available on any enterprise distribution. System updates that once took hours now take just minutes.
  • Subscription and patch management toolsIncluded with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is access to Customer Center and the Subscription Management Tool (SMT). Easily manage your systems through an intuitive, web-based portal, or centrally manage software updates on a per-system basis within your corporate firewall.
  • Cross-architecture debuggingNow you can analyze System z core dumps on an x86 system, eliminating the need for a duplicate mainframe server. This simplifies systems management and keeps costs under control.
  • Software development kit (SDK)Included with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a comprehensive SDK that contains several integrated development environments and also supports popular programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, PHP and Ruby. The SDK also includes libraries, compilers, debuggers, simulation tools and editors necessary for developers, as well as Tomcat, a popular application for serving web applets.
  • More convenience and capabilities with SP2Unattended upgrades are now possible from SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP4 to 11 SP2. Upgrading major releases are now just as easy as upgrading minor releases. YaST integration with snapper improves system visibility, while enhancements for FCoE make configuring shared storage and Ethernet networks easier.

Interoperability with Other Platforms

  • Interoperability with WindowsSince 2006, SUSE and Microsoft have been formally collaborating to improve interoperability between Linux and Windows. Our latest server OS supports Samba 3.6 to help enterprises deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in Windows 7 active directory domains more easily.
  • Interoperability with UNIXOur Linux platform is POSIX-compliant and fully compatible with other POSIX-compliant UNIX operating systems, such as Solaris, AIX and HP-UX. In addition, our latest network file system—NFS 4.1—delivers enhanced support for file system access control lists, further improving interoperability with UNIX systems.
  • Interoperability with LinuxSUSE Linux Enterprise Server adheres to the Linux Foundation's current Linux Standards Base (LSB 4.0). This ensures maximum compatibility with previous versions and helps ISVs more efficiently port, test and certify their Linux applications.
  • Improved interoperability with SP2Samba 3.6 adds SMB2 protocol support as well as improved CIFS kernel modules for easier deployment of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in Windows 7 active directory domains. IPv6 support in NFS and integration into UEFI network boot processes improves interoperability with UNIX systems.

High Performance Computing

  • Support for high-speed interconnectsOpen Fabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) support enables affordable, high-speed remote direct memory access (RDMA) capable fabrics and unified interconnects based on InfiniBand and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Support for Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) allows existing fiber channel storage to be accessed using an Ethernet adapter. Data Center Bridging (DCB) enhancements allow network traffic with differing requirements to operate and co-exist on Ethernet networks.
  • Advanced power-saving features maximize performance per wattTickless idle reduces system power consumption and lowers energy costs. When the CPU is idle, tickless idle eliminates the periodic timer in the Linux kernel, allowing the CPU to remain in power-saving states longer. More granular, file-based power profiles simplify enterprise-wide power management, and support for the Processor Clock Control (PCC) interface driver ensures complete processor state information is shared between the operating system and hardware BIOS. With more efficient algorithms, you gain greater control over CPU speeds and hardware power management, maximizing performance per watt.
  • Cluster-readySUSE Linux Enterprise Server is "Intel Cluster Ready." This OS supports advanced memory management; native POSIX thread libraries; highly scalable, multi-threaded file systems like XFS; advanced multi-pathing; and high-speed interconnects. The rich feature set makes SUSE Linux Enterprise Server the overwhelming favorite for high-performance computing clusters worldwide.
  • SP2 kernel improvementsThe performance of memory and compute intensive workloads is increased through support for transparent huge pages. Support for transparent per-CPU load balancing on multi-queue devices and faster packet filtering improve network performance. Enhanced control groups help you get the most out of your systems.

Modular Extensions for Advanced Capabilities

  • High Availability ExtensionThis affordable, integrated suite of technologies enables you to deploy highly available physical and virtual Linux clusters. Used with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, it helps you maintain business continuity, protect data integrity and reduce unplanned downtime.
  • Mono ExtensionThis Linux application server is the only one that can host native .NET applications. Mono® runtime, libraries and tools deliver new cross-platform capabilities to your existing .NET environment. This lets you get more value from your existing .NET development resources and investments in Linux.
  • Real Time ExtensionThis extension turns the general-purpose Linux operating system into a fully supported, real-time operating system. It also reduces the latency of mission-critical applications while increasing their predictability and reliability.
  • New and enhanced clustering capabilities with SP2Geo-site clustering is now offered with the High Availability Extension for improved disaster recovery. Enhanced web based tools now offer easier and more complete access to cluster logs, as well as fine-grained management capabilities, facilitating cluster administration.

World-Class Support

  • Technical supportSUSE has over 25 years of experience and hundreds of Linux-trained engineers located in support centers covering every region of the world. Because SUSE has long been involved in integrating its solutions with those of other vendors, our technical support personnel can tackle the toughest problems—at any scale and on any platform or combination of platforms.
  • SupportLinkThis application dramatically speeds problem resolution by collecting system crash data and other critical information, and organizing it for easy analysis by SUSE support systems and personnel. SupportLink lets you report issues quickly, and it archives and securely sends your log files to SUSE.
  • SupportAdvisorWith this tool, you can diagnose issues locally without sending your log files to SUSE for analysis. SupportAdvisor is easy to use and runs on both Linux and Windows. In addition, it enables you to run health checks on multiple servers, helping you identify trends and address potential trouble spots before they turn into full-blown problems.

Featured Highlights

  • Get more done with the most versatile Linux platform Supports 8,500+ ISV applications, runs on multiple hardware platforms and interoperates with Windows and UNIX. More ›
  • Run mission-critical workloads reliably and securely Offers the lowest downtime in its class. Takes advantage of hardware and software RAS and security. More ›
  • Save time and money, now and in the future Squeeze every cent from your existing hardware. Save even more with low-cost software licensing and powerful administration tools. More ›
  • Try the support ranked #1 by customers and partners Consistently ranked #1 for Linux support. Recommended by Microsoft, SAP and VMware to their Linux customers. More ›
  • Do more with new, advanced features Better performance, reliability and security with Service Pack 2. Support for even more third-party storage, networks and devices. More ›

See how SUSE compares

SUSE Comparison

View

Server Version Comparison

SUSE Comparison

View