Get on the Express with SUSE, SAP and VMware

Last time you and I spoke, I was at VMworld in Las Vegas telling you why SUSE is the smart choice for Linux workloads in a VMware environment, especially if you’re running SAP HANA virtualized on vSphere. This week we’re at VMworld in Barcelona, and I have more exciting news for SAP HANA users.

In September, SUSE announced SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is now available free as part of a new SAP offering: SAP HANA, express edition. The combination of the leading Linux platform for SAP solutions and SAP HANA in a streamlined package is designed to allow Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X users to develop new SAP HANA-based applications more easily and conveniently. Sabine posted an excellent blog entry about this news.

Here’s the important thing for you as a VMware user. SAP HANA Express (HXE) comes in 2 flavors: a binary that can be installed on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a VMware image that comes bundled with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP.

There are 2 innovations we have worked on with SAP: 1) The download is comparatively small – about 2GB; 2) It can be installed as a VMware image on a 16GB Memory (technically even 8GB) laptop that can run Windows or Mac OS. That means developers can download and start developing on their laptops right away. In the past you needed a separate Linux server/workstation.

Developers can use the HANA Express edition free for  for 12 months, and they can extend if they still need more time. This is true for SAP HANA as well as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP. It is even true for production use up to 32GB Memory (we match SAP’s policy). However, we only provide patches, no support (that is community based).

If you need a refresher on why SUSE is the leading platform for SAP applications on Linux, visit the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP page. And if you’re developing with SAP HANA, get on the express with SUSE, SAP and VMware.