Release Notes #

The current version of SUSE Manager for Retail is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2. It is a successor product of SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11-SP3. It contains the component to run the central administration server and the branch server. For building the terminal images, it is necessary to use SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Image Server, which is a standalone extension of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. We strongly recommend to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Image Server on a separate host (physical or virtual).

SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Admin and Branch server components of SUSE Manager for Retail 3.1 can be installed during the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 (or newer) or after the system has been installed. In either of the installation scenarios you will be asked to accept the EULA and enter the registration code.

To install the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Admin and Branch server components of SUSE Manager for Retail during the installation, select SUSE Manager for Retail 3.1 from the list of extensions.

To deploy the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Admin and Branch server components of SUSE Manager for Retail on an already installed system, start the YaST module for registration. When prompted whether to select the extensions or register again, choose the Select Extensions option and select SUSE Manager for Retail 3.1 from the list of the available extensions.

Existing deployments of SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11 SP3 servers can also be upgraded to a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 SP2 code base with SUSE Manager for Retail subscription offerings. In this case, upgrade the base SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system and make sure that in the list of extensions, you select SUSE Manager for Retail 3.1. If you provide the URL of the installation repository manually instead of using the one delivered from the SUSE Customer Center, you may need to confirm uninstallation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service to allow upgrade to proceed. In this case, make sure that SUSE Manager for Retail is listed to be installed in the upgrade summary.

In both installation scenarios, make sure that the SUSE Manager for Retail is installed. Additionally, install either SLEPOS Admin Server or SLEPOS Branch Server pattern, depending on whether you want to deploy the central admin server or the branch server.

Security note: Make sure to enable a strong encryption method like WPA2 when deploying the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service components of the SUSE Manager for Retail 3.1 solution on your systems over Wi-Fi or use Wi-Fi to access the repositories for building images.

To upgrade from SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11-SP3, the recommended way is to back-up the database, installing the server from scratch or upgrading it, and then loading the settings back to the server. More details can be found in the product documentation.

While the product provides the same functionality as SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11-SP3, there are some features, which are not preserved. The removed features are the YaST migration assistant and the graphical tool for initial set-up of the Administration server. Both of them can be replaced via command-line driven tools, which are part of the product and work without any change compared to SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11-SP3.

When using SUSE Manager for managing the POS clients, it is possible to deploy the SUSE Manager Proxy 3.1 on the same host as the Branch Server. In this case, it is necessary not to enable PXE Boot via SUSE Manager Proxy; this functionality conflicts with PXE Boot provided by the Branch Server.