Novell has introduced a pricing model for its SuSE
Enterprise Linux operating system that allows customers to pay a
flat rate for Linux support.
The latest support offerings give Novell's customers an
alternative to its existing per-system support contracts, and could
make life a little easier for Linux users who have been critical of
the per-system and per-processor support offerings of Novell and
its rival Red Hat.
Users have complained that the two companies' support licensing
plans violate the open-source spirit of Linux because they do not
allow customers to make additional copies of Novell's SuSE Linux
Enterprise Server or Red Hat's Enterprise Linux without paying
additional support fees, and because they allow for software audits
that can involve hefty penalties.
While Novell's licensing will still require customers to pay
between $100 and $919 a server per year for what the company calls
"upgrade protection" - a service which includes automatic bug
fixes, product upgrades and security patches - it will no longer
force customers to purchase support contracts for each new server
they add.
"You're still obligated to pay for upgrade protection, but you
don't have to have a separate support contract for every one of the
systems you add in," said Novell spokesman Bruce Lowry.
Customers will be able to purchase a 10-incident Small Business
Linux Support package from Novell for $3,800 a year, which will
cover technical support for Suse Linux, Red Carpet, the
OpenExchange Server, and the Ximian desktop and Evolution Connector
for Microsoft Exchange software. Additional five-incident support
packs will cost $1,900.
Novell will also support its Linux products with its Novell
Premium Support service, which the company already offers to users
of its proprietary software. Novell Premium Support pricing starts
at $5,800 per year.
Novell's move to decouple its upgrade and service fees will give
Linux users a little more flexibility, said Gary Hein, a senior
analyst with industry research firm The Burton Group.
"It's a little more practical and more realistic model," he
said. "Essentially they are going away from requiring a separate
media kit for every single SuSE server."
Novell will continue to offer its traditional per-server support
contracts for SuSE Linux. They will be priced at $900 a year per
server for Intel-based systems.
The latest support offerings are available immediately.
Robert McMillan writes for IDG News Service