Linux supplier Novell will no longer sell its own
branded version of SuSE Linux Open-Xchange Server next year and
will instead provide its global maintenance and support services to
users of Netline Internet Services' flagship Open-Xchange
Server.
Under an agreement, which created the baseline technology on
which SuSE Linux Open-Xchange Server is based, will release the
next version of the commercial product in the first quarter of
2005, with customers getting service and support from Novell.
Frank Hoberg, the chief executive officer of Netline, said SuSE
Linux did not have the global support and services infrastructure
to fully back the SuSE-branded product. He added that Novell's
acquisition of SuSE last year had not resolved the support issue
until now.
The deal calls for Novell to provide first- and second-level
support to customers, with Netline supplying third-level support,
Hoberg said. "With this announcement, it's possible to get
standards-based support all over the world," he said.
Netline's Open-Xchange Server is also being integrated into
Novell's DeveloperNet program, which will provide Netline with
Novell code so that the products from both companies can be more
tightly integrated.
Kevan Barney, a spokesman for Novell, said the company had
licensed Netline's Open-Xchange Server technology in the past as a
basis for the former SuSE product. The move to drop SuSE's version
and support Netline's version was made as part of an ongoing
product review following Novell's purchase of SuSE in November
2003, he said.
In August, Netline contributed the code for Open-Xchange Server
to the open-source community under the GNU General Public
License.
Open-Xchange Server is a modular, standards-based, open-source
application that allows users to run Microsoft Outlook or Outlook
Express clients on a Linux infrastructure, replacing Microsoft's
Exchange Server products. Open-Xchange Server provides groupware
functions, including e-mail, calendaring, contacts, tasks and
real-time document storage.
SuSE will no longer offer its own branded SuSE Linux
Openexchange Server and will now contribute its code base for the
software to the Open-Xchange open-source community project for use
by developers.
"We have received a significant amount of interest in
Open-Xchange, and we believe that this agreement ensures continuity
and support of the product," said Ed Anderson, vice-president of
marketing for Linux, open-source platforms and services at
Novell.
The open-source version of Open-Xchange, which comes without
support, third-party programs and connectors for Exchange, remains
available for free download.
Open-Xchange runs on all major web browsers, according to
Netline, so users can use its services with any client operating
system, including Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS and Palm OS.
Todd R. Weiss writes for Computerworld