Systems/Enterprise:

NOVELL, JBOSS TO ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF ENTERPRISE OPEN SOURCE

Novell and JBoss Inc announced a new licensing and joint support agreement whereby Novell will bundle and support the open source JBoss Application Server with SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server and Novell exteNd. The widely deployed JBoss application server is the first open source application server to achieve J2EE 1.4 compliance, a significant milestone for JBoss and the open source and J2EE communities. Together, Novell and JBoss will deliver the powerful combination of open source, Linux and J2EE to the enterprise.

"Service-oriented architecture has become the foundation for delivering the flexible business applications that modern businesses require," said Chris Stone, Novell vice chairman -- office of the CEO. "Linux is quickly becoming the de facto operating system for cost-effective computing. Building and deploying J2EE applications to open source platforms like JBoss and SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server provides organizations with the dual benefits of openness and power to deliver a huge competitive advantage."

SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9, also announced and shipping, is the first Novell product to include the JBoss Application Server, which provides customers with a proven application development platform for Linux. The combined solution is complemented by a robust software development kit (SDK) with a wealth of documentation, tools and examples that make Linux developers more productive. Technical support for customers will be provided by Novell, with backing from JBoss.

Martin Fink, HP vice president of Linux, said, "HP applauds the inclusion of an established, J2EE-compliant application server with SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server. This supports HP's ongoing efforts to bring Linux, J2EE and open source, in general, to the enterprise market."

The next major release of Novell exteNd, planned for late 2005, will include JBoss Application Server 4.x in place of the Novell exteNd Application Server. Novell will continue to provide support for the Novell exteNd Application Server, as well as JBoss, IBM WebSphere, BEA WebLogic and Jakarta Tomcat, but will no longer provide new releases of the exteNd Application Server.

As both the JBoss and Novell application servers are J2EE compliant, migration in most cases will simply involve redeploying applications to a new server. Novell will also provide a series of white papers and technical guides to assist customers. For additional guidance, Novell Worldwide Services can help with the development and execution of a migration plan to JBoss and assist in testing.

Marc Fleury, president and CEO of JBoss Inc, said, "As Linux moves from the workgroup to the data center, businesses will increasingly rely upon open source to power mission-critical applications. Novell is one of the pioneers in the J2EE space, and the combination of JBoss, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server and Novell exteNd provides IT administrators with the most mature environment for delivering enterprise applications on Linux."