Novell Home

SLE 10 Service Pack 1 and Virtual Machine Driver Pack

Frequently Asked Questions

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 Service Pack 1

SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack

What are the major themes of this release?

Novell has announced the general availability of the first service pack (SP1) for SUSE Linux Enterprise 10. SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP1 features significant enhancements in virtualization, high-performance computing, security, desktop usability, interoperability and system management. With this service pack, organizations can take advantage of the latest technical advances in the best-engineered and most-interoperable platform for mission-critical computing.

What are the technical enhancements to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in SP1?

SP1 delivers several important enhancements to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server:

  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack. The driver pack is a bundle of paravirtualized network, bus and block device drivers that enable unmodified Windows and Linux guest operating systems to run with near native performance in virtual environments created with the Xen hypervisor technology integrated in SUSE Linux Enterprise and running on Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) and AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) hardware.
  • Updated high-availability storage infrastructure. SP1 includes updates to all key components of the infrastructure, including the cluster file system, volume manager and cluster resource manager, to ensure data integrity and availability.
    • The result is improved support for workloads including SAP running on Oracle, DB2 and MaxDB, as well as Web services and virtual image storage.
  • Support for new processor technologies, including Quad-Core Intel Xeon and Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. Through joint engineering with the chip vendors, SUSE Linux Enterprise enables multiple virtual machines to run varied data center workloads in native and Xen virtualized environments with outstanding performance, energy efficiency and reliability.
  • Enhanced security features. The AppArmor 2 security framework is integrated into the SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform and now includes support for Apache Tomcat.
  • Support for Novell Open Enterprise Server 2. SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP1 has new features designed to support the workgroup services in Open Enterprise Server 2, including updates to the DNS, DHCP and LDAP modules, as well as support for paravirtualized NetWare 6.5.
  • Audit subsystem enrichment. Major improvements and extensions to the audit subsystem enable SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 to meet strict government standards and vertical industry requirements. The updates include modules for security certification provided by the Common Criteria for Information Security Evaluation (CAPP EAL 4+).

What are the technical enhancements to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in SP1?

SP1 delivers several important enhancements to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop:
  • Updated desktop user experience. Improvements include redesigns to the Novell main menu, control center, and logout and screen-saver dialogs, as well as updates to the desktop effects engine. The desktop enhancements also include new utilities, such as an international clock applet and a disk space usage utility.
  • Faster start-up. SP1 includes changes that allow for much faster boot-up speeds.
  • Enhanced security features. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now includes desktop lockdown tools and encrypted home directories.
  • Expanded OpenOffice.org support. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now includes the latest version of the Novell edition of OpenOffice.org (version 2.1), including the new OpenXML/ODF translator to convert Microsoft Word 2007 documents to OpenOffice.org, additional Visual Basic macro support, and improved Impress presentation functionality, including the ability to play embedded video as part of presentations.
  • Desktop virtualization. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now includes Xen virtualization technology (technology preview only), along with improved management and auditing tools.
  • Enterprise integration improvements. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now fits more seamlessly into existing environments due to enhancements in Microsoft Active Directory authentication and network management. It also includes Firefox 2.0.

What are the changes in product pricing?

This release is a service pack and there are no pricing changes to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop subscriptions.

As a current SUSE Linux Enterprise Server customer do I have to purchase any of the functionality associated with the Virtual Machine Driver Pack?

Current customers get access to all of the updates except the SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack. The paravirtualized drivers included in this enhancement that are related to Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux must be purchased separately. Paravirtualized drivers associated with SUSE Linux Enterprise operating systems are included in SP1 and available through Novell Customer Center update channels at no additional charge to subscribers.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack

What is the SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack?

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack is a fee-based bundle of paravirtualized network, bus and block device drivers. It allows customers to run fully virtualized Windows and Linux workloads on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 and Xen 3.0.4 with near-native performance. It does this by opening additional channels of communication between the Xen hypervisor in SUSE Linux Enterprise and the unmodified guest operating systems running in a virtual environment, accelerating network and storage input/output and improving overall efficiency.

What do customers get with the SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack?

The Driver Pack contains paravirtualized network, bus and block device drivers for Windows Server 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 2000 (32-bit) and Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit). The Driver Pack also contains an installation wizard, documentation and an End User License Agreement (EULA). The Driver Pack is only available electronically. Customers purchasing the Driver Pack will receive an e-mail directing them to a secure site where they can download the bundle.

Are paravirtualized drivers for SUSE Linux Enterprise included in the Driver Pack?

No. Paravirtualized drivers for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 are available, but not included in this Driver Pack. These drivers are distributed under an open source license and included in both SP1 physical and electronic media and corresponding Novell Customer Center update channels. Customers with a valid SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription are automatically entitled to maintenance and support for these paravirtualized drivers. The support terms and conditions for the drivers are inherited from the customer's underlying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription. Paravirtualized drivers for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP3 will be available in the second half of 2007 and will be delivered via Novell Customer Center update channels.

What about paravirtualized drivers for Red Hat Enterprise Linux? Are they available and included in the Driver Pack?

Paravirtualized device drivers for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 will also be available in the second half of 2007; they will be delivered as free updates to the Virtual Machine Driver Pack via Novell Customer Center.

Under what type of license are the paravirtualized drivers in the Driver Pack distributed?

The paravirtualized drivers for Windows in the Driver Pack are currently distributed under a proprietary license. The paravirtualized drivers for SUSE Linux Enterprise are currently distributed under an open source license. The paravirtualized drivers for Red Hat Enterprise Linux will be distributed under an open source license.

How much does the Driver Pack cost?

The pricing for the Driver Pack varies, depending on the term of the subscription and the number of virtual machines that are being run per physical server. List prices for the Driver Pack are as follows:

  • One-year subscription, up to 4 virtual machines per physical server = US$299
  • One-year subscription, unlimited virtual machines per physical server = US$699
  • Three-year subscription, up to 4 virtual machines per physical server = US$749
  • Three-year subscription, unlimited virtual machines per physical server = US$1,749

If a physical machine is being used to host virtual servers, where paravirtualized drivers from the Driver Pack are being used, that physical machine must have a Driver Pack subscription.

What type of support do customers get with the Driver Pack?

Purchasing the Driver Pack entitles you to maintenance and technical support (installation and break/fix) for the paravirtualized drivers contained in the Driver Pack. The support terms and conditions are carried over or inherited from the underlying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 subscription used to host the virtual servers. You must have a valid SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription in order to receive support for these paravirtualized drivers. They are not supported in any host environment, other than SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1, as Xen 3.0.4 is needed to enable them. Purchasing the Driver Pack without a valid SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription does not entitle customers to support for the paravirtualized drivers.

Who is authorized to sell the Driver Pack, and when and where can customers buy it?

Customers can purchase the Driver Pack from participating distributors and resellers and Novell direct channels in July 2007.

Where can I get more information about the SUSE Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack?

More information about the Driver Pack is available at www.novell.com/products/vmdriverpack/. You can also download a product flyer at www.novell.com/linux.

What is the difference between full virtualization and paravirtualization?

Full virtualization is called "full" because the entire system's resources are abstracted by the virtualization software layer. Paravirtualization is called "para" because only a portion of the system's resources, or partial amount, is abstracted. Application programming interfaces (APIs) enable communication or provide assistance in certain situations. Paravirtualization requires that the guest operating system running on the host server be modified so that it recognizes the virtualization software layer, while fully virtualized workloads do not require any change or modification to their guest operating systems. However, fully virtualized workloads leveraging Xen do require that the host physical systems contain Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) or AMD Virtualization technology (AMD-V).

What's so important about these paravirtualized drivers?

Paravirtualization typically delivers higher performance than full virtualization because the operating system and hypervisor work together more efficiently without the overhead imposed by the emulation of the entire system's resources. However, paravirtualization requires that guest operating systems be modified to recognize the hypervisor, and while more and more operating systems today are being modified to recognize the Xen hypervisor, only a subset of the major operating platforms have been modified. Although fully virtualized workloads run slower than their equivalent paravirtualized ones, full virtualization does not require that the guest operating system be modified. Therefore, more workloads and guest operating systems today can be fully virtualized than can be paravirtualized. The paravirtualized drivers in the Driver Pack deliver the performance benefits of paravirtualization, with the wider availability of full virtualization.

How will this benefit customers?

Novell was the first enterprise Linux distributor to provide customers with the ability to run virtualized Linux workloads using the Xen hypervisor technology integrated in SUSE Linux Enterprise 10. In September 2006, customers were able to run paravirtualized SUSE Linux Enterprise Server workloads on Xen with full support from Novell. Today, customers can now run fully virtualized Windows (and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) workloads on Xen with full support from Novell, and achieve performance comparable to paravirtualized workloads. Customers are also able to virtualize a wider variety of workloads and use a wider range of guest operating systems with these paravirtualized devices and block drivers, increasing flexibility, performance and choice.

Novell® Making IT Work As One™

© 2008 Novell, Inc. All Rights Reserved.