SUSE Appliance Program

Certify

The SUSE Linux Enterprise ISV Partner Program offers you a quick, easy, and efficient way to certify your applications on the Linux platform engineered for mission-critical workloads. Certifying your applications on SUSE Linux Enterprise creates new opportunity and expanded customer reach for your products.

Once you certify your application and become an ISV Partner, you can then go to market with Novell through the SUSE Appliance Program. Contact us to learn how to certify your applications and become a Novell ISV Partner.

Build an Appliance

You can create an appliance today. No signup or agreement with Novell is required until you are ready to give it to customers. Novell provides three methods for creating appliances, all free of charge.

SUSE Studio
SUSE Studio is a Web-based tool that allows users to create a customized, distributable version of SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE with just a few mouse clicks.

• Configure SUSE Linux Enterprise or openSUSE using the graphical interface.
  
  
• Add packages and repositories, configure startup options, add your application, and customize the look and feel for your customers.
  
  
• With the click of a button, launch and interact with your creation in a virtual machine, make changes and commit those changes to the appliance.
  
  
• From a simple menu, build an appliance in many formats, including virtual appliances for XEN and VMware, as well as LiveCDs, and USB sticks.
  
  We will be adding HyperV, OVF and Amazon EC2 support in the near future.
  
  
• Download the resulting disk or hypervisor images and distribute them to your customers.

Try SUSE Studio now at susestudio.com

KIWI
For applications that require frequent automated builds and automated image creation, KIWI is the perfect tool. A command line, image creation tool, KIWI provides all of the appliance construction functionality of SUSE Studio; simply download the automatically-generated XML files describing the appliance. Pass the recipe for the desired appliance to KIWI and KIWI will create output files in any disk format from the specified repositories and files. It is also possible to use SUSE Studio to build an appliance recipe and then download the XML file to use with KIWI, providing access to the easy configuration of SUSE Studio, and the integrated build functions of KIWI. Download KIWI now.

JeOS: Manual Appliance Creation
For some situations, it is desirable to build appliances manually. For such purposes, Novell offers SUSE Linux Enterprise JeOS—a just enough operating system configuration of SUSE Linux Enterprise. JeOS is a bare minimum bootable image that can be used to build appliances manually. Simply load the SUSE Linux Enterprise JeOS on the desired appliance platform, log in and use the included utilities to add the desired SUSE Linux Enterprise packages. Once you install and configure your application, take a snapshot and distribute the resulting image to your customers. Download JeOS now.

Evaluate

The next step in preparing your appliance for distribution is to allow customers to evaluate a fully-tested version. There is no cost to distribute trial appliances; simply fill out the Online Evaluation Agreement. When this agreement is submitted, you are now free to redistribute an evaluation appliance built on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for free.

Go-to-Market

Once your appliance has been tested and evaluated, it is ready to be sold and deployed. ISVs must enter into a distribution agreement with Novell before deploying SUSE Linux Enterprise based software appliances to paying customers. The agreement provides technical support for ISV developers and support agents. Go-to-market assistance is also available, providing access to partners, customers, and resellers within the global Novell network. For more information on the SUSE Appliance Program, email SUSEApplianceProgram@novell.com and we will contact you and set up a follow up conversation.