Novell Linux Enterprise Server
 

I'm thinking of downloading the trial for Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, basically because the college course I'm taking is focused on Windows Advanced Server and I want to know what options are out there. I'm running a system with SUSE 10 and Solaris 10 on separate partitions on one hard drive and Windows XP on my second drive. Can SLEP be installed in a partition of its own and be handled by Grub?

What are people experiences with SLEP? Is it easy to use, manage, set up, etc? Is there a similar setup to Windows Server when it comes to configuring user accounts and so on? Or is this something best left to the propellerheads?

What about Open Enterprise Server? Is that a better option?

If you are already running SUSE Linux 10, I don't know if to advice you to install SLES 9. SLES 9 is the "supported" version of SUSE Linux. However, this is achieved with stricter controls in terms of patching and release management. Therefore, it will always be running a slightly older version of the kernel.

In summary: Unless you're a business that needs the guarantee of support, stick with SUSE Linux 10.

There is another product from Novell called Open Enterprise Server (OES). OES comes with two possible kernels: SuSE Linux and/or Netware. The preferred option is the SuSE based one. The Netware version is for backward compatibility with the older NetWare product. OES does come with a significant number of add-ons, such as E-Directory, IFolder, IPrint, etc. In other words, a competitor to the Windows/AD combination.

I hope this helps.