Contributes industry-leading Linux management tool to the IT Community, expanding Novell's systems management resources

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (BrainShare® 2004) — 03/22/2004 — Novell today announced an open source systems management project that for the first time will provide a platform on which to tie together disparate systems using current systems management tools such as HP OpenView, Red Carpet Enterprise, Tivoli, Unicenter or ZENWorks.

By contributing the industry's leading management tool YaST from Novell's SUSE Linux business unit to the General Public License (GPL), Novell will provide a platform:

• Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) can use to enable access to all current (and future) systems management tools;

• Systems management vendors can easily enable the use of their products on any hardware or software platform;

• System Integrators can build “solution stacks” comprised of open source AND proprietary software and have the ability to easily manage them;

• Customers can leverage to choose from the most effective software to solve their needs.

“We want to do with YaST what Linux did for the operating system – that is, give partners and customers flexibility, choice and the best technology,” said Juergen Geck, SUSE Linux CTO. “YaST now becomes a tool for the community.”

“Organizations are looking for ways to lower their overall cost of ownership,” said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's VP of system software research. “Software which lowers the cost of management would address one of the areas having the largest impact on overall cost -- the staff-related costs of administration, operations and support.”

About YaST

YaST (Yet another Setup Tool) is a comprehensive and maintained installation, configuration, and administration tool developed by SUSE Linux. Its modular design and future-proof architecture is highly scalable -- hardware configurations, software configurations and systems management plug-ins can easily be added to the frameset. Based on SUSE's longterm Linux know-how, YaST represents open and standards-compliant state-of-the-art Linux technology.

“By providing a common, open, standardized platform for instrumenting the management of Linux systems, YaST provides a useful interface for customers seeking to build enterprise management environments,” said Sam Greenblatt, senior vice president and chief architect of the Linux Technology Group at Computer Associates. “This is an important step forward for the Linux market.”

"As the world's leading Linux company and a leader in enterprise management solutions, HP is committed to bringing customers Linux-based solutions that are easier to use and which deliver a better overall return on IT," said Martin Fink, Vice-President of Linux for HP. "HP welcomes Novell's efforts to offer an open source tool that will complement the breadth and depth of HP's OpenView portfolio."

About Novell
Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell® Nsure™), Web application development (Novell exteNd™) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise™), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell NgageSM). Active in the open source community with its Ximian and SUSE Linux brands, Novell is firmly committed to open source and offers comprehensive Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell's vision of one Net - a world without information boundaries - helps customers realize the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com. Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell is a registered trademarks; Nsure, exteNd and Nteprise are trademarks; and Ngage is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE Linux AG. * All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contact:
Jasmin Ul-Haque
Novell, Inc
Phone: +44 (0)1344 326-900
E-mail: juh@novell.com