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Dell Teams Up With SUSE

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the dude-you're-getting-a-linux dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Dell's Linux blog points to the news that Dell and SUSE have teamed up to start offering SUSE Enterprise Linux installed directly on Dell servers. Looks like Dell isn't just a Red Hat shop anymore."

49 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. good news by dns_server · · Score: 5, Interesting

    things are starting to look good for linux, we now have a veriety of different companys that are starting to support linux. hopefully this will mean drivers will be better supported (atleast for the hardware provided).

    1. Re:good news by Methuseus · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I actually have a couple dells, 6 and 8 years old, still running on all the original hardware. They may be pretty slow compared to newer computers, but they still run. Now, a Dell from 2-3 years ago is probably not running anymore unless the person got the extended warranty, since Dell's quality went to shit in the past 4 years.

      I agree that I largely hate Dell machines, but when you get them free you generally don't argue. I also hate most other machines, but lately Gateway and eMachines have had good quality. The only problems I've seen with *them* in the past 2 years have been user error. You are correct about NEC and IBM being probably the most stable prefabs, however.

      You also don't tell us how old you are, just that you have been building computers since you were 11. You could be 13 now for all we know. (at least for what the average user knows)

      --
      Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, though I'm not yet sure about the universe. - A Einstein
    2. Re:good news by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 2
      things are starting to look good for linux, we now have a veriety of different companys that are starting to support linux. hopefully this will mean drivers will be better supported (atleast for the hardware provided).

      You could've posted this in 1996 and it would've been equally true unfortunately. I remember similar statements back then on comp.os.linux.advocacy and they've turned out to be just as false when it comes to fortelling Linux's future. I've come to accept Linux will never be anything more than a fringe operating system, but there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, MacOS is a fringe operating system compared to the numbers Windows has yet MacOS X is one of the nicest systems I've ever used.

    3. Re:good news by BlackHawk-666 · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I used to work for a company that supplied Dell servers for the web sites we created. We had maybe 20 of these machines, and at least five of them had major issues in the first few years. One broke down so many times that eventually every single part of it had been replaced several times except the case, which I was threatening to smash in order to force them to replace this awful machine. And yeh, it was a critical production machine.

      When I got a new workstation from Dell it took them 56 days to get a working one delivered to me after I told them the one they first delivered was broken. That's two fucking months!!! The reason it was broken, for the curious, is because they put the heatsink on top of the CPU but didn't strap it into place, so it wasn't doing any heat sinking at all.

      I'm sure there are people out there who haven't had trouble with Dell, but for me it's always going to be a reputable company like IBM or HP in future, Dell is cheap (but costly) rubbish.

      --
      All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
    4. Re:good news by Scumbumbo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Dell's hardware (at least on the server side) has always been well supported in Linux thanks to their work with Red Hat. I'm hoping this latest move makes their management utilities work better with SuSE.

      A few months back I mentioned to our Sr. Dell rep that I wished they supported SuSE (preferably by releasing tarballed sources) with their management utilities. The "Red Hat only" afacli RAID management RPM installs and runs great on SuSE, but installing the other management stuff (specifically for the DRAC management) is a pain in the arse. She seemed really interested in my comment and kept asking me questions regarding my experiences with SuSE on Dell. Makes me wonder if she either knew something was coming down the pipe or if she was actually high-level enough at Dell to be one of the instigators of this.

    5. Re:good news by Gherald · · Score: 3, Informative

      > I remember similar statements back then on comp.os.linux.advocacy and they've turned out to be just as false when it comes to fortelling Linux's future. I've come to accept Linux will never be anything more than a fringe operating system, but there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, MacOS is a fringe operating system compared to the numbers Windows has yet MacOS X is one of the nicest systems I've ever used.

      So the progress Linux is making is slower than it's advocates and fanboys would like, but this does in no way imply no progress has been made, or is unlikely to happen in the future. I believe your use of the word "never" is an equally unfounded exageration. The server market is still growing, the desktop market is growing, and upcoming OSS software like OpenOffice 2.0 and Firefox 1.0 will only help to further our cause.

      The 2.6 branch is becomming more production ready, as well. I'm running 2.6.9 on Gentoo and much more satisfied than I was with, say, 2.6.5

      As for MacOS X, clearly it will allways be a fringe operating system simply because ppc and ppc64 are fringe architectures. The Linux kernel has no such limitations... quite the opposite, in fact.

      --
      The unofficial /. digest
  2. Future partnerships... by jmcmunn · · Score: 4, Interesting


    If we keep seeing these types of partnerships, perhaps more PC manufacturers will jump on board and start shipping Linux PC's as well. Even if it is just a Linux Live CD for someone to play with, at least then they can get their feet wet.

    1. Re:Future partnerships... by treval · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It may be just me but I think that Redhat has totally lost the plot since they stopped producing a desktop distribution.

      Suse certainly seem to be gaining ground quickly and I think one of the main reasons may be the complete range of products from Suse Personal through to Enterprise and without the restrictive licencing that RH have tried to impose.

      --
      Your attitude is infectious...
    2. Re:Future partnerships... by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps it's just that Red Hat realized that one size fits all solutions aren't. They then chose to specialize on the enterprise. Not that odd; after all, that's where the money is. Now they can boast all their years of experience, plus their dedication to enterprise needs - something I think few if any other distributors can claim.

      --
      Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
    3. Re:Future partnerships... by treval · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You are probably right however the real volume market is on the desktop. The desktop is what drives the user applications and it's user apps sold in bulk that generate major revenues.

      Just ask Billy G...

      --
      Your attitude is infectious...
    4. Re:Future partnerships... by FatherOfONe · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The point I think your are missing is that kids who use to get RedHat to try it out and play with it will no longer do that. What they could do is get RedHat for near free and then get comfortable with it. Now they have to try Fedora. Most won't.

      So someone can get SuSe for near free (box version) and then try it out. Then they can use an enterprise version when they need it in a business.

      My only issue is that companies like Oracle and IBM are trying to make it impossible to load their software on anything but the enterprise versions of software. This will come back to haunt them. Those same new "developers" will just use other tools (i.e. PostGresql, MySql, Jboss etc), instead of Oracle or Websphere. IBM should have learned this with their mistake of smalltalk.

      --
      The more I learn about science, the more my faith in God increases.
    5. Re:Future partnerships... by GreyPoopon · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I am quite certain that doing something like that would cause the manufacturer no end of problems with Microsoft.

      Yes, and such a response may cause Microsoft no end of problems with the DoJ. If there was *ever* a time for manufacturers to do something like this, it is now. Although Microsoft only received a "slap on the wrist," they are nevertheless being watched more closely at the moment.

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    6. Re:Future partnerships... by O0o0Oblubb!O0o0O · · Score: 2, Informative

      Even with the release of a personal edition missing, SuSE still lets you try out every release either as a LiveCD or as a completely free ftp install (which in the past pretty much equalled the Personal version).

      AFAIK, the difference between SuSE Personal and SuSE Professional was just the amount of software (=CDs) shipped with it. Apart from that, they were the same anyway.

      Albeit, the ftp release is always about a month late compared to the official CD release but I reckon if you get something completely free, you should be able to accept a slight delay.

  3. Windows XP? by darkmeridian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry, but why does the top of that article say, "Dell recommends Windows XP Professional"?

    What kind of mixed messages are they sending there?

    --
    A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
    1. Re:Windows XP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think Microsoft pay/threaten/reward (delete according to bias) system builders to say that, a lot of ads contain the same phrasing with different manufacturers pasted in.

      So it's probablary just part of a standard page template, and not some conspiracy on Dell's part to confuse customers.

    2. Re:Windows XP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well it means:

      Dell is paid by Microsoft to recommend it's OS. ("$COMPNAME recommends Windows XP" is so generic it can't be a accident, it's marketting.)

      Dell supports Linux because that's what it's customer wants.

    3. Re:Windows XP? by miyako · · Score: 2, Insightful

      it's probably part of some agreement with microsoft. Dell is big enough to be able to sell hardware with whatever OS they want on it, but not quite big enough to do it without still kissing Microsoft's ass while doing it with a "Dell recommends Windows" message.
      As a matter of fact though, I've seen the same message on IBM and HPs websites, I specifically remember thinking it was funny when I was looking into buying one of the HP notebooks with Linux pre-installed. The specific model didn't offer windows as an OS option IIRC, but it still has a message "HP Recommends Windows XP Professional" on the site.
      This leads me to believe that some term microsoft gives to OEMs for them to get copies of windows cheaper, is that they have to have this message on every buy/customize page for all their hardware.

      --
      Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
    4. Re:Windows XP? by I+confirm+I'm+not+a · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's an ad that's always amused me: Dell recommendsWindows XP Professional, but supplies Windows XP Home (unless you choose to "upgrade").

      --
      This is where the serious fun begins.
    5. Re:Windows XP? by miyako · · Score: 2, Insightful

      hmm, I'm a bit bored, I'll bite...
      I don't particularly want to see an all Linux world, though it happens to be the OS that I used the most. I also don't have anything fundamentally against Microsoft, who is merely a single product of a fundamental world mindset, or with windows, which is perfectly well suited to a number of applications, thought not particularly any of the things for which I primarily use a computer.
      Microsoft's primary goal is to make money, their current business plan for doing so relys on the continued dominance of Windows in the OS market, as such it's prudent to work out a deal with major hardware manufacturers.
      To be honest, I don't see any difference between the situation I described above, and the recipies on certain food products that say to use "Brand X butter" and "Brand Y Sugar", it's cross marketing, and it works.

      --
      Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
    6. Re:Windows XP? by thakadu · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I just went to www.dell.com. No mention of Linux. So I chose the "Home and Small Office" link. Top of page says "Dell recommends Windows XP". Still no mention of "Linux" (I did a search) So now I chose "desktop systems" link. Again "Dell recommends XP" at the top and again no mention of Linux. So I choose a model, the 4600, again Dell recommends.... and even when I customize my chosen model there is not even an option to select Linux. Only an upgrade to XP professional.

  4. But! by koi88 · · Score: 4, Funny


    But don't they know the TCO of Windows is much lower than Linux' TCO?
    The customers don't want Linux. And it's unsafe. Only hippies would use it. Dammit.
    Guess I have to send over Stevie B...

    Bill G.

    --

    I don't need a signature.
  5. Old storie by IgorMrBean · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is a 2 days old story http://www.novell.com/news/press/archive/2004/10/p r04072.html

    --


    Mess with the best, die like the rest
    1. Re:Old storie by B2382F29 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wait another 2 days and we have it again as a dupe on slashdot..

      --
      Move Sig. For great justice.
  6. mirrordot link and content by buro9 · · Score: 4, Informative
    I hate karma-whoring, but then I couldn't get to the Dell blog... so here's the mirrordot link: http://mirrordot.org/stories/086e42b3190e9dadcda31 da9fcc5515e/index.html

    Don't worry about the text, they merely point here: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx /corp/pressoffice/en/2004/2004_10_27_rrwa_000

    Which is mirrored here: http://mirrordot.org/stories/c6067beb11e039d913a6d cb073ee1d71/index.html

  7. I wonder by Moby+Cock · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I could not RTFA, the thing is /.ed already. However, I wonder if the move with SuSE is an attempt to move into some bigger European markets. SuSE is the de facto linux standard over there (as opposed to RHEL in NA) and I wonder if Dell is trying to squeeze into some business operations on the continent.

    1. Re:I wonder by koi88 · · Score: 2, Insightful


      the thing is /.ed already

      Maybe Dell should move their servers from Windows 2000 (according to netcraft) to Linux, too...

      --

      I don't need a signature.
  8. What about workstations? by ZorinLynx · · Score: 3, Informative

    Dell still charges the "Windows Tax" on all its workstations. Try ordering a Dimension series without Windows, for instance. Not possible! They only offer Linux on two particular models of workstation (Precision) which are expensive and are limited in what video cards you can purchase with them.

    Dell only seems to want to support Linux on the server side. They should support Linux all the way! If they don't want to offer it pre-installed on their workstations, they should at least offer a machine without Windows.

    Argh!

    -Z

    1. Re:What about workstations? by Quobobo · · Score: 2, Informative

      ...and are limited in what video cards you can purchase with them.

      I'm sorry, but that is complete FUD. The only difference is that you can buy an ATI FireGL V3100 for the Windows ones, and you can't for the Linux ones. It's not Dell's fault that ATI's drivers aren't very good, and they'd likely catch a lot of flak from their customers if they shipped systems with buggy drivers.

  9. how much tweaking... by gp310ad · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What does it mean when Dell and Suse or IBM and ??? (RedHat?, Debian?, Knoppix?, all three and more?) deliver a server with 'certified' linux?

    Has anyone bought one of these for work and taken a good look at the install?

    I see the 'support' part, but do they:
    1. compile kernel (./config options) for that particular box?
    2. config all applications for that particular box?
    3. more than '1' and '2'?

    --
    Do not look into LASER with remaining eye!
    1. Re:how much tweaking... by jimicus · · Score: 4, Interesting

      What does it mean when Dell and Suse or IBM and ??? (RedHat?, Debian?, Knoppix?, all three and more?) deliver a server with 'certified' linux?

      Has anyone bought one of these for work and taken a good look at the install?

      Yes. My former employer was an IBM shop, had 250 Linux servers and around 1,200 desktops.

      We bought servers without an operating system. Some (not all) models arrived in parts - disks, memory processors and rack-mounting kit were all shipped in separate boxes and you fitted them yourself. My understanding was "every bit of hardware here works under Linux".

      Experience demonstrated that this was indeed the case, only you sometimes had to download kernel patches (which were generally open source, they just hadn't made it to the mainstream kernel).

      I don't know whether or not the pre-built servers had these patches pre-installed - I'd imagine so.

  10. SuSE on the Desktop, please ! by InodoroPereyra · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I would bet that with the gaining momentum of Linux as a corporate/govenrment desktop environment, teaming up with SuSE could be a good idea for Dell. Not that RedHat is horrible unusable or anything, but SuSE is more polished and integrated for the end user, and they are in a position of offering top of the line KDE, GNOME or a combination of both.

  11. The power of the US by peterprior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not really suprised. Now that Novell has bought SUSE, they are dealing with a nice big US corporation which must be very familiar to them.

    Before Novell bought them, SUSE was seen as this oddball German company who probably seemed a world apart from a US Corp like Dell.

  12. I'm curious by numbski · · Score: 2, Interesting

    One of the benefits of SuSE is that (at least last time I used it, I'm a FreeBSD/MacOS X user currently) it comes with every tested package imaginable...something like 10 cd's or 3 DVDs...?

    Are they just shipping with a base install, and giving you the DVDs? Putting all of the packages on there, just not installing them for convenience on a huge drive?

    What's the best OEM config for something like SuSE? Presume people are going to use an online repository?

    --

    Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

  13. Bad news for Red Hat... by Thaidog · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now that novell has bought SuSE, major fundage means major comp now for Red Hat. Personally I think SuSE is more user friendly than Red Hat is now... with YAST playing a major role in that. Easy to configure, even for an end user to get a basic server up and running or whatever else. I see this hittin the lowend workstation level big time as well since most of the hardware cerifications Red Hat has SuSE has too (too a point).

    --

    ||| I still can't believe Parkay's not butter.

    1. Re:Bad news for Red Hat... by Greenisloved · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I agree SUSE is user friendly and YAST is awesome , however , the basic installation is so complex than Redhat.Redhat has easy isos to download , burn and install.However , I do not see easy installation procedure .

      How would one expect to use SUSE if installation is so hard.Besides Redhat is already well known.
      May be its just me..

      --
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      Which way is yours ?
      btw there is no right way
  14. Dell Laptops? by Manip · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I love Dell, and I am pleased with this new deal (advancement of Linux is always good news). The question I really want answered is when will I be able to guy a laptop from Dell (or anyone else) with Linux pre-installed?

    I just don't like the idea of paying £30 more for a copy of XP home or 2k which I will be removing and replacement with my fav distro .. Seems silly to me that so few DO offer a Linux alternative.

  15. SuSE vs Red Hat by DrugCheese · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I was always under the impression that SuSE was the most popular distro. I think they were the first to commercially distribute linux. While Red Hat as the most popular in the U.S. SuSe was the most popular world wide?

    I've long thought SuSE to be far FAR superior to all other distros I've tried and have said over and over again that it can be used by a newbie to linux or a mission critical server application out of the same box.
    In a couple years (or less the way SuSE is in the news more and more recently) people will agree that Red Hat is no longer the name when it comes to a great pre-packaged linux.

    --
    *DrugCheese rants*
  16. Dell was offering RedHat 3 years ago by vasqzr · · Score: 3, Interesting


    What's this have to do with anything? It really doesn't mean anything.

    Linux is EXPENSIVE from Dell. Most people are going to do what we did, buy Dell $329 servers, and install a downloaded version of (insert your favorite distribution)

    1. Re:Dell was offering RedHat 3 years ago by numbski · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Except for one minor detail that PHB's might go for:

      If you buy the linux distro from Dell, Dell will support it.

      s/Red Hat/SuSE/g;

      --

      Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

    2. Re:Dell was offering RedHat 3 years ago by mgoss · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Linux is EXPENSIVE from Dell. Most people are going to do what we did, buy Dell $329 servers, and install a downloaded version of (insert your favorite distribution) Not everyone wants to download and install Linux themselves plus get it set up the way they need it to. I don't know how worth the money buying a SuSE linux box from Dell would be, but it could be worth it. I think the point is to make it easier for current Windows users to move over to a Linux box. I have seen a demo of the new SuSE and it looks pretty sweet. I definitely think this has a chance. Not everyone is a geek enough to be fine with downloading and installing Linux themselves so we get more stuff free more easily. I guess that's the price we "pay" for being Linux geeky.

  17. No such thing as bad news. by numbski · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I really think everyone is looking at this wrong.

    There is no such thing as bad news when it comes to Linux distros being picked up, not even from a corporate point of view.

    I get this a lot with wireless broadband. If a 'competitor' springs up across town and starts covering areas that I also service, if we cooperate, we'll both get more customers. If we in-fight, people will get the idea that wireless broadband is unreliable. When people work together, provide excellent service, everyone benefits. There's plenty of market terrain out there to be had, and no everyone needs to become a huge mega-comglomerate.

    No one linux shop needs to become the next M$ or Apple. Sure, they could, but they don't need to in order to prosper. There's still plenty of Linux territory to be had. I'd say this is as good a news to Red Hat as any, so long as both RH and SuSE are commited to excellence.

    --

    Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

    1. Re:No such thing as bad news. by Thaidog · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I would say as long as Novell development stays opensource as much as possible. After all the are porting their products to Linux.

      --

      ||| I still can't believe Parkay's not butter.

  18. Considering the limited.. by Tracer_Bullet82 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    product options and the somewhat contradictory message in Dell's policy, this may not seem to be a significant step.

    Dell however has the image of providing good support(at least in my neck of the woods)

    Seeing that Dell can ofer and support for Linux;I'm presuming they will, this can show to the general public that (Dell considers) Linux is/as a viable option.

    --


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  19. Nonsense by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 5, Informative
    Try ordering a Dimension series without Windows, for instance. Not possible!

    3 clicks
    Dell|Small Business|Desktops
    "Dell Alternative Operating System Desktops" is listed right there with the others. 'N Series' Dimension, Optiplex, or Precision. Either RH or no OS (FreeDOS in the box).

    The Dimension N starts at $319

  20. Ah, I think I get it. by RealProgrammer · · Score: 4, Funny
    For $175 per single-CPU server annual maintenance subscription and $269 for a dual CPU subscription, Dell and Novell offer Linux customers additional choice on Dell's award-winning PowerEdge 1850, 2800 and 2850 servers.

    I'm not sure understand the reasoning there. It'll cost Dell 54% more to support a dual-CPU box, is that it?

    Oh, I see. Dual support desks, dual techs, dual phone bills (to India and Utah).

    --
    sigs, as if you care.
  21. SuSE might be the "enterprise" Linux? by TheLoneGundam · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since SuSE is the default distribution that IBM uses for their Linux on z/Series (or S/390) and this announcment is for Dell Servers, this might be another small step to getting in some corporate doors - start with some Dell Servers, then consolidate onto a mainframe box for lower (supposedly) TCO. We've been talking about Linux on our big iron, and if it was the same Linux as on the servers I know certain PHBs would have a warmer, fuzzier feeling.

  22. Re:Nice but.... by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Informative
    If you'd spend but a minute or two cruising around the dell site, you might come across this:

    "Dell(TM) Dimension(TM) n series desktops offer affordable, everyday small business computing power. Extra economical because they come without a Microsoft® operating system; a copy of FreeDOS(TM) open-source operating system is included in the box, ready to install."

  23. Bingo! Novell can sell Enterprise Stack by HighOrbit · · Score: 2, Interesting
    SuSE might be the "enterprise" Linux?
    This is a good way for Novell to "get it's foot in the door" with Suse and then sell more server applications. I would expect the Dell SuSe installation to be preconfigured and marketed as "NDS ready" or "Groupwise Ready". The more Novell's existing application stack becomes integrated with Suse, the more Novell will be able to sell. Compared to Redhat, Novell's application stack is much larger, more mature, and the Novell name still has a lot of trust. This will open up an avenue for Novell to have "certified" hardware for running all of their application stuff. Novell has things like Directory Services (NDS) and ZenWorks that are as good or better than MS's Active Directory stuff. They also have Groupwise and OpenExchange in the groupware area. They have Ximian Evolution for a client that works with both. Redhat already realizes this and they know that Novell can overtake them as the perfered Linux vendor with an integrated directory service and middleware/groupware stack and that is why they bought out the Netscape Enterprise Suite & Directory Server. They had to have it to compete with Novell NDS on SuSe.
  24. Has anyone noticed the WinXP ad at the top by DarknessFallen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wasnt sure if anyone had noticed the blatent line at the top of the article but just before the headline of dell teaming up with novell/suse there is a line that states "dell recommends running microsoft windows xp" seems strange to announce a linux partnership and still have that of all things at the top of the page dont you all think?