Novell announced enterprise Linux-based virtualization solution built on Xen, optimized for Intel Virtualization Technology. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 from Novell running on Dual-Core Intel Xeon platforms will provide customers with a low-cost, high-performing virtualization solution that has the ability to host Linux environments without the need to modify the guest operating systems.

 With the integration of Intel Virtualization Technology within Xen, Novell also announced plans to offer enterprise support for virtualized SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, allowing Red Hat customers to migrate to Novell service and support while still running Red Hat Enterprise Linux in a virtualized environment.

"Being first to provide Xen virtualization with enterprise Linux means our customers will be first to reap the benefits of running virtualized Linux platforms, including Red Hat, on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10," said Jeff Jaffe, Novell executive vice president and chief technology officer. "This cross-platform approach to virtualization means both Novell and Red Hat customers will be able to take advantage of the cost and flexibility benefits of virtualization at a fraction of the cost of existing virtualization solutions."

Doug Fisher, Intel general manager, Core Software Division, said, "Intel and Novell have worked extensively together to deliver an enterprise-ready virtualization solution based on Xen. With Intel Virtualization Technology, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 will virtualize data center workloads on Linux environments with very low overhead and high performance, providing customers the ability to configure applications and systems for maximum efficiency."

Novell will support Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Intel Virtualization Technology, up through and including Level 3 (or core engineering) support. That means Novell will provide technical support for the Xen hypervisor if a customer uncovers an issue running a virtual instance of Red Hat Linux and that issue is not reproducible in a native, or non-virtualized, environment. If the customer runs a virtual SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 or 10 instance, Novell will offer Level 3 support for the host operating system, the Xen hypervisor and the guest operating system. In addition, Intel and Novell will work together to fix all issues which are related to the hypervisor and Intel VT hardware.

Mary Hubley, Gartner research director, said, "Many customers are currently choosing virtualization to realize benefits from reduced hardware complexity and improved manageability and to capitalize on the hardware improvements in availability, reliability and scalability."