Dell has been offering the Novell® SUSE® Linux® Enterprise Server (SLES) OS since 2005.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11



SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is a highly reliable, scalable and secure server operating system, built to power both physical and virtual mission-critical workloads. With this foundation, enterprises can deliver business services, enable secure networks and manage heterogeneous IT resources.

With the rollout of SLES 11, Novell is also offering a number of add-on extensions that provide additional functionality to the distribution. These extensions include:
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension - SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is an affordable, integrated suite of innovative open source clustering technologies that enable enterprises to implement highly available Linux clusters and eliminate single points of failure.
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Mono Extension - SUSE Linux Enterprise Mono® Extension is a powerful yet lightweight application server for Linux that offers lower costs with outstanding performance. It is the only application server that allows IT organizations to run .NET on Linux, complementing your existing application server infrastructure.
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time Extension - SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time Extension is an add-on to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server that is specifically engineered to reduce the latency and increase the predictability and reliability of time-sensitive mission-critical applications.
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service - SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service (POS) is specifically tailored for the retail sector, offering Linux for user touch points and in-store servers. It provides a competitive advantage by improving service quality while reducing technology costs.


Dell offers SLES11 on eleventh-generation Dell™ PowerEdge™ servers. It is offered as a factory-installed OS and has full Dell OpenManage™ software support. x86_64 is the supported architecture.

To ensure your system has all the necessary security patches and bug fixes, please keep your machine updated. See Novell Subscription Management Tool for more details.

Important Information:

UEFI

Graphics

  • Dell PowerEdge servers launched after March 2009 contain the Matrox G200eW Graphics Controller. While SLES 11 has support for this controller, there are a few known issues that might cause blanking of the screen or system lockup, especially while booting via UEFI. See the Dell Techsheet for SLES 11 on PowerEdge Servers for details on these issues.

Network

  • There might be issues with enumeration of NICs (network interface cards) on some Dell PowerEdge systems in certain circumstances. Please refer to the NIC Enumeration white paper for more details.
  • Tips to setup/use IPv6

Links

  • Contains important information related to installation of SLES 11 on PowerEdge servers and known issues
  • Lists PowerEdge servers that are Novell Yes-certified

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10


Dell began selling SLES10 on ninth-generation Dell PowerEdge servers (x9xx), x86_64 architecture only. It is supported as a "Tier 1" operating system, meaning it has full Dell OpenManage software support. Novell/SUSE has certified Dell systems on the i386 architecture as well, but these are not sold by Dell.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9


Dell began selling SLES 9 on eighth-generation Dell PowerEdge servers (x8xx), Intel® EM64T (x86_64) architecture only, starting with Service Pack 3. It is supported as a "Tier 2" OS, meaning it has limited Dell OpenManage software support, and no formal support from Dell for solutions that include Dell/EMC Fibre Channel arrays, running Oracle databases, and other such full solutions. (Support for such solutions may be available from the respective solutions vendors themselves.) Novell/SUSE has certified Dell systems on the i386 architecture as well, but these are not sold by Dell.

System administrators are encouraged to use the Novell Maintenance Portal to update their system to SLES9 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or higher.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Help