Novell has announced that the BMW Group is using SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell with integrated Xen virtualisation software to implement virtualised workloads in its data centre, thus reducing hardware costs and simplifying deployment.
After extensive testing by BMW IT Research Center staff in North America and Germany, the automobile manufacturer is going to deploy virtualised data centre solutions using SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 with the open source Xen hypervisor on x86 servers, using dual-core processors with Intel Virtualisation Technology.
According to BMW, Xen virtualisation technology built into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 will allow the company to increase flexibility in managing server life cycles. BMW will also gain operational and cost advantages in other areas, in addition to having a flatter support structure through the integrated operating system and virtualisation layer.
Hardware resources can be more efficiently used through server consolidation, and BMW is able to cluster virtual servers and migrate them live from one physical server to another as needed. The company is also currently evaluating Novell ZENworks Orchestrator as a way to manage the resulting virtual data centre systems.
"The BMW Group is taking advantage of what the market is just discovering, that Xen open source virtualisation software, fully integrated in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, is a viable alternative to proprietary virtualisation solutions, providing high performance at a lower cost," said Roger Levy, vice-president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions for Novell.
"Integration ensures all pieces of the solution work well together, and as is the case with open source software, it eliminates vendor lock-in and enhances customer choice."
The next-generation platform for the open enterprise, SUSE Linux Enterprise is the best-engineered, lowest-cost and most interoperable platform for enterprise computing, from the desktop to the data centre.
For more information on SUSE Linux Enterprise offerings from Novell, visit www.novell.com/linux. For more on how customers around the globe are leveraging Novell solutions, visit www.novell.com/success.
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