Suse LINUX Professional 9.3 Update

SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3, easy-to-install Linux operating system, 32/64 bit, Firefox 1.0, OpenOffice.org 2.0, GIMP 2.2, Beagle, Photo tools, Xen virtualization, VoIP, Mobility, Security, Linux Servers, Strong Encryption 128 Bit, 1 DVD ISO image Overview.

For rich, reliable and secure home computing, there's no better choice than SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3. It features an easy-to-install Linux operating system that lets you browse the Web, send e-mail, chat with friends, organize digital photos, play movies and songs, and create documents and spreadsheets. You can even use it to host a Web site or blog, create a home network and develop your own applications.

Whether you're new to Linux or you use it daily, SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 delivers the features you need most for home computing and networking. SUSE LINUX Professional also includes more than 1,000 of the world's leading open source applications. From established solutions like Firefox and OpenOffice.org to "first looks" at emerging technologies like Beagle and Xen, these applications are a real value. You simply open the box, run the installation program and start using Linux for everything you do. Choose the default set of applications or customize your computing environment. It's truly that easy!

Because it's Linux, your system is inherently secure, practically immune from email and web-borne viruses and worms. Of course, there are solid security features built right in. It's all there. Read on to see why SUSE LINUX Professional is the complete Linux solution you've been looking for.

Although not intended for business deployments, SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 provides corporate evaluators with an excellent first look at technologies like XEN (virtualization), OpenOffice 2.0 (productivity suite), Beagle (desktop search) and Mono (open source development environment). These technologies, when refined and fully supported, may appear in future Novell enterprise Linux offerings.


Home-desktop Features.

SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 includes all of the latest desktop productivity tools to help you with your most common home computing tasks. Whether it's instant messaging and commmunicating with friends, creating and designing graphics, or organizing digital picture and music files, you'll find what you need on our easy-to-use desktop. And to make finding things even easier, we've included a preview of the latest Linux desktop search technology: Beagle* the powerful new open source search engine that puts all of the content in your personal information space at your fingertips. Plus, powerful tools for spam blocking and virus scanning are built right in.

Internet and messaging

SUSE LINUX Professional has everything you need for effortless browsing and communication. Enjoy safe, secure, seamless Web browsing with Mozilla Firefox. With features like popup blocking, tabbed browsing, live bookmarks, endless customization choices and much more, it's no wonder that it's the world's most popular open source browser. For calendaring and e-mail, Novell® Evolution™ and Kontact provide easy-to-use choices. Even chatting is easier with Gaim and Kopete, which let you chat with friends on AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, IRC, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, and many other popular chat services—all from a single application.

home office and productivity

Working on Linux is no problem, thanks to OpenOffice.org 2.0 (pre-release version). It's a powerful productivity suite that includes everything you need. You can read and create documents, spreadsheets and graphical presentations that you can exchange with your colleagues and friends who still use Microsoft Windows. Adobe Reader 7 for Linux is also included, giving you quick and easy access to .PDF documents. SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 also includes a preview of Beagle, new desktop search technology that you can use to quickly locate and display files, Gaim chats, Novell Evolution mail and contacts and more.

security and mobility

With SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3, you'll enjoy great functionality—no matter where you are. Call friends and colleagues using Linphone for just the cost of the Internet connection. Connect to networks quickly and easily with enhanced WiFi functionality, and use Bluetooth devices freely—SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 recognizes them automatically. Best of all, you need never worry about the safety of your work; an integrated firewall and anti-virus software protect you against malicious attacks and other threats.

graphics and multimedia

Turn your desktop into your personal creative studio. From graphics to video to images, SUSE LINUX Professional gives you all the tools you need for supporting, creating, editing, organizing and managing cutting-edge multimedia. Read more about the digital-photo organizers in SUSE LINUX Professional as well as its other easy-to-use multimedia applications: GIMP 2.2, k3b, RealPlayer 10 and MainActor 5.

games and entertainment

If you're ready for a break, choose from a whole spectrum of entertainment applications in SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3. It includes popular games like Freeciv and SuperTux that will keep you playing just to see what happens next!


Ease-of-use Features

While SUSE LINUX Professional offers tools and applications for even the most advanced Linux users and developers, it's also appealing to Linux novices because of its simplicity. Here are a few of the components that make SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 so easy to use:

installation

You'll not find a simpler installation procedure. SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 takes you through just a few steps, and then you're there. The default package selection gets you started fast, or choose the packages you install to create a customized configuration. It's easy. And with your purchase of SUSE LINUX Professional, you are eligible for 90 days of installation support, so if you have an issue installing on your system, we're ready to give you the help you need.

YaST

YaST is the management foundation of SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 and is what makes SUSE LINUX so easy to install. YaST also makes it easy to configure hardware (like printers, display settings and even Bluetooth devices) and services (like DNS, DHCP, Samba and certificate servers).

Windows interoperability

Moving your personal system from Microsoft* Windows to Linux? Don't worry! SUSE LINUX Professional contains several features, like a smart install that automatically configures a dual boot system, to applications that exchange files with Windows desktop applications, that make it easy to get started with Linux.

documentation

SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 includes comprehensive documentation for installation and application use that will answer any questions that may arise. This top-quality reference includes a short User Guide to provide quick-start and basic instructions as well as the complete Administrator's Guide for comprehensive information about SUSE LINUX Professional features.


Home Network Features

Use the latest versions of open source networking features like Samba, Apache, DNS and DHCP to power robust home networks that include Web hosting, centralized printing and media workstations. With special features to speed everything from server setup and configuration to software updating, SUSE LINUX Professional contains the most comprehensive set of tools ever included in a retail Linux package.

YaST network management

YaST is the management foundation of SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3. YaST not only simplifies installation, it also makes it easy to configure a home network. The YaST management console offers several new modules for the administration of home networks, enabling the deployment of your machine as a DNS server, Samba server, DHCP server or Web server.

Linux server

Through the unique and open management capabilities in SUSE LINUX Professional, you can easily install, deploy, configure, secure and update the Linux server anywhere on your home network. Plus, SUSE LINUX Professional comes complete with the latest versions of Apache, DNS, DHCP, Samba, NFS, SLP and NIS.

unmatched security

In addition to the standard security capabilities of Linux, support for popular encryption schemes, certificate management and OpenLDAP, SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 comes with the SUSE Firewall to provide extra protection for your home network. The SUSE Firewall automatically activates upon installation and ensures that your personal information and digital assets remain completely confidential. You also receive the built-in SpamAssassin and virus blocker to help guard your system day and night.


Application-development Features

With established development standards like Eclipse and KDevelop, and the newest open source tools like Mono and Xen, you'll find that SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 is packed with tools that make it easy to develop powerful Linux and cross-platform applications. And, with powerful databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL and Derby as application-development resources, there's no telling how far you can go!

Xen

Xen is a virtual machine monitor for x86 that supports the execution of multiple instances of an operating system. It provides complete separation of virtual machine environments with a minimal decrease in performance. With Xen, you can consolidate servers to simplify management, reduce hardware expense and easily accommodate fluctuating workloads. (For more information on Xen, please see the Xen Project home page. Please note that Xen is an emerging open source technology, in the early stages of development, SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 comes with the latest version available as of the time of production.)

development environments

With environments like KDevelop, Eclipse and Mono, SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 is a developer's dream come true. Through their rich toolsets and broad standards support, developers can build effective cross-platform applications with unprecedented speed. (For more information, please see the open source project pages for these technologies by clicking on the links above. Please note that SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 comes packaged with the latest versions as of the time of production.)

databases

PostgreSQL, MySQL and Derby make database development and management better than ever! PostgreSQL is a highly-scalable, SQL-compliant, open source database management system. Its newest features include savepoints, which allow specific parts of a transaction to be aborted without affecting the transaction's remainder, point-in-time recovery, tablespaces, column-type changes, new Perl server-side language and much more.

MySQL is another attractive alternative to higher-cost, complex database technology. As the most popular open source database, it boasts award-winning speed, unmatched scalability and true reliability.

Derby technology is easy for software developers to work with and requires zero administration from end users. While traditional enterprise database systems rely on physical protection (such as a locked machine room) for protection, Derby databases are inherently secure and are often used in unprotected environments like laptops and unattended hardware. (For more information, please see the open source project pages for these technologies by clicking on the links above. Please note that SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 comes packaged with the latest versions as of the time of production.)

X.org

SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 includes X.org version 6.8.2. X.org is the latest release of the X Window System, a windowing system and standard graphical interface for Linux and UNIX-like operating systems. New features include video drivers, infrastructure updates, security updates and other enhancements. (For more information, please see the open source project page for this technology. Please note that SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 comes packaged with the latest version as of the time of production.)

latest Linux kernel

The Linux 2.6 kernel is the latest Linux release, optimized for high performance. New features include scalability enhancements, advanced memory and device management, and more.

compiler

The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), GCC 3.3.5, includes front ends for C, C++, ObjC, Fortran, Java, Ada and more. It also includes the improved and enhanced libraries for each of these languages.


Security

SUSE Firewall

The integrated SUSE Firewall protects your system from network intruders. It installs and activates automatically, ensuring that your system is always secure. It also uses Network Address Translation (NAT) for masquerading and port-forwarding security techniques.

AntiVir

AntiVir is the virus protection for your standalone computer, peer-to-peer networks or your individual workstations in the network. It checks, on the fly, every data operation and allows manual searches for scanning individual files or mapped drives. It also provides on-access scanning of file shares by all standard virus scanners.

SpamAssassin

SpamAssassin is an intelligent e-mail filter that identifies spam. It users a diverse range of tests to identify unsolicited bulk e-mail; these tests are applied to e-mail headers and content to classify e-mail using advanced statistical methods. In addition, SpamAssassin has a modular architecture that allows other technologies to be quickly wielded against spam and is designed for easy integration into virtually any e-mail system.