| Lastest Xandros Linux server targets Windows admins |
May 08, 2007
If Xandros Inc., a well-regarded Linux desktop provider, has its way, its new Xandros Server Standard Edition 2 will soon be joining Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Red Hat's Red Hat Enterprise Linux when businesses consider a Linux server.
The latest Xandros server is meant for use by small and midsize businesses. In particular, the company is aiming it at Windows administrators who want to minimize down-time and cut support costs, according to the company. The new Xandros Linux server is compatible with existing Windows domain and networking topologies. It provides an alternative for Windows administrators looking to replace older versions of Windows server, and it offers the ability to remotely manage Linux servers even from a Windows desktop, through the all-graphical xMC (Xandros Management Console).
XMC can remotely manage Linux servers from any networked Windows Vista or Windows XP client. It can be used to manage Xandros, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and other Linux servers.
According to Xandros CEO Andreas Typaldos, the distribution's "new xMC cross-platform management console allows you to deploy Linux servers throughout your organization without concern for what desktop operating systems they'll be managed from. Without xMC, IT administrators must use multiple tools on different platforms to manage their heterogeneous environments. Now they can implement Xandros, Red Hat and other Linux servers and then use xMC alongside MMC (Microsoft Management Console) to manage all their servers from a single location and in a similar manner."
The company claims that, thanks to xMC, Xandros Server 2 can be set up by Windows server administrators who have no Linux experience. It includes a new, easy-to-use VM (virtual machine) manager for Xen. This VM has no licensing restrictions and also can be used to manage servers within virtual machines as well as the VMs.
The Xandros Server 2.0 also provides a graphical migration tool that enables Windows server administrators to "easily" migrate their users and services from NT and Windows 2000 to Linux, the company said.
John Flores, system administrator for the College of Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, stated, "Our transition from Windows NT servers to Xandros Servers went remarkably smoothly. We were able to import more than 2,000 accounts using the server's Windows-to-Xandros migration tool, which automatically joined each user to a specific group, generated a password and formatted the account to the appropriate template. Thanks to the Xandros Management Console, we picked right up from where we left off -- no special training was needed. The command line was always available, but we found that the point-and-click interface and wizards took care of all our needs."
Xandros Server is the first commercial Linux product based on the recently released Debian Linux 4.0 (aka "Etch"). It also includes a special Xandros edition of Scalix 11, an integrated enterprise-class email and calendar server for the SMB market, which includes Microsoft Outlook support and a mobile Web client. Another feature that might appeal to Windows server managers is that Xandros Server includes O3Spaces Workplace 2.0, a SharePoint Server competitor.
"We took a solution-oriented approach to creating Xandros Server 2,incorporating usability feedback from customers and partners, and adding requested new features such as Xen virtualization and wiki support, to create a complete, enterprise-grade SMB package with no hidden licensing costs," stated Typaldos.
"We did a significant amount of engineering up front to incorporate more than 30 server components into a coherent managed community with workflow automation that resolves errors before they occur and brings the benefits of Linux-server technology to enterprise administrators and SMBs," continued Typaldos. "Xandros Server 2 enhances freedom of choice by making it easy to incorporate alternative email, backup, virtualization and other server solutions into existing Windows-centric environments."
The new Xandros Server Standard Edition Version 2, priced at about $450, is available for immediate download from the Xandros Web site. A boxed version will be available in approximately 30 days, the company said.
-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
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