The year in operating systems began with a bang ? or maybe a resounding squawk ? with the arrival of the v2.6 Linux kernel. Breaking through RAM, processor, and other limits of the previous kernel, v2.6 wowed us in every performance test we threw at it, leaving us hungry for enterprise server distributions built on it. Novell Inc. fired first, turning up the heat under Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9 in August. We?re eagerly awaiting Red Hat?s response, due in Q1 2005.
Linux also made progress on the desktop this year, but alas, more is needed before even the best workstation distributions will be as manageable as its Windows counterpart. We expect Novell, Red Hat Inc., and Sun Microsystems Inc. to begin closing this gap in the coming year.
One product category that has rapidly matured is middleware for extending corporate data to handheld devices, exemplified by the solid mobile application servers we tested from Extended Systems Inc., iAnywhere Solutions Inc., and Intellisync Corp. We were likewise impressed by virtual servers this year, especially VMware Inc.?s offerings, though Microsoft Corp.?s Virtual Server is no slouch. No doubt the best in virtualization is yet to come.
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App servers
Extended Systems OneBridge Mobile Solutions Platform
Extended Systems
Very Good, 8.5
Cost: Ranges from $100 to $200 per seat
Bottom line: OneBridge delivers e-mail and PIM data regardless of client, connection method, or groupware app. Enterprises can develop customized mobile apps that synchronize to back-end databases, or they can use OneBridge?s Integration Server to access SAP, Siebel, and other BI applications.
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iAnywhere Solutions M-Business Anywhere 5.5
iAnywhere Solutions
Very Good, 8.3
Cost: Ranges from $69 to $299 per seat
Bottom line: M-Business Anywhere allows you to cost-effectively deploy mobile Web apps to Tablet PCs, laptops, and PDAs. Beyond broad Web-standards support, it provides access to enterprise databases. Full-fledged asset management and groupware data synchronization require separate products.
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Intellisync Mobile Suite 5.5
Intellisync
Excellent, 8.9
Cost: Starts at $4,000 for 25 users
Bottom line: This modular middleware platform allows you to start with one of four components ? Email Accelerator, Data Sync, File Sync, and Systems Management ? or combine them to customize a mobile infrastructure. It?s strong in each of these areas and has a solid underlying server architecture.
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Operating systems
Apple Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) Server
Apple Computer Inc.
Excellent, 9.3
Cost: Bundled with Xserve rack systems: 10-client edition, $499; unlimited clients, $999
Bottom line: The BSD Unix-based Mac OS 10.3 Server is the easiest commercial Unix to set up, configure, and manage. Multiprotocol file sharing, Windows Primary Domain Controller functionality, powerful Open Directory, and client and server Java are on a long list of standard features.
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Apple Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
Apple
Excellent, 9.2
Cost: Bundled with new systems: new license, $129; pack of five, $199
Bottom line: Panther adds fast user-switching, rapid selection among open apps and windows, and a faster Mail client with threaded viewing. The most important new feature is the incredible boost in speed and quality of rendered graphics.
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Microsoft Virtual Server 2005
Microsoft
Very Good, 7.8
Cost: Starts at $499 per server
Bottom line: Although it supports a limited range of guest OSes and requires a heavyweight, expensive host OS, Virtual Server 2005 is a no-brainer for Windows shops, especially those that depend on legacy Windows server OSes. The Web-based management interface is a breeze for small deployments.
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Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
Microsoft
Very Good, 7.6
Cost: New system, $299; upgrade, $199; free for existing Windows XP Professional installations
Bottom line: From a security standpoint, SP2 is vital, but you might want to think twice about deploying it because not everything you need to run under Windows may actually work. Although the rewards of moving to SP2 are significant, so are the risks.
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Nitix 3.75
Net Integration Technologies Inc.
Very Good, 8.1
Cost: SmallBusiness, $598 includes five user licenses; Standard, $1,499 includes 20 user licenses; Premium, $2,999 includes 45 user licenses
Bottom line: Nitix stands on the shoulders of many open source software packages to deliver a resilient, all-in-one small business solution. Notable features include intelligent incremental backup and Exchange-like collaboration services. It has some scalability issues, but Nitix is cost-effective and reliable.
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 3
Red Hat
Very Good, 7.1
Cost: RHN Proxy Server and 10 desktop licenses, $2,500; 50 additional user licenses, $3,500 per year
Bottom line: Red Hat?s Workstation line offers more up-to-date packages than most other commercial Linux desktop distributions. Hardware compatibility is solid, and Red Hat Network tools provide local and hosted system management capabilities. It still, however, lacks a policy management tool.
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Sun Java Desktop System, Release 2
Sun Microsystems
Good, 6.8
Cost: $50 per seat
Bottom line: JDS 2 is based on Suse?s Workstation release, so it has the same hardware compatibility issues and offers older versions of many packages. Management tools are significant, providing automated software installation and policy management. Policy tools are in their infancy but hold promise.
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Suse Linux Desktop 1.0
Suse Linux AG
Good, 6.2
Cost: Per five-user pack, with media, $599
Bottom line: Released before the Novell acquisition, Suse?s aging desktop offering needs refreshing. Some management tools ? such as YaST and YaST Online Update ? are available, but Suse promises more to come. Look for Suse/Novell to release a new market entry soon.
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VMware ESX Server 2.1.1
VMware
Very Good, 8.4
Cost: Two-CPU server starts at $3,750
Bottom line: Although ESX Server costs more than an extra rack box, basic consolidation isn?t its only value point. ESX Server enables an extraordinary array of availability, recovery, isolation, resource sharing, and dynamic enterprisewide reconfiguration scenarios. Getting beyond the basics requires intermediate-level Linux skills, but it?s worth it to elevate your x86 servers to datacenter-level availability.
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VMware GSX Server 3.1
VMware
Very Good, 8.3
Cost: Two-CPU license, $3,025
Bottom line: VMware?s GSX Server provides smooth and stable server virtualization services for development and lab environments. It?s not optimal for hosting production systems but could do so in a pinch. With the introduction of 64-bit host OS support, the first step in x86_64 virtualization has been made.
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Xandros Desktop OS Business Edition 2.0
Xandros Inc.
Good, 6.5
Cost: Five-user license, $371.25
Bottom line: Xandros put lots of work into the visual aspects of Desktop OS Business Edition 2.0, emphasizing Windows networking and hardware compatibility. It lacks management tools, but the planned release of Desktop Management Server later this year will provide automated package management and more.