SuSE enhances multimedia, security of Linux OS

Linux vendor SuSE Linux Tuesday announced it would release an upgrade to the SuSE Linux 7.1 operating system. SuSE Linux 7.2 will be available directly from the company and software retailers starting June 15, the company said.

Sitting atop Version 2.4.4 of the Linux kernel, SuSE Linux 7.2 will be based on the latest KDE 2.1.2 desktop graphical user interface (GUI). An alternative GUI - GNOME 1.4 - will be available as an optional install, said Xenia von Wendel, spokewoman for SuSE.

The KDE-based GUI, dubbed "Konqueror," will include multimedia enhancements in the form of plug-ins for Netscape's Communicator Web browser. The plug-ins will allow the operating system to support Macromedia's Flash and RealNetworks' RealAudio and RealVideo multimedia file formats, said von Wendel. The company said it improved the software for music fans by including an MP3 player, a Musical Instrument Digital Interface keyboard and an editing studio.

At the core of SuSE Linux 7.2 are new security components to protect data, said Dirk Hohndel, SuSE's chief technology officer and president of the company's U.S. subsidiary. A personal firewall, called AMaViS (a mail virus scanner), aims to help users eliminate viruses from incoming files. A new data-encryption tool will block unauthorized access to data. Access to unencrypted data will be provided only after successful authentication.

The upgrade also includes the Samba 2.2 print and file server, which supports Microsoft's Distributed File System and will allow the operating system to support clients based on Windows 2000 or NT workstation, according to the statement. "Samba allows the replacement of NT servers transparently," Hohndel said. The operating system also will support the Kerberos 5 authentication tool, a handy feature for heterogeneous networks.

An update tool has been added which will keep the Linux system up to date by automatically downloading free security updates and bug fixes, von Wendel said.

Linux's ability to run on a variety of server types can cause problems when it comes to matching software libraries with the appropriate hardware environment, he said, adding that SuSE Linux tries to match software libraries with the correct hardware environment automatically. "You can download Linux for free, but our version is better because it balances innovation, stability and security," which is why users pay for it, according to Hohndel.

SuSE Linux 7.2 for Intel's 32-bit platform will be available in personal and professional editions. The personal edition will sell in retail outlets for $30 and include 60 days of technical support. The professional edition, priced at $70, will include 90 days of technical support as well as a DVD filled with applications and games, von Wendel said.

In a separate announcement, SuSE Tuesday unveiled SuSE Linux 7.2 for Intel's 64-bit Itanium systems. Hardware vendors announced a flurry of Itanium-based servers Tuesday, but SuSE Linux isn't being bundled with any server at the moment, Höhndel said. "Vendors are recommending it as an option," he said.

SuSE Linux already runs on systems based on Sun's SPARC processor, Compaq's Alpha chip and IBM's S/390 mainframes, von Wendel said.

During the first quarter of 2001, SuSE accounted for one quarter of Linux installations in the U.S., said von Wendel, quoting figures from PC Data.

In February, SuSE released Linux SuSE 7.1, its first operating system based on the 2.4 Linux kernel. A week before the release, it cut two-thirds of its staff from its U.S. subsidiary in Oakland, Calif. SuSE currently employs about 500 people worldwide, von Wendel said.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

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