Openexchange Development Team Previews Latest Open-Xchange Release

Netline Internet Service this week
released to customers and partners details of Open-Xchange 5, the latest upgrade of SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server due for launch in Q1 2005.

http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/news/news_detail2549.htm) Open-Xchange Server is based on the same technology and architecture as Novell's SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server -- significantly easing the upgrade.

According to Netline, Open-Xchange Server 5, scheduled to be launched in March 2005, will maintain the SUSE Linux Openexchange Server architecture, but with added and enhanced features in a more flexibly designed package. "Since SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server was launched in November 2002, we've received many customer and partner requests to make the architecture more flexible, modular and independent from the underlying operating system," said Frank Hoberg, CEO, Netline Internet Service. "Open-Xchange Server 5 will fit perfectly into existing IT infrastructures and give customers -- and partners -- the choice of their preferred operating system and services (Database, Email Server, Filesystem)."

Novell and Netline announced December 9 that Novell will sell and provide training, maintenance and support for Open-Xchange Server, extending and enhancing the companies' current relationship -- http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/news/news_detail2526.htm.

The companies also announced that Novell will contribute proprietary source code to the
Open-Xchange community project. For current SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server
customers with existing maintenance contracts Netline and Novell will ensure a smooth upgrade.

"Our studies show that larger, strategic decisions about platform direction will pull along the decisions about server components, such as those for messaging," Dana Gardner, senior analyst, Yankee Group. "If the choice is to move aggressively into Linux, then the decision on most cost-benefit appropriate messaging componentry falls into two clear categories: commercial messaging servers that run on Linux, and open source components that run on
Linux. Open-Xchange Server, with a core open source component with history of
performance validation, should be among those considered within a larger Linux strategy."


Netline's Open-Xchange Server is a modular, standards-based communications tool that provides businesses with flexible groupware functions including e-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks and real-time document storage. The Open-Xchange Server brand will replace the former brand of SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server brand. Open-Xchange Server will first be available on the two leading enterprise Linux platforms -- Novell's SUSE LINUX Enterprise
Server 9 and RedHat Advanced Server 4 when it is available.



Open-Xchange Server 5 will include:
* Web interfaces for administrators to easily administer Open-Xchange
Server and for users to set up user specific preferences
* Web based contextual online help for users
* Significantly enhanced Outlook and Palm connectors
* Administrator and user manuals
* Maintenance with update and upgrade protection for server modules and
connectors
* Standard service and support offerings for installation on SUSE LINUX
Enterprise Server 9 and Red Hat Advanced Server 3
* 5 years guaranteed maintenance

http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/community/roadmap.htm

About the Open-Xchange community project Each of Netline's core team members have years of experience in developing Open-Xchange. Each is responsible for one or more specific Open-Xchange modules and is responsible to integrate community developers outside of
Netline in the development process. A new XML-RPC (remote procedure call) will enable developers to create new modules with new functionality -- OXtensions (TM) enabling them to access methods via simple XML. New 3rd party products from ISVs or open source projects can be plugged-in into Open-Xchange easily without touching the core groupware engine. The result: faster innovation and excellent quality of the source code, How To's, documentation and intense testing on several hardware and operating systems.

About Netline
Netline Internet Service GmbH is a market leader in Linux-based groupware,
collaboration, and messaging in the SMB segment. Netline's Groupware which is
based on the Netline Java Application Server is the core engine of Novell's
award winning SUSE LINUX Openexchange Server. Since 1996 Netline -- based in
Olpe, Germany -- has been developing java-based 3-tier web applications for
the SMB market.



SOURCE Netline Internet Service GmbH
Web Site:
http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/news/news_detail2549.htm
http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/news/news_detail2526.htm
http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/community/roadmap.htm

Recent Issues