Products & Service Watch Centeris Releases Likewise Management Suite 1.0 By Newsdesk Jan 17, 2006 Likewise Management Suite 1.0., software for the management of Linux servers in a Windows network, is now available from Centeris Corporation. The Centeris Likewise Management Suite is the first server management solution to seamlessly integrate Linux servers in a Windows network, the company describes. The Likewise solution simplifies configuration of Linux servers, provides Windows-based tools for day-to-day server management and improves compatibility between Windows and Linux. "Making Linux easier for customers to deploy and manage is an ongoing priority for Red Hat," said Bret Hunter, Director of Partner Development at Red Hat. "As we continue to grow server market share, many customers are seeking to deploy integrated, heterogeneous networks of server systems, and the Centeris Likewise solution makes it easier for Windows customers to adopt and manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux." "Nearly two-thirds of businesses that run Windows as their primary server operating system also have Linux installed in their organizations," according to survey data provided by the Yankee Group, a Boston-based consultancy. "Mainstream Linux deployments are on a steep upward trajectory. Although they will not replace Windows, co-existence will be the order of the day," said Laura DiDio, Yankee Group analyst and Research Fellow. "Centeris Likewise enables administrators to quickly, efficiently and easily install and manage Linux servers in their Windows environments." Centeris has spent the last year finalizing development, testing the technology and working closely with select beta partners to ensure the quality and usability of the final product. There has been tremendous interest in the product already -- in just six weeks, more than 800 companies downloaded the beta version of Likewise, confirming the broad need for better tools to manage and integrate mixed networks across all industries. "The industry has been searching long and hard for a way to simplify and reduce the costs of managing a large network of Linux servers remotely," said John Rowell, Senior Vice-President of Operations and Engineering at OpSource, an early participant in the Likewise Beta Program. "Likewise enables Windows-trained administrators to support Linux servers easily and efficiently, without the cost of training or additional headcount." The Likewise Management Suite includes two components -- the Likewise Console and Likewise Advanced Agent. The Likewise Console is a Windows-based application that makes it easy to configure and manage server roles, join Linux servers to Microsoft Active Directory and manage Apache Web services. The Likewise Advanced Agent runs on Linux servers, supporting management from either the Likewise Console or from the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), which is part of Windows. Also available is the Likewise Open Agent, a free open source version of the technology. "We've had a tremendous response from both customers and partners during our beta period," said Barry Crist, CEO of Centeris. "Customers clearly like the approach we've taken. We're shipping our Likewise 1.0 solution with terrific market momentum." © Copyright 2003 Real World Linux Biz. All Rights Reserved.