(April 30, 2003) - Cost and quality concerns in the competitive telecommunications industry have resulted in a warm reception for the new Carrier-Grade Linux (CGL) edition of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, powered by UnitedLinux. Noting that holding down costs is "priority one," Hernan Vega, vice president, IBM Telecommunications Industry, predicted that "SuSE's Carrier Grade version of Linux will play an integral role in IBM's next generation network integrated solutions and our telecom solutions integration capability." Anthony Ambrose, general manager, Modular Platform Programs, Intel Corporation, termed CGL "a critical step forward" in delivering modular communications platforms.

Developed in conjunction with HP, IBM, and Intel Corporation, and targeted initially for Intel-based hardware platforms, SuSE Linux CGL Edition provides wide scalability, from real-time systems to back-end processing - enabling customers to use a single platform. For current applications - such as operating and business support systems, gateway, signaling and management servers, and next generation voice, data and wireless solutions - SuSE says CGL will enable customers to more cost-efficiently deploy advanced applications while meeting rigorous standards and business demands.

"This is a breakthrough product that we expect will quickly become the preferred platform of many customers," said Richard Seibt, CEO, SuSE Linux. "The promise of CGL has attracted attention of businesses in many different industries - including financial and retail."

CGL features include MIPv6 RFCs compliance, soft real-time performance, RAID 0 support, IPv6 RFCs compliance, low latency, and improvements in error detection and scalability. The SuSE Linux CGL Edition is available at no charge as a Service Pack to SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 customers. CGL incorporates technologies defined by the OSDL's Carrier Grade Linux Working Group, an initiative whose members include SuSE, HP, IBM, Intel, and telecom and network equipment providers.