Novell’s SUSE Manager 1.2 provides users of the company’s line of enterprise-oriented, Linux-based operating systems with a server management tool built from the ground up with Linux in mind. SUSE Manager, which began shipping in March, is based on Spacewalk 1.3, an open-source project born out of Red Hat’s own server management product, Satellite, the code for which Red Hat freed in 2008. I tested SUSE Manager 1.2 with servers running SLES 11 SP1 and with RHEL 6, using the product to conduct software installation and update tasks, to push down configuration changes, and to monitor services running on the machines. Despite some rough edges, SUSE Manager is well worth evaluating for sites running SLES. For RHEL shops, a move to a combination of SUSE Manager plus Novell-based support for RHEL will be a tougher sell, but having another management and support option can’t hurt.

Read my full review of SUSE Manager 1.2 at eWEEK.com.