Microsoft Opens Windows Azure Cloud To Linux

Microsoft continues to embrace open source after it was announced that SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and openSUSE are now options to run in Windows Azure Virtual Machines.

Microsoft announced Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities as well as new Linux support for its Windows Azure cloud computing platform.

Linux On Azure

Windows Azure will allow users to run OpenSUSE 12.1, CentOS 6.2, Ubuntu 12.04 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2. They also will allow users to run Windows Server 2008 R2 and the Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate. Additionally, through SUSE Studio, customers can rapidly develop cloud-ready applications and automatically launch them on Windows Azure, virtually eliminating inefficient manual processes.

SUSE makes it easy to extend SUSE Linux Enterprise Server-based applications to Windows Azure using the one-click-deployment capabilities of SUSE Studio. SUSE will also include automatic maintenance that keeps SUSE Linux Enterprise Server up-to-date on the most current security patches, bug fixes and new features, so customers can get peak performance efficiently and cost effectively.

An enterprise-class distribution, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on Windows Azure will be backed by a range of support options from SUSE. In addition, it comes with the tools needed to quickly and easily build, deploy and maintain complete, portable, Linux-based application stacks so customers can rapidly scale up or down as needed. During the preview, customers will be charged for Windows Azure Virtual Machine usage on an hourly basis when they run SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on Windows Azure Virtual Machines, so customers pay only for the hours they use.

“As enterprise adoption of Windows Azure and cloud computing grows, the importance of coming together to solve interoperability issues is only growing,” said Sandy Gupta, general manager of the Open Solutions Group at Microsoft, in a statement. “We at Microsoft want to work with the ecosystem of vendors and communities to deliver cloud solutions to customers based on their specific needs and scenarios. Through our continued engagement on technical interoperability with SUSE, we look forward to delivering core value to those running mission-critical, mixed-source IT environments from the data centre and into the cloud.”

Enterprise Open Source

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server delivers the reliability, interoperability and performance customers need in order to easily leverage the benefits of the public cloud. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server has the broadest industry support among enterprise Linux operating systems, with more than 9,200 certified applications from over 1,800 independent software vendors, expanding customer choice in cloud environments.

Through the SUSE Cloud Program, SUSE makes it easy for cloud vendors to offer differentiated services that speed customer acquisition. Many of today’s top global cloud providers offer SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to help IT organisations deliver mission-critical IT services efficiently and cost-effectively in cloud environments. In addition to Microsoft, cloud providers that have joined the SUSE Cloud Program include 1&1, Amazon Web Services, Dell, Fujitsu, IBM, Intel, Tencent, SHI, SGI, Verizon and Vodacom Business.

“By delivering SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in the cloud, SUSE helps companies increase flexibility and resource utilisation while reducing risk,” said Michael Miller, vice president of global marketing and alliances at SUSE, in a statement. “Through our alliance with Microsoft, we are pleased to provide our joint customers the ability to take advantage of the most certified applications of any Linux vendor and a robust solution, such as SUSE Studio, for developing and deploying mission-critical Linux workloads on a pay-per-use basis to Windows Azure.”

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