On 10/01/05 11:52 PM, Jon Dunno
Hi, I am operating a small business and am currently running SuSE 9.0.
I want to upgrade my server to the latest, and I assume that I need SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.
You certainly dont need it if your doing fine with 9.0, unless you plan on expanding dramatically and start using enterprise databases such as oracle.
When I purchase Enterprise Server 9, is this the same thing as SuSE 9.2 that I see on my friends laptop but just with more features OS wise? What is the version difference here? Is Enterprise Server really version 9.2?
No SLES doesnt really track the boxed distribution. When you buy SLES, your getting a product with a guranteed lifespan of 5 years, technical support from Suse (if you want), and support for enterprise level such as Oracle and various IBM and Novell releases. SLES also includes some purely server based tools such as a Yast plugin for user mode linux, which if we start giving our students their own virtual servers will make my life so much easier. Its also something I'd love to see included in 9.3 or 10 depending on what numbering convention Suse are using now.
I am using dual xeon intel processors on my server and I want to make sure that I am getting the most bang for my buck. Will Enterprise Server 9 max out my dual CPU performance better than what I got now?
You'll get the intel smp kernel, but thats it, if you want a fully optimised kernel and packages then you'll have to do it yourself, but you'll invalidate any support contract you've purchased. There are much better and easier ways of tuning the performance of your system than rolling your own kernel, however if you do need to do it, and have the skills to do it, then of course you dont need a support contract in the first place.
Is there an upgrade path that will make this easy, or is the preferred method melting down the box and starting over?
Theres no upgrade path at all from 9.0 to SLES. Theres one from 9 to 9.2 which I suspect will be a better choice for you. Regards, Ben