Novell released OES 1, the first version of OES, on 25 March 2005.[2] Since some users wanted backward compatibility with NetWare, Novell offered two installation options: OES-NetWare and OES-Linux. These are two different operating systems with different kernels and different userlands.
OES-Linux is based on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) with added NetWare services ported to the Linux kernel: e.g. the NetWare Core Protocol, Novell eDirectory, Novell Storage Services, and iPrint.
Novell released OES 2, the second version of OES, on 12 October 2007. It was the first SLES-Linux-kernel-only OES, but it retained the OES-NetWare operating system option, as NetWare 6.5 SP7 can run as a paravirtualizedguest inside the Xenhypervisor. The SLES base of the OES 2 was later updated to SLES 10 SP1.
OES 11 was released on 12 December 2011 based on SLES 11 SP1 64-bit. The NetWare Kernel was removed after OES 2. This is the first version of OES to be 64-bit (x86_64) only. NetWare 6.5 SP8 was still possible to run as a 32-bit only para-virtualizedguest inside the Xenhypervisor.
Introduces Novell Kanaka for Mac client
Uses Zypper tool to patch up to 100 times faster than OES2
Added Automated / Unattended Upgrades from OES2
New Novell Linux Volume Manager ( NLVM) provides easier storage management
OES 2015 was released on 31 August 2015, added new features and improved performance.[7]
OES 2015 SP1 was released on 14 June 2016 and was the first to be rebranded Micro Focus[8] after Micro Focus purchased The Attachmate Group which included Novell.
Micro Focus released OES 2018 in November 2017, with three service releases (the last being OES 2018 SP3 in July 2021). All releases were all based on SLES 12 and its service packs.
While SUSE was sold by Micro Focus in 2018,[9] SLES support and updates are included with an OES installation, provided at least one OES component is installed.
OES 2023 was released in October 2022, using a base of SLES 15 SP4. It includes a new Unified Management Console (UMC) to supersede iManager for server management, TLS 1.3 support and was bundled with NetIQ eDirectory 9.2.7.[10]
Breaking with previous convention, OES 23.4 (rather than SP1) was released in October 2023, and was rebranded to OpenText,[11] after their purchase of Micro Focus earlier in the year. General support was extended to 3 years from the usual 2 years of previous releases.[12]
^Emerson Process Management (October 31, 2023). "OpenEnterpriseTM SCADA Suite"(PDF). Emerson. Archived(PDF) from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^Rouse, Margaret (December 21, 2011). "Open Enterprise Server". Techopedia. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^Hewlett Packard Enterprise (October 21, 2005). "Open Enterprise Server (OES)"(PDF). Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Imbedded PDF). Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
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Harris, Jeffrey (2005). Novell Open Enterprise Server Administrator's Handbook, NetWare Edition. Novell Press. Pearson Education. ISBN9780672332784. Retrieved 2015-02-15. Automatic Client Upgrade[:] Although the Client Upgrade Agent has largely replaced this functionality, Novell still offers the ACU feature to automate the upgrade of multiple existing workstations to the latest Novell client.
Williams, Jason; Peter Clegg; Emmett Dulaney (2005). Expanding Choice: Moving to Linux and Open Source with Novell Open Enterprise Server. Novell Press. ISBN978-0-672-32722-3.
Simpson, Ted (2006). Hands-On Novell Open Enterprise Server for Netware and Linux. Course Technology. ISBN978-1-4188-3531-6.