Novell is expanding its SUSE Linux Appliance program by way of a new partnership with database vendor Ingres. The partnership is an effort to let ISVs rapidly package and deploy Linux based software appliances with the Ingres database.

Prior to the partnership, SUSE Studio Appliance program could have enabled developers and ISVs to build their own Linux powered appliances including a database, though it might have been a more time-consuming process according to Novell.

"This is the next logical step in the appliance program to work with partners to build out an ecosystem around software appliances," Matt Richards, director of emerging technology at Novell, told InternetNews.com. "From our perspective, this expands the applicability of our appliance program from a very generic to a very specific Ingres use-case."

Novell's Linux software appliance efforts date back to mid-2009 with the first public release of the SUSE Studio online service. Since then over a quarter of a million software appliances have been built online providing a combination of Linux and applications for developers and ISV's.

At the beginning of this year, Novell added an on-premise version of the service as well as a Lifecycle Management Server to manage appliance updates.

While previous iterations of SUSE Studio enabled developers to build in databases as part of the solution, Richards noted that the new partnership with Ingres makes it easier. As part of the Ingres partnership, Novell now has a SUSE Studio Appliance Template for Ingres Database that removes a number of the step users previously needed to complete in order to include an Ingres database.

Richards explained that prior to the partnership a developer would have had to do upload their own Ingres database to SUSE Studio. Then the developer would have been responsible for making sure it was properly integrated and that all the other Linux package dependencies were resolved.

"In the end that wasn't a lengthy process but it was a process that needed to be done," Richards said. "What you can do now is just go into SUSE Studio and instead of starting with a blank template you can start with Ingres already installed with all the package dependencies taken care of by us."

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