Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab

Last fall, when Microsoft and Novell announced their ground-breaking collaboration agreement, the companies promised to work together to facilitate Windows and Linux interoperability. Part of that agreement included creating a joint research facility. This week, the companies deliver on that promise, announcing the opening of the Microsoft and Novell Interoperability Lab in Cambridge, Mass.

      The lab, headed by Microsoft’s Tom Hanrahan and Novell’s Suzanne Forsberg, joins technical experts from both companies who will collaborate to create new software solutions that let Windows Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) work together. In addition, the lab will solicit customer and community involvement to improve these technologies.

      This lab has been in the works for several months—way back in January, I saw job postings online looking for program managers and software design test engineers. And in May, Hanrahan left Novell to join Microsoft as director of Linux interoperability.

      One of the lab’s first priorities is to ensure interoperability between Microsoft and Novell virtualization technologies. The lab will also focus on standards-based systems management, identity federation, and document format compatibility. Microsoft and Novell intend to include third-party vendors and technologies to create a truly heterogeneous environment to reflect real-life interoperability challenges that enterprise IT customers face. For more information about the lab, see the joint press release at Microsoft’s Web site or Novell’s Web site.