Software company Likewise announces open-source software to share files among Linux, Mac, and Windows computers.
Integration and identity
management solutions provider Likewise announced it would offer open-source
software to share files among Linux, Mac and Windows computers by using Server
Message Block, the networking protocol for file and print services known as SMB
and CIFS. The file server will include support for the SMB2 protocol to provide
access to files across servers and clients running different operating systems,
such as Linux and Windows.
The company said Likewise-CIFS,
available in beta today, and in Likewise Open 5.2 under GPLv2 licensing terms, would
be the only commercially supported CIFS/SMB file server available to storage
vendors and enterprises. Likewise will also license the software under
commercial terms that allow an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), to embed
the product in its network attached storage software or its network appliance.
Likewise provides integration
and identity management solutions to improve security and operational
efficiencies and to help achieve regulatory compliance in mixed networks.
Likewise Open lets organizations securely authenticate Linux, Unix and Mac
systems with Microsoft Active Directory. Likewise Enterprise includes all the
core authentication technology that comes with Likewise Open, plus migration,
group policy, auditing and reporting modules.
"Likewise-CIFS is an
important building block of our distributed systems foundation that we are
creating across Linux, Unix, Mac, and Windows platforms," said Likewise
CEO Barry Crist. "By delivering significant performance advantages as well
as providing SMB2 support, Likewise-CIFS offers the highest performance option
for technology companies that require a cross-platform file server."
Earlier this year, the
company announced its Likewise Enterprise offering would ship as part of SUSE
Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 from Novell. Likewise Enterprise securely connects
computers running SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 with Microsoft Active
Directory -- making it easier to authenticate users, control access to
applications and data, centrally manage settings with group policies and create
reports for regulatory audits.
The group policies in
Likewise Enterprise let system administrators manage the security settings of
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop computers and users from a central system.
Likewise Enterprise also includes GNOME group policies to control SUSE Linux
Enterprise Desktop user and computer settings -- policies that are based on the
GNOME GConf project to define preferences like the default web browser or when
to lock down a desktop.
Under the terms of the agreement
between Likewise and Novell, all Novell customers who buy SUSE Linux Enterprise
Desktop 11 will get Likewise Enterprise, and it will be part of the SUSE Linux
Enterprise Desktop software repositories. Likewise Enterprise is offered as an upgrade
for customers who have installed Likewise Open and want to use group policies
to manage their mixed environment and use the auditing features of Likewise
Enterprise to view access reports. The auditing features help companies comply
with regulatory requirements, such as those of Sarbanes-Oxley.
Join us on February 1 for an encore rebroadcast at either 5 am or 12 noon EST and discover how business intelligence (BI) supports companies in uncertain business and economic
climates. Get expert advice on how to create a strategy that fits your organization's needs and budget and see how quickly it can pay for itself.
Midmarket News & Reviews 
