Suse Linux has launched its OpenExchange email and groupware software. The move is of special interest because the new suite is the first packaged application to be built for the UnitedLinux server software platform.

UnitedLinux is produced by a consortium of Linux vendors including Suse and SCO. The consortium aims to produce a version of the Linux operating system that is upgraded only every 18 months to provide a more stable platform for enterprise applications. In the past some firms have had difficulty keeping pace with the frequent changes made to the Linux distributions.

Jasmin Ul-Haque, director of Suse UK, said, "Suse Linux OpenExchange Server 4 is our latest email server system. It offers powerful groupware functionality both through its Web interface and to client PCs running Microsoft Outlook."

The main benefits to firms using OpenExchange would be greatly reduced deployment and management costs compared with other Linux-based systems, Ul-Haque said. Firms can also expect huge savings in licensing costs and hardware requirements compared with commercial alternatives. "The strong interest we are seeing for this product shows there is a gap in the market for a reliable and fairly-priced alternative to Exchange," said Ul-Haque.

In tests by IT Week Labs, it took less than an hour to install the entire software bundle. This produced a functional email and groupware system supporting access via Post Office Protocol (POP) client software such as Microsoft Outlook as well as Web browsers.

The system is based on two popular open-source mail programs - the Postfix mail transport agent and Cygnus POP and Imap email server - and is managed by a simple Web-based interface, which is hosted by an Apache Web server.

While OpenExchange server is based on open-source technologies, it also includes the Comfire commercial communications software, which provides support for groupware functions such as the address book and calendar in Microsoft Outlook. Ul-Haque said the commercial software was distributed under a similar licence to the open-source Linux software. "Firms can use the software freely, but we do charge for the automatic update system and technical support," she said.

Suse Linux OpenExchange Server 4 costs £806 + VAT for an unlimited number of email users.

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