SUSE announces availability of Enterprise Linux Kernel Optimized for Azure

SUSE has announced the availability of the first enterprise Linux kernel tailored for Microsoft Azure. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 on-demand instances now run on a custom-tuned kernel for workloads on Microsoft Azure that provides enhanced performance and faster boot speeds along with a decreased memory footprint. The Azure-tuned kernel enables faster access to new and upcoming Azure features, helping customers to be more agile. SUSE is working with Microsoft and other partners to adapt and secure open-source solutions that allow customers to manage complexity, reduce cost and deliver business-critical services that power digital transformation.

Gerald Pfeifer, Vice-President of Products and Technology Programs, SUSE, says, "SUSE's collaboration with Microsoft is based on meeting customers' evolving needs, enabling innovation and minimizing disruption to their business, Optimized SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for Azure public cloud users is a direct result of SUSE's open, open-source approach to solving real-world customer challenges."

K.Y. Srinivasan, General Manager, Enterprise Open Source Group, Microsoft, says, "We've worked closely with SUSE to ensure customers using SUSE Linux Enterprise Server have a first-class experience with Microsoft Azure. The new Azure-tuned kernel allows those customers to quickly take advantage of new Azure services such as Accelerated Networking with SR-IOV, Write Accelerator and other functionality on a cadence that aligns with the Azure engineering team's release cycle."

Customers can expect SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 to have measurable performance benefits, including a potentially 25-per cent faster network throughput and a 23-per cent reduction in average latency. By default, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 instances on Azure will run on this custom-tuned kernel, although customers have the flexibility to easily switch back to the standard kernel using the package manager, Zypper. In addition to the Azure-tuned kernel, customers using SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on Azure benefit from a number of tools and resources for cloud-native deployments that are part of the SUSE Public Cloud Module, such as the ability to manage Azure resources through a Linux command prompt.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with the Microsoft Azure-tuned kernel is now available in the Azure marketplace with standard pricing and support.