First Public Beta for SUSE Manager 4.0!

We are thrilled to announce Beta 1 of SUSE Manager 4.0 for:

• SUSE Manager Server,
• SUSE Manager Proxy,
• SUSE Manager For Retail.

Since SUSE Manager 4.0 Beta is a new Major version, we have a lot to share with you in this announcement and on the dedicated beta web page: https://www.suse.com/betaprogram/manager-beta/

New Upstream Project – Uyuni

SUSE Manager is develop in the open with a new upstream project -> uyuni-project.org.

Base system upgrade to SLES 15 SP1

With the adoption of a unified installer in SLE 15, system roles are the way to customize the installation for each product’s needs. The new SUSE Manager 4.0 system roles provides an easier way to install the Operating System and the SUSE Manager Server, Proxy or Retail Branch Server together with specific pre-configured system settings.

With using SLES 15 SP1, all SUSE Manager code is now ported to run with python3 and openJDK11.

Learn more about SLES 15 SP1 ongoing Beta Program at https://www.suse.com/betaprogram/sle-beta/

Ubuntu Support – Technical Preview

First steps to support management of Ubuntu clients were added to this release (Salt minion based only, for Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04).

Salt packages

Ubuntu salt packages will be provided in our official channels but for now and for testing, they are available via the following URLs:

• Salt for Ubuntu 18.04
• Salt for Ubuntu 16.04

Features

The following features are already in place:

• Bootstrapping and performing initial state runs such as setting repositories and performing profile updates,
  However, the root user on Ubuntu is disabled by default, so in order to use bootstrapping, you will require an existing user with sudo privileges for Python.
• Assigning .deb channels to minions,
• Information displayed in System details pages,
• Package install, update, and remove,
• Package install using Package States,
• Configuration and state channels.

Feedback regarding features listed above would be very appreciated.

How to setup Ubuntu’s Channels

The complete “How to setup Ubuntu’s Channels” is available at: https://www.suse.com/betaprogram/manager-beta/#documentation

Other Highlights

• Salt 2019.2.0 Salt has been upgraded to 2019.2.0, please check the complete Salt 2019.2.0 Release Notes for more details.
• SUSE Manager Proxy versions SUSE Manager Server 4.0 can work with version 3.2 of SUSE Manager Proxy. When upgrading, upgrade the server first, followed by proxies. See the advanced topics manual for detailed upgrade instructions.
• Inter Server Sync When upgrading, upgrade the Inter Server Sync Master first, followed by the Inter Server Sync Slaves.

Requirements

SLES 15 SP1 Beta 4 is required as base OS, you can retrieve it from here.
You will need at least 8 GB of main memory and 100GB of disk space to install the Server and 4 GB of main memory and 100GB of disk space to install the Proxy.

Beta Registration Codes

Registration is not working with your regular SUSE Manager key and special Beta Registration Code is required.

You will need to request one via beta-programs@lists.suse.com.

What’s next?

SUSE Manager 4.0 Beta 2 is scheduled for April 5th, and planned highlights are:

• Compatibility with released client tools,
• Content Lifecycle Management,
• SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 Beta product installation working.

The complete beta schedule can be found at: https://www.suse.com/betaprogram/manager-beta/#releases

We are thankful for your support in trying out our beta products and we welcome your feedback.

Have fun beta testing!

Your SUSE Manager Team