Linux Conversations | Episode 2: The Future of SUSE Multi-Linux with Johannes Hahn

Welcome to Linux Conversations with SUSE Experts, a blog series where we talk with the brilliant minds behind SUSE Linux. In each post, we present a transcript of a conversation that explores real-world insights, innovations, and best practices in the enterprise Linux world, including how it is created and supported.

Today, we sit down with Johannes Hahn, Director of Engineering for SUSE Multi-Linux, which includes SUSE Multi-Linux Manager and SUSE Multi-Linux Support, and Rick Spencer, General Manager of SUSE Linux, to discuss the future of Multi-Linux, the evolving challenges of enterprise Linux environments, and how SUSE is preparing for what’s next.

Interview Transcript:

Rick Spencer: All right, we are going. So, Johannes, thank you for joining.

Johannes Hahn: Hey Rick, thanks for having me. I’m happy to be here. My name is Johannes, and I joined SUSE 14 years ago. That’s the longest time I’ve ever worked at one company. My background is in software engineering, and I’ve always been passionate about Linux and open source software. I joined SUSE when the team started developing a management product in 2011, which used a Java codebase that fit my skills and interests at that time perfectly.

Rick Spencer: Yeah, you slipped in through the Java back door, right?

Johannes Hahn: Exactly! Back then, most developers at SUSE were more familiar with Perl and Bash, so Java seemed a bit intimidating for them. I helped the team to get more familiar with it. Around that time, we released the first version of SUSE Manager, which later evolved into SUSE Multi-Linux Manager.

Rick Spencer: So, can you explain what SUSE Multi-Linux Manager does?

Johannes Hahn: Sure! Imagine you have a data center or cloud infrastructure running various Linux distributions. SUSE Multi-Linux Manager helps you manage these environments by providing an inventory of your systems, tracking installed software and identifying security vulnerabilities. It also supports patching, configuration management, and provisioning across different distributions.

Rick Spencer: So if you have five different Linux distributions running, SUSE Multi-Linux Manager can help with that?

Johannes Hahn: Absolutely. We’ve worked with companies running a variety  of distributions, including Red Hat, Ubuntu, and obviously the different flavors of SUSE Linux (inc. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server). The tool allows you to detect vulnerabilities across many of them, starting with our upcoming release, even when patches aren’t available yet, helping teams take proactive mitigation steps.

Rick Spencer: That sounds like a game-changer for IT teams. And you mentioned provisioning and content mirroring?

Johannes Hahn: Right. SUSE Multi-Linux Manager can mirror software packages from upstream sources into a company’s internal infrastructure. This comes with features to help organizations filter and distribute updates across development, testing, and production environments. We’ve seen great adoption of the provisioning capabilities in sectors like retail, where customers use it to manage a number close to one hundred thousand of systems across distributed locations.

Rick Spencer: Wow. One hundred thousand?

Johannes Hahn: Nearly one of our largest customers manages over 90,000 Linux instances with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager.

Rick Spencer: Let’s switch gears and talk about SUSE Multi-Linux Support. How does that relate to systems management?

Johannes Hahn: SUSE Multi-Linux Support is more about ensuring that enterprises receive timely updates and patches for their various Linux distributions, including RHEL and CentOS, even after their official support has ended. For example, if you’re running CentOS that has reached its end-of-life, SUSE can provide updates through SUSE Multi-Linux Support. It integrates seamlessly with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager to manage and distribute these updates across the infrastructure.

Rick Spencer: So, the server stays running, but the update source changes?

Johannes Hahn: Exactly. No need to reinstall or migrate workloads. The patch delivery just switches to SUSE’s infrastructure. This is particularly valuable for enterprises that rely on legacy systems.

Rick Spencer: And there’s an open-source component to this work, right?

Johannes Hahn: Absolutely. We worked with an upstream project called Spacewalk in the past, and forked it to create Uyuni, which serves as the open-source foundation for SUSE Multi-Linux Manager. We modernized most of its components, including the backend and frontend, and we’ve built an active community around it. Contributing upstream remains a core part of our strategy, and all our development work is going into the upstream project first.

Rick Spencer: Fascinating. Any final thoughts?

Johannes Hahn: Just that Linux environments are becoming more diverse, not less. We believe SUSE Multi-Linux Manager and SUSE Multi-Linux Support will continue to play a critical role in helping enterprises maintain secure, efficient, and flexible infrastructures.

Conclusion:

As Linux infrastructures grow in complexity, tools like SUSE Multi-Linux Manager and SUSE Multi-Linux Support become indispensable for simplifying management and ensuring security. SUSE remains committed to supporting enterprises through these changes with reliable, innovative, and open-source-driven solutions.

Stay tuned for more interviews in our Linux Conversations series. Follow our blog or subscribe for the latest insights from SUSE Linux experts.

*Disclaimer: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability.*