JBoss and Novell to Support Novell exteNd Customers Leveraging JBoss Application Server.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Companies Will Collaborate to Provide Full Range of Technical and Professional Services 

JBoss(R), Inc., provider of the most popular Java(TM) application server, and Novell today announced a strategic alliance to enable Novell(R) exteNd(TM) customers to deploy SOA-based applications to the open source JBoss Application Server. Under the terms of the agreement, Novell will provide technical support for customers deploying on JBoss Application Server, backed by JBoss, Inc. As a JBoss Authorized Service Partner (JASP), Novell will collaborate with JBoss to provide enterprise-level services, such as training, consulting and custom programming, for Novell customers.

The move to provide a full array of support and services for Novell customers using the open source JBoss Application Server reinforces Novell's strategy of offering customers a range of open source alternatives and support for all market-leading platforms. Support for Novell exteNd on the JBoss Application Server will be available by the end of 2004.

"Novell's partnership with JBoss is a natural extension of our open source strategy and provides an additional, market-leading deployment platform for our customers who are looking to leverage their identity-centric infrastructure with service-oriented applications," said Frank Auger, Novell vice president of product management and marketing for Novell exteNd and Nsure(TM). "This relationship enhances Novell's ability to promote open source as a viable alternative for organizations that want to take advantage of the flexibility provided by these products."

Bob Bickel, vice president of corporate strategy and development, JBoss, Inc., said, "Novell's long history of providing top-notch customer support and a deep understanding of the Web services and SOA market make them an ideal partner for our joint customers. Additionally, Novell's strong commitment to offering customers an open source choice shines through in its selection of JBoss as a strategic partner for services and technical support."

Novell exteNd is a comprehensive suite for the rapid development and deployment of service-oriented Web applications. With Novell exteNd, corporate application developers can powerfully combine identity, integration and portal services to deliver SOA-based applications on a broad range of application servers and platforms, including Linux(a).

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell Nsure), Web application development (Novell exteNd) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise(TM)), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell Ngage(SM)). Active in the open source community with its Ximian(R) and SUSE(R) LINUX brands, Novell provides a full range of Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell's vision of one Net--a world without information boundaries--helps customers realize the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com. Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

About JBoss, Inc.

JBoss, Inc. is dedicated to delivering on the vision of Professional Open Source. The company brings together core developers of the JBoss Application Server and related open source technologies, such as Tomcat, Hibernate and JGroups, to provide expert production and development support, training, consulting and documentation. JBoss has been downloaded more than four million times since its release in 2001 and is now deployed in nearly 30 percent of development and production environments, making it the industry's fastest growing Java-based application server in use. Companies such as Corporate Express, EA Games, La Quinta and Nielsen Media Research use JBoss in production. Partners offering JBoss alongside or embedded in their products include Apple, Borland, HP, IONA, Unisys and webMethods. JBoss has headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. and Neuchatel, Switzerland. For additional information, please visit www.jboss.com.

JBoss is a registered trademark and JBossCache is a trademark of JBoss, Inc. Novell and Ximian are registered trademarks; Nsure, exteNd and Nterprise are trademarks; and Ngage is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE LINUX AG, a Novell company. Java is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the United States and other countries. (a) All other trademarks or registered trademarks herein are property of their respective owners.