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Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server distribution will have the Oracle OCFS Release 2 on-board when it ships to customers.

Oracle announced it will deliver OCFS Release 2 with Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, and the Linux 2.6 kernel. In a statement, Novell extolled the virtues of OCFS 2:

"Oracle Cluster File System Release 2 delivers significant cluster file management improvements that help our customers reduce IT costs without compromising quality or performance," said David Patrick, vice president and general manager, Linux, Open Source Platforms and Services at Novell.

Oracle's Cluster File System, like one introduced by HP, is based on the Lustre open source protocol. Lustre has a place in several of the world's top supercomputers, including BlueGene/L, the number one machine for two years running.

Oracle highlighted one feature of OCFS 2 in its release. In a typical multi-node cluster, admins have to install a software package on each node. With OCFS 2, that install can be made one time and all the nodes can share it.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.