The new service pack of the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 family has been available since today, June 26, 2024. SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 offers the Linux solution of choice for security and compliance in reliable IT environments. This announcement includes the launch of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6, the latest version of the future-proofed, secure, and optimized Linux system, built to run business-critical workloads over the long term across the widest range of environments.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family is here, designed to meet the most stringent security and compliance standards while delivering unparalleled reliability for your IT infrastructure.

Whether you are running mission-critical applications, modern containerized workloads, or edge deployments, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 and the recently launched SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 6.0 are the optimal choices for businesses that demand the best.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise family includes:

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6
• Extensions
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Long Term Service Pack Support 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Long Term Service Pack Support Core 15 SP6

New versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images based on SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 are also available.

Most Reliable and Future-Proof

Uninterrupted Operation for Reliable Business-Critical IT

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 (SLES 15 SP6) ensures your business operations run smoothly with its industry-leading support lifecycle. Built SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 is built to sustain long-term workloads, it offers the longest enterprise Linux lifecycle in the industry. With a focus on maximizing uptime, it integrates advanced features like Live Patching and High Availability (HA) to minimize downtime and ensure continuous operation.

Commitment to Live Patching and High Availability

Our commitment to live patching allows you to apply critical updates without rebooting, ensuring your systems remain secure without interrupting your business operations. The Premium High Availability feature guarantees that your systems are always up and running, no matter the circumstances.

Highest Certification and Seamless Compatibility

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family boasts the highest certifications available, making it the trusted choice for industries with strict compliance requirements. Its seamless compatibility with cutting-edge hardware ensures you can leverage the latest technologies as they emerge.

With the Longest Support

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 has a committed lifecycle until 2037. With 19 years of support since its release, SUSE provides a safe platform to deploy your long-term applications today, ensuring that your IT investment is safe in the longest term.

Runs Anywhere

Versatile Deployment Across All Environments

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family offers unmatched versatility, from traditional on-premise deployments to cloud and edge environments. It supports a consistent code base across various platforms, ensuring smooth operation whether running on Arm, x86, s390x, or Power architectures.

Container and Virtualization Host Support

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 is optimized for modern workloads, including containers and virtualization. It supports container images, libraries, and development environments, allowing you to build and deploy applications efficiently. With specialized optimizations for workloads like SAP, this suite ensures the highest performance and reliability for your critical applications.

Secure and Compliant

Building a Secure and Compliant Infrastructure

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family provides a robust foundation for a secure and compliant IT environment. It helps de-risk compliance assurance and minimizes liability associated with open-source software usage.
Certification-Evaluated Secure Software Supply Chain.  The former blog explains why “An Enterprise Linux Platform is the choice for Security and Compliance in IT˝.

Certification-Evaluated Secure Software Supply Chain

SUSE’s software supply chain, in which SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family is build, has been evaluated at EAL4+, ensuring a secure and trustworthy infrastructure. This includes all the SUSE deliverables not only the Linux OS but also his patches and other open-source components provided by SUSE, like container images, development tools, and libraries.

Advanced Security Features

With enhanced Confidential Computing capabilities, like the added support to Intel TDX in Azure, the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family protects sensitive data across hosts and guests. It also includes comprehensive security certifications and hardening practices, providing best-practice guides to ensure your systems are secure. To learn more about Confidential Computing and how SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can help you to ensure your innovation and safeguard your systems read the blog “Confidential Computing. Enabling enterprise innovation while securing your data.”

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing SP6

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 is now delivered as a module of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6, adding to all the new capabilities and features of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server the packages that are needed for any HPC environment.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 (SLES for SAP 15 SP6) is the next service patch of the leading OS for a secure and reliable SAP platform. Endorsed for SAP implementations, it future-proofs SAP projects, offering uninterrupted business operations while minimizing operational risks and costs. As the secure foundation for SAP projects, from the data center to the SAP cloud, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is the preferred choice of SAP customers and partners. It provides a proven OS designed to secure SAP project investments, ensuring the continuous operation of SAP infrastructure and simplifying SAP IT operations. This platform guarantees the highest certifications, aligns with best practices, and offers long-term support for the most demanding SAP scenarios.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 15 SP6 is adding:

• New Trento capabilities to safeguard your SAP systems. It adds Saptune web integration and new configuration check capabilities at the host level and for ASCS/ERS clusters. In this last version, Trento can be installed on non-Kubernetes environments. Also, it adds scanning of available software updates (via integration with SUSE Manager).
• SAP HANA High Availability
• Newly developed HANA resource agents (SAPHanaSR-angi) with new features: SAPHanaTopology, SAPHana, and/or SAPHanaController become infrastructure awareness, reacting on infrastructure failures that are not handled by SAPHanaSR, e.g., NFS filesystem issues
• Improving SAP virtualization support with new validations for HANA on KVM for specific hardware combinations
• Support for Ansible playbooks for SAP deployment, which will be available in PackageHub

New versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images

With the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6, we are excited to announce the availability of new versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images. These updated container images bring all the benefits of the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise release, ensuring your containerized environments are as secure, compliant, and reliable as your traditional IT infrastructure. You can download the SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images from the trusted SUSE registry.

What’s New in SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6

Major Kernel Update and Hardware Refreshment

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family features a major kernel update to version 6.4, providing significant enhancements in performance and security. This update includes a comprehensive hardware and drivers refresh and optimizations for Intel, AMD, Arm, NVidia, IBM Power, and IBM Z platforms.

• Memory Management Upgrades and File System Improvements
  SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 offers advanced memory management upgrades and file systems improvements, ensuring more efficient resource utilization and better performance for your critical workloads.
• Networking Performance Improvements
  Networking performance has been significantly enhanced in SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6, providing faster and more reliable network operations across various environments.
• Support for Intel’s Eagle Stream and Birch Stream Platforms
  The latest Intel Eagle Stream and Birch Stream platforms are fully supported, ensuring you can leverage the latest advancements in Intel technology for your IT infrastructure.

Enhanced Security Features

SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 introduces several new security features, including future-proof encryption support with post-quantum cryptography (OpenSSL 3.1) and a 4096-bit signing key. It complies with governmental standards such as Common Criteria (CC) and FIPS 140-3, ensuring your systems meet the highest security requirements.

• Confidential Computing Enhancements
  Confidential Computing is now supported both as a guest and host, with added support for Intel TDX in Azure. There is also a tech preview of host support for Intel TDX and AMD SEV SNP, providing enhanced data protection across various environments.
• post-quantum cryptography
  With OpenSSL 3.1 and a 4096-bit signing key.
• Enhanced Security Configurations
  SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 includes enhanced security configurations, providing best-practice guides and robust hardening practices to secure your IT infrastructure.

Other upgrades

• Streamlined Development
  Development is more streamlined than ever, with toolchains and libraries on par with upstream, updated container tooling, and enhanced base container images. The SLE BCI base container images are now fully supported, with recent versions and new application images added.
• Updates of Key Components
  Key components have been updated, including:
  Kernel 6.4,  Glibc 2.38, OpenSSL 3.1 (default), OpenSSH 9.6, Systemd v254, using cgroups v2 by default (v1 still available). Other stacks across the board, including virtualization and Samba, have also been upgraded.
• Upgraded Databases for Improved Performance and Reliability
  MariaDB 10.11, PostgreSQL 17, and Redis 7.2
• New development tools and environments include:
  PHP 8.2, Node.js 20, OpenJDK 21, always the latest Go and Rust (Continuous updates of Rust and Go toolchains) and Python 3.6 + 3.11 (Recent 3.11 Python version supported in parallel to the system Python 3.6)

Conclusion

The just released Service Pack 6 for the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 family, which includes the leading SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications operating systems and the extensions, is the choice for organizations looking to deploy today’s long-term business-critical workloads to obtain a more secure IT infrastructure while ensuring high availability and seamless compatibility across various environments. Its robust feature set, combined with industry-leading support and certifications, makes it the go-to solution to future-proof your business operations. Experience the next level of security, compliance, and reliability with the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family.

For more info, visit https://www.suse.com/server