Like buses, you can wait ages for a new Linux distribution to come along only for several to arrive together. SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 is the first of an expected queue of new enterprise Linux packages due out in the next few weeks.

Released well ahead of rival Red Hat's Enterprise Linux 5, the Novell package has everything you'd expect of such a distro including an updated kernel and 'point whatever' updates to each of its open source components, but that's not all. In addition it features subtle but important enhancements to the interface, plus new network, security, management and storage tools, and the first real attempt to make the much vaunted Xen virtualisation technology usable by normal human beings.

Two versions of the new Novell distro are available. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) for - you guessed it - desktop deployment, and a server implementation, unimaginatively called SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES). Unlike alternatives, such as Ubuntu, neither is free, with an annual subscription required to receive support and software updates. However, unlike Red Hat's enterprise product, you can download and trial the software for free and continue using it if you're prepared to forgo the patching and support services.

As in previous releases, the SUSE YaST utility is used to install both desktop and server packages, and it's still one of the slickest and easiest setup utilities around. On the downside a full install can take a long time, but the process is no harder than for Windows and can be automated if you have a lot of desktops to deploy.

Moreover, hardware recognition - a perennial bug-bear when installing Linux on desktop PCs, especially notebooks - is now as good as with Windows. Plus, if you take the defaults you'll end up with a Gnome desktop that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Microsoft equivalent.

The taskbar, for example, now features a Start menu (labelled "Computer" on the Novell desktop), from which you can access all of the installed programs. "Recently used" and "favourites" lists are also to be found here, along with a search facility and tools to show disk usage and network setup. There's even a Windows-like control panel which, if it does nothing else, will help users migrating from the Microsoft platform feel more at home.

But of course it'll take a lot more a few GUI tweaks to do that, so this release also sees enhancements on the networking front to make it easier to browse Windows workgroups and connect to domains. A desktop firewall also comes as standard along with a tool called AppArmor, to protect applications from unauthorised modification. Added to which you get the latest OpenOffice.org productivity suite, the open source Mozilla Firefox Web browser, Novell's Evolution e-mail/groupware client and a whole lot more.

In stark contrast to this wealth of functionality, take the defaults with the server package and you end up with a fairly minimal configuration. Still, that's good for security and it's easy enough to specify additional features during the YaST install, with one-button options, for example, to enable file and printer sharing, configure a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) server and enable Xen virtualisation. It's also relatively easy to add these and other applications later as, unlike some server distros, the Gnome desktop is also installed on servers.

Support for the Oracle Cluster File System 2 (OCFS2) is another new feature in this release along with a cluster-aware volume manager and support for iSCSI SAN technology.

Plus there's the Xen 3.0 virtualisation software which, for the first time, can be integrated into the SUSE Linux platform along with new graphical management tools to make it easier to create and deploy Xen virtual machines. It's not quite as easy as with VMWare and you have to upgrade to the latest Intel and AMD processors to fully exploit what Xen has to offer, but it's a good start.

Indeed the package as a whole is a good starting point for companies looking to migrate to the Linux platform as well as a logical next step for those who've already taken the plunge.

A good first Linux for corporate users and a worthwhile update for existing customers, Suse Linux Enterprise 10 features both the usual kernel and open source updates plus new desktop and server functionality. The desktop, in particular, is now more Windows-like while the server offers enhanced security, management and storage features plus integrated support for Xen 3.0 virtualisation.