[school-discuss] run microsoft office from a linux server : $4,000 for 100 concurrent user lics.

[mike eschman <meschman@etc-edu.com>]

from http://boston.internet.com/news/article.php/1593991

February 24, 2003
Hosted Windows Apps Coming Online with Linux
By Thor Olavsrud
Fresh from the release of its CrossOver Office, Codeweavers, with a little 
help from application access software provider Tarantella (Quote, Company 
Info), is looking to up the ante by aiming that product at Citrix and 
Microsoft Terminal Server.

CrossOver Officer allows users to run Microsoft Office natively on Linux 
desktops. Based on the WINE Project (of which Codeweavers is a major backer), 
CrossOver Office is intended to allow users to run Lotus Notes, Office 2000, 
Office XP, Quicken and Visio 2000 inside Linux. CrossOver Office Server 
Edition allows organizations to host their Windows applications on Linux 
servers.

That's just fine for clients sitting on Local Area Networks (LANs), Guy 
Churchward, director of marketing and business development for Tarantella, 
told internetnews.com. That's because LANs generally have enough bandwidth to 
handle Windows' feature rich protocols and push them out to clients. But 
Churchward said delivering those apps over the Internet to remote or mobile 
users who deal with low or varying bandwidth is a different story entirely.

That's where Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Tarantella comes in. Tarantella adds its 
Tarantella Enterprise 3 software to the mix, providing a non-intrusive, three 
tier modular architecture to provide universal access to applications. It 
requires no modification of the clients, networks, applications or servers; 
users simply access their applications through a unified web-based interface.

"It allows you to deliver an application in the same way as you deliver a Web 
page," Churchward said. "Any application to any client, anywhere."

The Tarantella software supports industry standard application platform 
protocols RDP, X11, VT, 3270 and 5250, translates on the fly and then 
delivers the applications without modification, using its patented Adaptive 
Internet Protocol (AIP) to deliver consistent LAN performance over a varying 
WAN connection.

Tarantella's software will allow CrossOver Office Server Edition to deliver 
Microsoft Office apps to just about any client. At it's base, Tarantella's 
freely available client software only requires Java to run, but even devices 
that don't have a browser or are incapable of running Java applets can be 
supported, according to Churchward, with a custom binary for native client 
implementation. In some cases, Tarantella has even added features, like its 
native client implementation for Windows CE .NET devices, which adds screen 
re-sizing capabilities to give users a better browsing experience.

Tarantella also adds security features to the mix. Tarantella Enterprise 3 
supports secure access using SSL v3, X.509 Server Certificates to prove 
server identity and prevent main-in-the-middle attacks, secure firewall 
traversal support using SSL tunneling, status and logging capabilities 
interface with corporate reporting and analysis tools, support for web proxy 
servers, including authenticating proxies, built-in authentication against 
RSA SecurID, LDAP, Microsoft Windows Domains and UNIX, support for basic HTTP 
authentication or strong authentication such as Client Certificates, SafeWord 
PremierAccess and Netegrity SiteMinder, support for external SSL 
accelerators, secure connections to application servers using SSH, and 
support for X authorization (Xauth).

"Citrix and Microsoft Terminal Server licenses typically cost hundreds of 
dollars per user," Churchward said. "The CrossOver Officer Server Edition, 
optimized for the Internet, allows cost savings and convenience while 
eliminating the challenge of CAL [client access license] licensing procedures 
and providing freedom from managing Microsoft Terminal Server."

Codeweavers said it will deliver the Internet-optimized version of CrossOver 
Office Server Edition, including a free single user license, to Tarantella 
Enterprise 3 customers. Tarantella is also making free single user licenses 
available.

CrossOver Office Server Edition 1.3.1 goes for $1,195 for the software. A 25 
concurrent user license costs $1,185, with $4,000 for a 100 concurrent user 
license.

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