Centeris Corporation, provider of Linux server management and interoperability software, announced the release of Likewise 2.0. The new version delivers significant updates including new management modules for DNS and firewall management, power-user features including an integrated SSH client, and dynamic distribution support.

Centeris Likewise is a server management solution that makes Windows and Linux work well together, reducing the costs of running a mixed network. System administrators can utilize easy-to-use management tools to configure popular Linux server roles, simplify the day-to-day management of Linux servers, and easily integrate Linux with a Windows network including integration with Microsoft Active Directory.

Likewise 2.0 builds on the award-winning Likewise Management Suite and provides the same ease of installation and ease of use, providing immediate value to system administrators managing a mixed network.

"Likewise 2.0 meets the needs of any mid-sized and enterprise organization that is challenged with running Linux servers in their Windows networks," said Barry Crist, Centeris CEO. "Likewise 2.0 extends both the functionality and momentum of our original version of Likewise. Much of Linux's recent growth has been in mixed Windows environments and organizations are struggling to integrate the two platforms."

Likewise 2.0 provides new management modules including support for BIND DNS, user and group management, and firewall configuration. Using Likewise 2.0, administrators can now setup and configure BIND in minutes using familiar graphical tools. The new module allows users to manage zones for DNS replication, setup forward and reverse zones, and configure popular record types.

Daily administration of Linux is now significantly easier with the new Likewise 2.0 features including graphical tools to view Linux system events, manage processes and services, and a new integrated SSH client for power-users. In addition to simplified administration, Likewise 2.0 runs on more Linux distributions including support for 64-bit Linux versions of Red Hat, SUSE, Fedora, and CentOS distributions.

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