With this release, known internally as version 4.1, the software can authenticate all Linux, Unix and Mac platforms — virtually any non-Microsoft operating system according to the ISV ׫ with Microsoft Active Directory.

Likewise provides identity management solutions designed to improve security and operational efficiencies to help organization with mixed network environments achieve regulatory compliance. Likewise Open presents itself as enterprise solution for authentication with Active Directory by alleviating the challenges inherent in authenticating across multiple platforms.

With this release, Likewise Open supports more than 110 operating systems, quite an increase from the two it supported when it went gold last December. Supported platforms include Mac OS X, SUSE Linux Enterprise, openSUSE, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, AIX, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, Solaris, HP-UX and Ubuntu. The most popular platforms for integration are Unix and other legacy operating systems, with Macs having a strong presence as well, Vice President of Marketing Rosie Hausler told ServerWatch.

The increased platform support is by no means limited to the open source version. The authentication capabilities and interoperability will also be available via a seamless upgrade in Likewise Enterprise.

Likewise Open is available immediately as a free download. Beginning next month, Likewise Open will be included in RHEL 5 and Ubuntu 8.4, Hausler said.

Also new at this time is paid support and maintenance for Likewise Open, Hausler said. Support offerings start from a 10-incident support pack for $2,500 per year, an option that the universities, schools and governmental organizations Hauseler says have been downloading Likewise Open will find beneficial.

Another option for organizations that need more interoperable functionality after downloading and using Likewise Open Spring '08, is that they can quickly and easily upgrade to Likewise Enterprise if they need features such as group policy, audit and reporting.