What is our primary use case?
I use Leap as a desktop operating system in my office. I use it primarily for virtualization now, in all of my smaller customer sites, and internally in my new business. I've transitioned away from XEN in favor of KVM, which I've found to be a very stable platform.
I'm now looking into High Availability using Pacemaker, DRBD, LVM, and KVM to form HA Virtualization clusters. Thus far, I'm pleased with the results.
How has it helped my organization?
Leap has provided me with the ability to offer what I consider "Enterprise" class server O/S platforms to my smaller customers who are looking to improve their competitive stances without breaking the bank.
When it was first pitched to me, I was told to think of it as the open-source version of SLES, a bridge between their Enterprise O/S and their cutting-edge platform, Tumbleweed. The benefit it offered was being put through its tested release process, similar to SLES, which basically inferred I was receiving a stable, open-source version of a very powerful and fully supported server-class operating system. I surmised that issues with the O/S would be very few, and anything that I might encounter may already be receiving attention on the SLES side.
Being a big fan of SLES already, I realized how many more doors would be opened for opportunities to offer this platform to smaller SMBs who were looking to venture into virtualization, as well as others who were completely unaware of Virtualization, and the benefits this feature offers. With this in mind, I took a "Leap" of faith and tried it out. I was NOT disappointed, and I'm now a very big fan of Leap!
I have now built my first HA cluster using Pacemaker, DRBD, Clustered LVM, and KVM to host multiple guests in a fully redundant environment, similar to my past work in SLES, and the transition was seamless! I'm very impressed with what I can do with this operating system.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system. I can run multiple guests on "small footprint" hosts using the latest in Intel & AMD technologies, and take advantage of newer storage technologies, such as NVMe, to build lightning-fast hosts the size of a toaster.
I've also been able to provide rock-solid backup solutions such as URBackup, for example, compiled from source, that sits on stable platforms. They simply run until I restart them.
What needs improvement?
Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI. I've found that while all of them are stable, there are glitches that occur from time to time, including lost functionality going from one version to the next. But these issues are more prevalent with the integrated options, and not the O/S itself.
End-users are more accustomed to point-and-click solutions they find on M/S-based operating systems. Linux requires a little more involvement than that, but I've found that SUSE has embraced the notion that similar functionality can be achieved in an 'X' environment as well. It just takes a little more effort to get there.
"Major" mass adoption may not occur until third-party application providers design their applications to run in an 'X' environment, and not just for Windows. This will be dependent on them, as they determine market demand and whether there is any real return. There are those who have provided powerful tools and application suites, such as The Document Foundation's LibreOffice, that are very competitive, and are opening the eyes of regular consumers, which will help in spreading awareness. Time will tell, but I look forward to what the future brings.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using openSUSE leap since it first became available, which is about five years ago. Previously, I was using Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12 in my office and customer environments. I decided to try Leap to see if it lived up to the advertisement.
I was very impressed with what Suse had produced. I'm now a very big fan!
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable, compared to cutting-edge versions of Linux where changes occur quite frequently.
How are customer service and support?
Where possible, I've tried to provide feedback to help future development, which they are always open to receive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I would use these resources on SLES platforms and still plan to for my larger clients. But for those with smaller budgets, Leap is an excellent substitute.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an open-source operating system that can be used free of charge.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Leap has become an excellent substitute for other Virtualization platforms available on the market today.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
