# newbie question: licensing
**URL:** https://forums.suse.com/t/newbie-question-licensing/21744
**Category:** SLE Software Developer Kit (SDK)
**Created:** [April 6, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/newbie-question-licensing/21744 "2010-04-06T20:16:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@System1](https://forums.suse.com/u/System1)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/newbie-question-licensing/21744/1 "2010-04-06T20:16:03Z")
I know a little about unix & linux in general, but I am new to the ways
of Novell.
1. Can you give me a pointer to the difference between just SLES and
SLES DSK? Googling SLES SDK turns up this forum, and not much else.
2. I’m looking for a license option that will let me get my team
started on learning linux - specifically some of the products we sell
run on SLES. So we need to do training, research, and software
development.
None of this runs in production.
All the license things I’ve read seem clear as mud.
Is this as simple as just using an eval-copy of SLES and not worrying
about updates / subscriptions because it is in a throw-away virtual
machine?
A typical user is running Windows on their laptop and would need SLES
in a virtual machine. Is that practical?
## – jgreve
jgreve’s Profile: [http://forums.novell.com/member.php?userid=82615](http://forums.novell.com/member.php?userid=82615)
View this thread: [http://forums.novell.com/showthread.php?t=406893](http://forums.novell.com/showthread.php?t=406893)
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forums.suse.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/newbie-question-licensing/21744/2 "2010-04-07T12:53:55Z")
On 06/04/2010 18:16, jgreve wrote:
[color=blue]
> I know a little about unix & linux in general, but I am new to the ways
> of Novell.
>
> 1. Can you give me a pointer to the difference between just SLES and
> SLES DSK? Googling SLES SDK turns up this forum, and not much else.[/color]
[http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php/SLES\_SDK](http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php/SLES_SDK) has some info about
the SDK though more so for SLES9 than the later SLES10 and SLES11 but it
still applies.
To use the SDK for, say, SLES11 you’ll need to install SLES11 (or SLED11
- the desktop “edition”) beforehand.
[color=blue]
> 1. I’m looking for a license option that will let me get my team
> started on learning linux - specifically some of the products we sell
> run on SLES. So we need to do training, research, and software
> development.
> None of this runs in production.
> All the license things I’ve read seem clear as mud.
>
> Is this as simple as just using an eval-copy of SLES and not worrying
> about updates / subscriptions because it is in a throw-away virtual
> machine?[/color]
Pretty much, yes. The evaluations available via [download.novell.com](http://download.novell.com) are
full versions but the activation codes are only valid for 60 days which
means you only get updates via [novell.com](http://novell.com) for those 60 days.
What I’m not sure about is whether you can then request another
evaluation code as evaluation codes as I think they are tied to expiry
dates rather than run for 60 days from date of use … I’ll ask.
[color=blue]
> A typical user is running Windows on their laptop and would need SLES
> in a virtual machine. Is that practical?[/color]
Yes it’s practical (though I guess it does depend on what/how you are
developing).
SLES will certainly play nice when virtualised whether that be with
VMware (free Player, Workstation or Fusion on Mac), Parallels or some
other virtualisation product.
Be aware that if you’re developing for Open Enterprise Server 2 (or
perhaps want your solution to be able to run on OES2) then you should
develop against SLES10 rather than SLES11.
## HTH.
Simon
Novell Knowledge Partner (NKP)
* * *
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.suse.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/newbie-question-licensing/21744/3 "2010-04-07T22:46:02Z")
Thank you, Simon!
Very helpful - just what I was looking for.
John
## – jgreve
jgreve’s Profile: [http://forums.novell.com/member.php?userid=82615](http://forums.novell.com/member.php?userid=82615)
View this thread: [http://forums.novell.com/showthread.php?t=406893](http://forums.novell.com/showthread.php?t=406893)