Fernando asked the 'makers' of SAS whether it should work ok in debian:

Dear Fernando, 

We do not have (and do not formally support) a specific SASv6.5
for Debian. However, many users have installed SASv6.5 on Debian without
problems. It is recommended to try either with the Fedora Core 3 or with 
the Linux Enterprise 4 version. 

The helpdesk 'ticket' number 20352, under SASv6.5_Installation folder, 
direct link:

http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/xmmhelp/SASv6.5_Installation?id=20352;user=guest

contains some practical details from one Debian user that can 
be useful for you as well. He used the Fedora Core 3 distribution.

Should you have further problems or questions, please do not 
hesitate to contact us again

Best regards

Maria