Novell Gives a Small Office Everything
Despite installation troubles, SBS 5 is a class act, empowering both users and system managers.
by Mike Avery, InfoWorld
September 13, 1999, 5:25 p.m. PT
Novell's Small Business Suite 5 delivers on its promises to small business by making directory services accessible. This program is designed to work for a single site with as many as 50 users, not to be used as a part of an enterprise network. The suite's NetWare 5 has been stripped down to use a single-partition directory service.
At $1,750, Novell's SBS 5 costs $748 less than Microsoft's comparable Small Business Server for a 25-user package. Also, the newly added Zero Effort Networking starter pack helps minimize support costs.
Bundled with SBS is a remarkable array of software, including GroupWise 5.5 for e-mail and groupware, the Novell Internet Connection Expert, the Novell Easy Administration Tool, Netscape Enterprise Web Server for NetWare, Novell BorderManager FastCache Services, and Ragula FatPipes, which allows a server to double the speed of its Internet connection.
SBS 5 also contains several tools, including Oracle 8.04, Network Associates' McAfee NetShield for NetWare, VirusScan, NetObjects Fusion 3.01, Tobit FaxWare 5.11, and NetWare Connect.
Installation Stalls
With SBS 5, installing the operating system is just the beginning. Figuring out what to install and in what order to install it is not easy. Novell should build in more automation and consistency to help inexperienced users, because installation mistakes can have expensive long-term consequences.
I installed Novell's Client32 software on a Windows 95 PC. In another five minutes, I was connected to the server in an Internet Protocol-only network. Once I was connected to the server, the installation process launched the administration tool, which helped create users and groups, set up printers, and install GroupWise.
Every application but GroupWise loaded and ran easily. The installation routine for GroupWise hiccuped when I accidentally bumped a key at the wrong time. The installation didn't complete correctly, and rerunning the installation didn't help. Nor was the Novell sales engineer I talked to able to help.
Several hours later, I deleted everything on the server that looked like part of GroupWise and then restarted the installation. This time, I kept my fingers off the keyboard, and the installation was successful. I was soon sending e-mail locally and via the Internet and scheduling appointments with coworkers. I was very surprised by how clean and easy to use the package is.
The Art of ZEN
The true strength of SBS lies in the integration among the applications, rather than the breadth of the package. An often-overlooked part of NetWare 4 and 5 is the ZEN starter kit. Its pieces work together and increase the suite's advantages.
I haven't seen another package that works as well as the ZEN Novell Application Launcher. This menu system lets users easily find and run the software they are authorized to use. The Application Launcher can also install software. The first time you click on an application, it installs and runs automatically.
Only one major piece is missing from SBS: an office suite.
From start to finish, SBS 5 is a class act. It gives power to users and system managers. Once the installation is over, it doesn't get in the way, it just works. What more can you ask for?
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