Monday March 23, 10:04 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Novell, Inc.
Novell Raises Bar for Software Industry, Elevates NetWare Customers
Networking Leader Leaps Ahead with NetWare 5 Beta 3, including World's Fastest Java
Virtual Machine, Oracle8 Database, and Java Console
BRAINSHARE, SALT LAKE CITY, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The intelligent network server platform belongs to Novell. That is
the message as the networking leader kicks off its annual developer conference here today with platform product news that raises the
bar of network performance, scalability, and manageability across the entire software industry. Focusing this first day of the
conference on Novell's NetWare(R) server platform and its support for intelligent network solutions enabled by Novell Directory
Services(TM) (NDS(TM)), Novell today announced:
* The world's fastest Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running server-based
Java applications and services will be included with NetWare 5
* The best-selling database, Oracle8, and the most widely used network
platform, NetWare, will be in the same box
* The third and final beta of NetWare 5 will be available by the end of
April, keeping the new server platform on schedule for mid-year release
and delivering scalable networking services using open standards
''The products are shipping, the benchmarks are in, and the results are clear,'' said Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Novell, Inc.
''Novell is delivering the network server platform against which all others will be measured. By listening to our customers and
focusing on networking, the thing we do better than anyone else, we have brought into sight our goal of leadership in Internet software
by the end of 1998. Our customers will continue to rely on a platform that elevates them above their industry counterparts, enabling
new kinds of solutions and giving them an even broader competitive edge.''
Fastest Java Virtual Machine
NetWare 5 will ship with the world's fastest Java environment. Independent tests by Key Labs, using the VolanoMark benchmark,
certified the NetWare 5 JVM is more than twice as fast as the nearest contender, Microsoft's JVM on Windows NT Server. These
benchmarks were measured using 200 connections running on Intel 300 MHz Pentium II hardware with 128 MB RAM. Preliminary
results also indicate that Novell's JVM is many times faster then Java implementations for leading UNIX systems running on similarly
priced hardware.
This breakthrough in JVM performance positions NetWare as the best server platform for running Java applications, providing users
with fast access to applications and data by eliminating a significant amount of the performance penalty historically associated with
Java applications. In addition, NetWare's server-side Java will allow developers to meet the performance requirements of large
networks and mission critical applications. The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.1.5, including the JVM, is included in NetWare 5
Beta 3 and is also a part of Novell's Open Solutions Architecture(TM) (OSA) SDK.
''Novell's JVM is incredibly fast and provides an excellent server platform for our 100 percent Java-based suite of office information
management applets,'' said Pete Grillo, president of PlusFactor Software, a leading developer of Java applications for small
businesses (www.plusfactor.com). ''Our initial experiences also show Novell's JVM to be very reliable. This breakthrough
performance will definitely help Java applications like our Office Pack suite gain fast acceptance among Novell's huge base of over 70
million customers.''
The Best of Both Worlds
Novell customers will get an integrated, directory-enabled database application solution offering superior performance and
management starting with NetWare 5 Beta 3. With a complete five-user version of Oracle8 included in every box of NetWare 5,
customers will automatically receive a high performance and scalable integrated application platform for deploying applications,
including Java.
Shipping NetWare 5 Beta 3
The new features in the final phase of beta for NetWare 5 enhance its capabilities for developing, deploying and managing network
solutions. The features work in concert with NDS to make NetWare 5 an IP-based enterprise network server platform for managing
heterogeneous network resources such as applications, printers, files, databases, the company intranet and more. Novell will also
continue to support IPX in NetWare 5 for customers who require a mixed environment. New elements in NetWare 5 Beta 3 include the
following:
ConsoleOne -- Code-named ''Houston'' during development, Novell ConsoleOne brings graphical user interface (GUI)
management to the NetWare server console. By leveraging NDS, ConsoleOne provides administrators with flexible,
role-based administration. This common framework is 100 percent Java and integrates Java applets and snap-ins allowing
developers to build network management solutions with a common look and feel.
Enhanced NDS -- NetWare 5 incorporates an enhanced version of NDS, Novell's industry leading directory service. This new
version includes support for the LDAP v.3 (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) standard to ensure customers of
interoperability with other LDAP directories. Also new are directory catalog services to help administrators search the
directory and more quickly access network information. NetWare 5 also provides improved directory performance and
reduced network traffic to speed performance in wide-area networks.
New Installation and Migration -- A newserver setup routine reduces the time customers must spend preparing their server for
a NetWare 5 installation. The Novell Migration Wizard has also been updated and included in NetWare 5 Bola 3 to provide
customers automated migration for their move to NetWare 5.
''We're currently evaluating NetWare 5 on a test network as part of the NetWare 5 beta program,'' said Keith G. Momberg, lead
network analyst at Lockheed Martin. ''Although we have a mix of IP-only and token ring protocols, the most interesting NetWare 5
features we've seen so far are pure IP and Novell Storage Service (NSS). We have servers on our production network with
multi-gigabyte disk arrays and we hope NSS will help ensure our maximum access to that data.''
NetWare 5 Training and Certification
More than 290,000 Certified Novell Administrators (CNA) and 135,000 Certified Novell Engineers (CNE) will be able to upgrade
their skills with new NetWare 5 CNA and CNE certifications. Courses will be available concurrent with product launch at more than
1,450 Novell Authorized Education Centers (NAEC) worldwide.
Prior to the availability of Certification courses, individuals have two opportunities to learn about NetWare 5: a free two-hour product
seminar or a one-day hands-on course available at select NAECs and Novell sales offices worldwide this Spring. For more
information or to locate an NAEC, visit the Novell Education website at http:www//education.novell.com.
Pricing and Availability
NetWare 5 Beta 3 will be available worldwide in April through an open beta program. Customers will be able to register to receive the
NetWare 5 beta 3 CDs from Novell's Web site at novell.com for a fee of $20 (US) to cover handling and
materials,
About Novell
Founded in 1983, Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - news) is the world's leading provider of network software. The company offers a wide
range of network solutions for distributed network, Internet/intranet and small business markets, as well as the network computing
industry's most comprehensive education and technical support programs. Information about Novell and its complete range of
products and services call be accessed on the World Wide Web at novell.com.
Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks and Open Solutions Architecture, Novell Directory Services and NDS tire trademarks of
Novell, Inc. All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the property of their respective holders. |
