Networking Products Under the Microscope -- VARBUsiness labs dissects
a diverse set of equipment that VARs will find sure to please
-- Sat, 5 Dec 1998 02:21 EST
Dec. 04, 1998 (VARBusiness - CMP via COMTEX) -- In this issue, we took
something of a departure from our usual practice by offering three
single-product reviews.
First, we gathered several products that will work well in
departmental networking scenarios, or in the enterprise for that
matter: a network-attached RAID and a heavyweight color laser printer
that also attaches directly to a network.
We didn't stop there, however. We also fired up Novell NetWare 4.2
for Small Business and found it to be a worthy potential competitor for
a similar product that hails from Redmond, Wash.
All in all, this is a solid set of networking products that
VARBusiness Labs recommends to resellers who are setting up customers'
networking infrastructures.
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NetWare for Small Business 4.2
Shipping since the first day of Fall Comdex, the latest version of
NetWare for Small Business, Version 4.2, includes many additions and
extensions that let it compete with Microsoft's NT 4.0 Small Business
Server. Price-wise, a five-client license for NetWare for Small
Business 4.2 costs $1,295, compared with $1,495 for a five-license
version of Microsoft SBS.
NetWare for Small Business 4.2 comes on six CDs, one for the server
installation, one for client installation and several for other bundled
products. We found the product easy to install and get running to the
point that we had a functioning network. It also seemed to us that once
a reseller had configured this product and installed it in a customer
location, the end user could continue to administer it, performing
routine tasks that local administrators need to accomplish, such as
adding users or groups of users.
One of the nice things about the product is that it has a relatively
large maximum-user count (50-twice as large as that for Microsoft's
product), and you can purchase additional licenses for users one at a
time up to that limit. The software includes several bundled products,
including Novell's Border Manager Fast Cache, which speeds up Internet
access; Netscape's FastStart server, which provides Internet services;
virus scanning from McAfee Associates; and NetObjects Fusion for easily
generating Web pages. Those bundled products are provided on a separate
"Partner CD" in the package. On separate CDs are also Oracle8 server
and German company Tobit Software's (www.tobit.com) network fax
software.
We reviewed the Gold Candidate 2 set of disks for most of the
software. We found no glitches in the installation process and were
able to accomplish most of the install and setup chores without
recourse to documentation. Put the server CD in the CD-ROM drive and
the install floppy in the floppy drive, turn the server on, and you're
off and running.
The installation program will format the server drive, installing a
100-MB DOS partition (DR-DOS from Caldera Inc.). It then installs the
NetWare files and starts the NetWare server. During the installation,
the program asked for the name of a driver for the SCSI adapter in the
Compaq Deskpro 6000 that we were using as a server. (Many small
businesses will likely use a simple desktop computer for a file
server.) Thankfully, there was an install option to continue without
naming the driver, which we picked. From there, Install figured out we
had an AH 2940 adapter and installed the driver for it.
The file copy and install took well over two hours, and this was on a
266-MHz machine. In this area, Microsoft's SBS is superior. The NetWare
for Small Business 4.2 install puts in standard NetWare 4.11, along
with the necessary protocols (IPX) and NetWare Loadable Modules to get
the network up and running.
With the installation finished, the server restarted and we were left
with a DOS prompt. At this point, we went on to the client
installation.
The client runs on Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0. Installation puts the
NetWare 32-bit client onto the client system, as well as the
appropriate protocols. The process is automatic, driven by a Quick
Start program that comes on the client CD-ROM disk.
Also on the client disk is an install program for GroupWise 5.2,
Novell's groupware software. It found the GroupWise server on our
NetWare server and put itself into place like a hand in a glove.
Now we were able to use the NetWare Easy Administration Tool, a
Windows-based program, to create groups, add users and so forth. This
tool is very intuitive, with tabbed dialog boxes that guide even
novices in NetWare through setting up a network. We had seven users
(including the administrator) on the network, in about a half hour.
Then we installed the FastStart Internet server, which is on the
Partner disk. Putting this CD in the drive causes an autostart program
to come up with selections for each of the partner programs. We picked
the server, and an install program guided us through the installation
of the Netscape server.
At this point, a reseller would have configured a Novell network for
a small business in roughly three hours. But the VAR could instead
provide any computer-literate user with some simple training and leave
that person to administer the network; the tasks required are within
that user's capability. The VAR would be available, of course, as a
backup network administrator in case of difficulty.
For NetWare VARs, this product is an easy way into small-business
customers, with an inexpensive, easily set up network solution.
VAR FACTS
Product: Novell NetWare for Small Business 4.2
Price: $1,295 (server plus five users; additional users: $70 each.
Upgrade price for five, 10 and 25 users is $695, $995 and $1,695,
respectively.)
In Short: A nice bundle of tools and basic networking software to
provide a solid networking solution for small businesses.
Vendor: Novell Inc. Orem, Utah
(801) 222-6000 - www.novell.com
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By: David Gabel Executive, Technology Editor and Sun Ying Tam,
Technical Director
Copyright 1998 CMP Media Inc.
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