“Novell is breaking from tradition and quietly working to add Linux throughout its product and service lines. The move is part of a new multiplatform strategy that de-emphasizes its NetWare-centric vision.” Read the report at eWeek. Update: Novell Inc. is currently evaluating its product suite to determine which of those it wants to open source and will be making a decision on this in the near future.
Novell Embraces Linux Across Product Lines
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What they don’t mention is that NetWare, at least v 5.1 and earlier, installs into a DOS partition. That’s how we run our entire 5.1 shop.
THIS is encouraging.
It is nice to see these guys moving forward.
the mac users out there. The only thing stopping me from moving to a mac environment here is my netware servers. If Novell doesn’t come around soon those too will go the way of the windows machines.
Novell supports mac clients to connect. What type of situation do you have where you can’t connect to the netware servers?
I know for a long time it was not an easy task to let Linux “See” a Novell Server. With the new 6.0 version of netware it is easier. It still seems easier for me to FTP into the Novell Server than to mount the filesystem. I hope Novell continues “innovating” as it has in the past. They seem to have some great ideas and even though they boot off of a DOS partition it is one of the most stable server enviroments one can get. (I know this sounds like a troll and I will probably get feedback for that comment …”what about x-os” But I have ran a Netware Server since 386 and they have always been one of the best NOS in the business!! I am not saying another OS wouldn’t do as good of a job but they seem to be the most complete package for a NOS. As far as the mac client goes, I do think they need a Mac native clien that is free like they do for windows. Most mac Netware clients are pricey!
My old high school uses Netware for clients to be able to access the internet. A few of the Cal students got together and installed linux on a computer, but we couldn’t access the internet because there was no novell client for linux, at least one with the services we needed. This is great news, but I wish it had happened sooner.
Linux is the only way to Novell. M$ stolen the file/print server market with NT/Win2k server and Samba/Linux can do the same for nothing. It is very difficult to sell Novell products with this competition.
Netware is very stable but it suffer from lack of applications. This is a reason to use linux and sell the Novell file/print infrastructure on top of linux.
In the future there are space for only two operating systems: M$ Windows and Linux. Others (BeOS, MacOS, etc) will be at specific market niches.
What utter nonsense. NDS does cut it, and deeply, too. It’s difficult to argue it’s robustness, as it is supporting the largest directory deployments in the world (French government, CNN, Yahoo..). As for versatility, let me just mention that NDS has an extensible schema, and that it already has objects such as gateways, databases, printers, DNS and DHCP servers and ranges, NT domains, ZEN workstations, Win95/98/NT applications etc. (in addition to the more traditional users, groups, roles, servers, volumes etc.).
I sure would like to see what credentials can present the person that farts off such gratuitous nonsense.
Mario: What utter nonsense. NDS does cut it…
No kidding. NDS is far superior to any directory service out there and is absolutely amazing in its power, extensibility, flexibility, and every other positive ility I can think of.
I worked at Novell for almost 3 years (1998 – 2001). The only Novell Products I had ever used prior to that were Netware 3.11 and 3.12. I went in with a somewhat dimmed respect for them and somewhat low expectations. However, when I got there, I found they had some of the most amazing technologies available for the server market; NDS being one of them.
I worked at Microsoft just prior to working at Novell. One reason I wish Novell the best is that Microsoft added nice features to Windows Server for the benefit of Windows. Novell adds outstanding features to their products for the benefit of the customer. Microsoft was better to its employees than Novell was, but almost every dev meeting I went to at Novell was focused on the customer. They really treat their customers well I think.
I wish them luck.
i will be first in line to run a netware server on top of a linux kernel
ive always been a fan of novell, and ive always liked nds.
only reason that we dont run novell here is because the billing software we wanted to use requires ms sql server
will the key layer for all of novel applacation (exepet groupwise ) run on top of and requer E-dir (the lastest nds ) wich run natvily on Linux and avalebel
wich enabels other novel produvt to run on linux
in the time being i’m only aware of “account manger and ZenWork for server” wich will be coming soon ”
and thats it NetWare is nathing more than just the OS that NDS run on top of and sine it is running on linux all you have to wait for is for novel ather products to be ported to linux like ” file/print , iprint , ifolder ” and thats’s it
only reason that we dont run novell here is because the billing software we wanted to use requires ms sql server
Actually, that’s not a good reason not to runn NetWare and/or NDS/eDirectory. All Novell products, expecially NetWare and NDS are designed for integration and multiplatform support. Novell was never for lock-in but for liberation (if you allow me this slightly poetic expression), cooperation and openness. In fact, NetWare integrates very well with Unix servers, Unix clients (through NFS sharing AND mounting, FTP, LDAP, DNS, native Unix-like namespace/filesystem etc.), Mac clients (through native Mac-like namespace/filesystem, Appletalk and client software), Windows 85/98/NT/2000 clients and WinNT/2000 servers, domains and MAD directories (through so many options and technologies that I won’t bother mentioning), IBM mainframes, Sun servers, Linux servers etc. etc. etc.
Novel’s philosophy was always and still is to play ncely with all, and make any network work better. Just look at what ZENworks can do for you.
Maybe Novell can finally get its act together. They spend $$$ and buy the Unix trademark. They develop UnixWare which was before the *BSD’s and Linux really caught on. IMHO at the time it was one of the better OS’s for Intel. SCO and Interactive did not compare. SUN was in the middle of Solaris 1.x/2.x migration
We kept waiting on NetWare to merge into UnixWare but Novell
never really did anything with it.
…BUT they did help Unix by practically giving the Unix trademark to X/Open for the branding program. That was the best thing they could do under the circumstances.
Novell lost its way with Unix/Linux…which indirectly helped to found Caldera. I believe I still have the UnixWare betas
somewhere…
Kinda reminds me of SGI…having one of the best GUI’s
and best user interface and letting everyone catch up and overtake you.
i know, i love novell
but we have no reason to have more than 2 servers (one running terminal services, one running ms sql) (having a novell box just so i get nds really isnt enough of a reason for the novell box)
i do have more servers, but they are all linux servers and are not used for the internal network
I don’t agree that Novell was always about thinking about the customer and integration. If one thinks that, then they probably don’t remember that only IPX was supported at one time. when IP support came out, it was terrible. They launched patches gallore to fix problems in their software and the NDS db was easily corrumpted (monthly DS repairs). Now, however, its is a different story. but done get duped in believing everything was always peachy with Netware.
Also, does anyone remember Ray Noorda? If memory serves me (am I running kingston? 🙂 ) he was the big wig at Netware before 1995 or 1996 and his big push was unixware. He could see that in order to compete with MS that Novell would need a graphical OS client. they were going to integrate it with netware. I even have a ‘YES! It runs with UNIXWARE’ shirt. Well, the Bored (i know) of directors decided that they didn’t want to compete with MS on that market because they would get creamed. Well, Ray was ousted and started Caldera. Wow, how things come ’round .. 🙂 hope you guys enjoyed that history lesson .. (btw: I may be off on some of the details, but it basically went down like that).
ds
Ophibian Why don’t you use NDS for Linux? I think even RedHat is using it internally for their RedHat Network.
Daveho Funny that you complain about Novell’s support for IP, when in fact NetWare had IP much earlier than Windows for Workgroups came out! Generally speaking, I think NetWare’s support of IP was rather roubust, except for native file and print access. When you talk about “terrible” I guess you refer to NetWare/IP. Well, I would agree that it was not nice to configure, but once you did, it worked better than Wins.
As for Ray Noorda, your history lesson is rather accurate.
I didn’t mention Window’s IP implementation because it is still fresh in my mind what would happen to NT3.51 workstations when you attempted to load only TCP/IP during installation — crash/burn. I mean, come on, my little sister can write a better IP stack than MS can .. hehe.. I was comparing it, instead, to my servers runing HP-UX, SCO Unix, and my Alpha’s. 🙂 Talk about spoiled…
btw: thanks for reminding me .. now I have to re-live the memories of winsock errors on 3.11 machines!! Darned trumphet winsock!!
🙂