improved installation program automatically detects additional processors, and you can purchase add-on SMP support for as many as 32 CPUs in one server.
I found 4.11's hardware detection to be vastly enhanced; it seamlessly detected a wide range of hard disks, CD-ROM drives, and LAN cards -- even IDE devices. Although I wasn't using an EISA-bus server, the C-Worthy installation program asked for slot numbers for the EISA bus; however, it seemed happy with a random response.
Novell has incorporated a subset of Preferred Systems' popular DS Standard tools, renamed DS Migrate, into NetWare 4.11. This aids modeling and printing and simplifies the migration of more complete NetWare 2.1x, 2.2, or 3.1x bindery information to NetWare Directory Service (NDS). Server files are then migrated with the new File Migration utility, which can run from a Windows 3.1x or Windows 95 NetWare cli
ent. You can still use the DOS-based MIGRATE.EXE, but that legacy tool doesn't include modeling functionality.
NetWare Administrator
(NWAdmin) comes in both Windows 3.1x and Win 95 flavors and takes NDS to the next generation, for the first time allowing administrators to navigate among multiple trees and contexts using graphical drag-and-drop editing. Now you can select any of the trees you're logged in to from the Set Context option in the View menu. Click the Tree icon, and you can view all the trees on the network; you can then graphically select the context rather than having to type it in.
User Templates allow you to specify default values for new users. The Details On Multiple Users option enables you to modify existing property values for multiple objects in one step, and you can configure NWAdmin's toolbar to give you instant access to your favorite tools. NDS Manager (which is an enhanced GUI version of Partition Manager) allows you to create and manage NDS replicas acr
oss the tree; you can also update any or all servers to the latest NDS version across the network.
The improved NetWare Application Launcher (NAL) utility exploits NDS's object technology to streamline application services. You can control access; define directory, icon, and command-line parameters; and define start-up scripts to house drive mappings, print captures, and other settings. Users simply click on the provided icon, and NAL sets up the workstation and launches the application according to the object's properties.
In terms of applications, NetWare 4.11 is much more robust in handling an abnormal end (
abend
) to a NetWare loadable module (NLM) process. The server console now identifies the errant code or hardware problem; you can configure the server to automatically shut down and restart, or you can manually halt the corrupted process and allow more time for cleaning up other tasks. NetWare is still vulnerable to poorly written NLMs, but abend auto-recovery preserves more clues for i
solating the problem.
File and print services are improved in the new release. You can direct NetWare's file services to automatically compress files (selecting by file, directory, or volume), which can cut your disk requirements in half. You can also direct NetWare to automatically move certain data to less expensive storage devices (which is known as built-in hierarchical storage management). The new NPRINTER Manager allows the sharing of printers attached to Win 95 workstations.
To Upgrade or Not?
NetWare is still a high-performance vehicle that requires an on-staff mechanic. Even with improved auto-detection and configuration, this suite of tools does not match Windows NT's user-friendly look and feel. NetWare veterans will appreciate the many administrative enhancements, but more work needs to be done to make the intranet/Internet tools an integral part of the environment.
Novell is positioning NetWare 4.11 as the solution for the significant percentage of its installed b
ase that has no interest in Internet connectivity.
Web Server
is included, however, to whet the appetite of those who recognize the need to wed an intranet with the Internet. With IntranetWare, Novell remains a major player in the network game.
NetWare shops will have no trouble with either version. The bundled applications alone represent a value of thousands of dollars; Web Server, for example, was previously priced at $1595.
But Microsoft, fresh from opening up Netscape's lock on the browser market, can be expected to continue adding value to NT Server. NetWare's Achilles' heel remains its lack of off-the-shelf application support, and Novell seems to be betting the farm that future Java applications will overtake Windows. However, Microsoft's ability to blend its dominant desktop product line with its server tools creates a momentum that may prove to be impossible to blunt.
Product Information
N
etWare 4.11, IntranetWare.....................$1095 upgrade
................................................$495 for five users
Novell, Inc.
Orem, UT
Phone: (800) 453-1267 or (801) 222-6000
Fax: (800) 453-1267
Internet:
http://www.novell.com/
Circle 1063 on Inquiry Card.
Dial 411 for Directory Assistance
