k access to the Internet, the Web, and local Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages. That defines the difference.
Thus, the IntranetWare package includes NetWare 4.11 but moves beyond it with Internet Access Server -- which is a bu
ndling of Novell's IPX/SPX-to-IP gateway, the Multiprotocol Router (MPR), an ftp server, and Netscape's Navigator 2.01 browser. The IPX/IP gateway server allows IPX clients to access the Web without loading a TCP/IP stack on each workstation. Administrators can use NetWare Administrator to configure Internet access on both a port (Web, ftp, or telnet) and IP-address basis.
MPR addresses the emerging need for increased bandwidth, providing software-based wide-area routing with WAN extensions, including ISDN, leased lines, frame relay, and ATM links. All ftp services can be configured for anonymous access, and the Netscape Navigator license can be applied to a more up-to-date version of the browser.
Both packages contain NetWare/IP 2.2 (with DHCP support), NetWare Web Server 2.51, and NetBasic for the Internet. Configuring NetWare/IP requires some knowledge of the Domain Naming System (DNS) and the Domain SAP/RIP Service (DSS), but NetWare automatically migrates the settings on subsequent installations.
NetWare Web Server leverages NetWare Directory Service (NDS), giving administrators control over Web-browser access to documents based on IP address, NDS authentication, or file-based directory-access rights. You can publish static documents for intranet or Internet access or write BASIC or Perl scripts to dynamically serve HTML pages in response to browser requests. Two forms of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) are supported -- a remote version (called RCGI), which can run on multiple platforms, and a local version (called LCGI), which must be coded as a NetWare loadable module (NLM) for faster execution. Java applets and JavaScript round out the programming toolkit.
Standardizing on the Visual Basic-like NetBasic scripting tool makes it easier for developers to use NetWare; Novell's Net2000 APIs expose NDS to access by ActiveX controls, PowerBuilder, Delphi, and other popular tools. The included NetBasic scripting interpreter can extend Web-browser access from read-only to allowing more robust intera
ctive capabilities.
NetWare 4.11 and IntranetWare are available for the same price, so it makes little sense to buy the lesser product. Once you've installed IP services in whatever combination best serves your enterprise, you can make on-line documentation available on the intranet via Novell's proprietary DynaText hypertext reader. The Internet Access Server software documentation is provided in HTML format, while the MPR and NetWare 4.11 text exists only in DynaText format.
Whichever product you choose, Novell has come a great distance in adopting the requirements of both the Web and 32-bit Windows. NetWare/IP and the IPX/IP gateway ease the transition to TCP/IP, while the enhanced Client32 tools seamlessly integrate NetWare services into Windows 95's Network Neighborhood and other system utilities.
What's an Intranet OS?
