Novell's Internet/IntranetWare Connection

BorderManager links Internet and IntranetWare, but it doesn't go far enough.

William Wong

Novell's new BorderManager weds NetWare/IntranetWare networks with the Internet in an interesting marriage of technologies. The late beta I evaluated had something old, something new, and something borrowed.

BorderManager bundles technologies previously available only as part of other Novell products; Novell's multiprotocol router and IPX-to-IP gateway are something old. Something new includes virtual private network (VPN) support, a firewa ll, and caching. Novell even borrowed a 45-day evaluation version of Microsystems Software's URL-filtering software, CyberPatrol.

Though Novell would have you believe BorderManager works for everyone, the same tight integration with Novell products and standards that's a turn-on for NetWare administrators will be a turn-off for practically everyone else. BorderManager uses the Novell Directory Services (NDS) to provide a centralized solution for dealing with network security and management for all components, even for networks with multiple BorderManager servers. The firewall supports packet filtering, circuit gateways, and application proxies, with access controls for packet, host, application, and content. BorderManager uses the Internet Caching Protocol (ICP) to cache pages from multiple local Web servers hierarchically for distribution to the Internet.

BorderManager's VPN support works only between BorderManager servers, though support for VPN remote client connection to IntranetWare networks is in the works. Novell Internet Access Server (NIAS) includes multiprotocol routing support for IPX and IP and IP-to-IP network address translation (NAT). NAT reduces security exposure by essentially "stealthing" internal network structures; attackers can't hack systems they can't see.

Novell has added snappy Windows GUIs to centralized management, monitoring, and reporting tools, although the server-based configuration and administration tools still sport dreary character-based UIs. ClearView, a GUI management tool, centrally monitors and controls dial-in network connections with real-time graphical displays, but Novell old-timers might prefer BorderManager's NetWare loadable modules (NLMs), which can overwhelm the uninitiated.

BorderManager's IPX support lets you integrate IPX and IP networks with minimal client reconfiguration. Ultimately, this software is not for casual network managers; it requires patience, planning, and a strong background in data communications, NDS, and IntranetWare to make BorderManager hum. It does provide some of the services needed to boost IntranetWare into TCP/IP internetworking, but non-NetWare administrators have little compelling reason to consider it, and harried techs at smaller NetWare shops may find it too complex.

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Where to Find

BorderManager.................Starts at $2495 for five network users

(includes required two-user
 run-time version of 
 IntranetWare 4.11)
Novell
Orem, UT
Phone:    801-222-6000
Internet: 
http://www.novell.com

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Ratings

Technology	*	*	*	*	*
Implementation	*	*	*	*
Key: ***** Outstanding, **** Very Good, *** Good, ** Fair, * Poor

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With a ClearView, You Control and Monitor

screen_link (22 Kbytes)

ClearView provides a central Windows-based tool for monitoring and controlling current links to the dial-up communication server.

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William Wong ( bwong@voicenet.com ) is a computer consultant and author.