Novell Offers Up Netware 6 Beta

Novell has made available for purchase Netware 6.0 Beta 3. Based upon Internet standards such as XML, WAP, JAVA, and HTML, Netware 6.0 provides access to resources over any device - delivering on the promise of the company's One Net initiative. Using Novell's new iPrint and iFolder technologies, files can be reviewed and printed from any given location through a browser. Besides the Internet-centric features, new functionality includes portal services and the ability to support up to 32 clustered servers. Scalability and performance are key concerns in this release.

Gone is the requirement to install software on a client in order to gain access network resources. Novell's Network Storage Service (NSS) has been upgraded to allow servers to boot from NSS formatted volumes, and plug in modules are available to easily support non native file systems. Netware will be able to unify networks whether or not they run differing platforms.

The attention Novell has paid toward the Internet cannot be ignored. Netware 6 promises to compete against offerings from Microsoft including Windows 2000 Datacenter and .NET-enabled technologies. Company officials have stressed the importance of this release given the dismal reception customers gave Netware 5.x. This third beta is expected to be the last major test release prior
to a September product launch.

For an overview of the Netware 6.0 beta, visit Novell's test site. US customers can order a CD for $15, while international orders may be placed for a slightly higher price. French users must contact [email protected] in order to receive a copy of the beta for evaluation.