Novell updates NetWare, tools

Rebounding network software maker Novell continues to roll out updated versions of its various tools, part of a conscientious strategy to keep functions coming to market.

The company has been energized by recent fiscal results in the black and the shipment of an update to its flagship NetWare operating system. Now it has targeted some of the other technology in its stable.

Among the items the company is scheduled to deliver are as follows:

NetWare for Small Business, an updated 4.2 version of the operating system tailored for networks now with less than 50 users, up from a previous 25-user limit. Other enhancements include an easy-to-use software "wizard" to get a small business on the Net, the inclusion of the company's proxy caching technology, and a PC-based faxing option from Tobit Software. A beta version is currently available, with final shipment due by the end of the year.

High Availability Server for NetWare, a clustering software option for NetWare 4.11 that is now shipping. The product, previously part of Novell's overall clustering efforts, code-named Orion, is the first of several internal steps to deliver clustering technology. A failover version of the software for NetWare 5.0 is scheduled to roll out in the first half of next year, with a multinode clustering option due in the second half of next year. Clustering allows a network manager to connect systems so they can act as a back-up if a primary server fails or, in more advanced forms, can distribute processing across a number of systems for large tasks.

BorderManager FastCache 3.0, building on the recent announcement of a test version of the company's security suite. The company boasts the capability to take 10,000 Web site hits-per-second on a single server system. The standalone version of the Web performance tool is scheduled to ship before the end of the year.