Tighter integration with NetWare Directory Services 4.1, improved TCP/IP communications and support for the latest release of IBM Corp’s OS/400 are the main enhancements Novell Inc has announced in NetWare for SAA 2.0, the next generation of its local area network-to-IBM host communications product. In terms of NetWare Directory Services, the company says the offering will enable users to access any authorised session on any NetWare for SAA server anywhere in the network. Similarly, with a single NetWare Directory Services login, authorised administrators will be able to configure any NetWare for SAA server in the NetWare Directory Services tree without having to log in to each individual server on the network, says Novell. On the TCP/IP side, NetWare for SAA 2.0 is now said to feature support for TN3270 emulators and TCP/IP AS/400 clients. Users with IBM AS/400 systems, MS-DOS and Windows clients can also now connect to NetWare for SAA servers via TCP/IP. Support is provided for both the latest version of IBM’s AS/400 operating system, OS/400 3.1, and Client Access/400, IBM’s most recent client software for accessing AS/400 systems. However, release 2.0 continues to support IBM’s OS/400 2 and PC Support/400 client software. For Windows users, the offering includes a router that supports the ClientAccess/400 Windows 3.1 client, third-party 5250 emulators and other AS/400 applications. In the administration and management arena, the product features a Windows-based configuration utility with an interface for configuring NetWare for SAA servers, and includes an enhanced version of NetWare for SAA Services Manager: this is a ManageWise application offering centralised event notification, monitoring and control functions and trend analysis and session management. Finally, Version 2.0 is said to quadruple the capacity of NetWare for SAA, enabling users to scale from 16 to 2,000 concurrent users. NetWare for SAA 2.0, including run-time versions of NetWare 4.1 and 3.12, is shipping now. List prices range from $2,000 to $35,000. It is available in 16-, 64-, 128-, 254-, 508- and 1,016-session configurations. Upgrade packages are available.
