Novell Inc, Provo, Utah is believed to be about to launch a new version of NetWare 3, which brings some of the directory and security services introduced in version 4 to users of the product’s earlier incarnation, today’s edition of our sister paper Network Week reports. The new version – which is going to be called NetWare 3.15 or 3.2 depending on who you talk to – is thought to include a subset of the NetWare Directory Services which were launched with NetWare 4.0 in March. While users of the new version would not have access to the full functionality of the NetWare Directory Services, it would mean that their network addresses could be integrated with the X500-based directory which forms the basis of NDS. Novell’s vision is of NetWare 4 as enterprise-wide, while version 3 is to be recast more as a workgroup solution. Some large users are believed to have shied away from upgrading to NetWare 4.0 because they feel that parts of their organisation are better off with version 3, and it is these that Novell hopes to attract. A spokesman for Novell refused to confirm or deny that the new version was to be launched, but did say that an announcement is scheduled for the end of the month. However, he added that launching such a product would be a marketing rather than a technical issue, saying that it’s a question of which version the company decides to enhance with new functionality. Novell’s fear seems to be that the new version may deter users from upgrading, rather than encouraging them.
