Novell Inc is now ready to ship the second beta of Moab, officially NetWare 5, which can be downloaded from the company’s web site from this Friday. Novell has already had the second beta out to key customers for a few weeks. It follows the shipment of the first beta of Moab last November (CI No 3,301), and incorporates reactions to that release from the early testers. The most important thing about NetWare 5 is of course its support for native TCP/IP, which at long last removes any dependency on Novell’s own SPX//IPX proprietary protocols. It also includes new network management features, such as the Novell Application Launcher, Distributed Print Services and better integration with Novell Directory Services. New in the second beta is a Compatibility Mode feature which enables existing IPX applications and utilities to be used within an IP network set-up, and a Migration Gateway for co-existing IP and IPX networks so that its customers can make the migration at their own pace, Novell says. There are also new new graphical install and backup capabilites. Novell expects one more cut of NetWare 5 to be released before the final product comes out around mid-year. At the same time, the company launched a new version of NetWare for Small Business, originally introduced a year ago as an answer to Microsoft Corp’s Small Business Server, which will become available from March at Novell’s BrainShare ’98 event. Novell says that small businesses aren’t interested in the database that Microsoft bundles in with its competitive product, but will be interested in GroupWise, its email, scheduling and document management software now included within the product. Novell says it has also further simplified installation procedures and added a fax server, backup utility and virus protection. The product will cost just under $1,000 for five users.
