Hoping to capitalize on Dell Computer Corp’s increasing domination of the desktop and server market, Novell Corp today announced an extension to its alliance with the PC giant that will see its NetWare operating system pre-bundled on all Dell servers. The Provo, Utah networking vendor has signed a licensing agreement and factory installation program with Dell under which the PC maker will offer pre-installed NetWare and NetWare upgrades to corporate customers purchasing one, or a number, of its PowerEdge servers. As part of the factory installation program, the two companies said Dell will also provide 30 days of support for NetWare through its trained staff of Certified Novell Engineers (CNEs). The companies added that the combination of Dell’s PowerEdge servers and Novell NetWare was ideal for large file and print consolidation projects or internet environments. A spokesperson for Dell said having a licensing agreement with Novell would allow the PC giant to realize some discounts when purchasing NetWare licenses but that the actual price for customers would probably change very little. He said the main benefit for users was that Dell would install the software for free, saving the time and money companies would otherwise spend going to third party software vendors or integrators. He added that Dell will sell NetWare 4.11 now but also NetWare 5.0 when it becomes available later this year.
