Still firmly within the networking sphere, newly-formed Netway Systems Ltd, after combing the Oxford English Dictionary, came up with the name Myriad for its resource sharing and network administration product which was launched in the UK this month: the accompanying software which runs under Novell Netware, will sell under the less evocative name of Lanbatch. The company argues that Myriad, designed for MS-DOS micros, represents the newest approach to PC networking, and eliminates the need to integrate a new PC for every new resource – fax, telex, and mainframe communications being the most obvious resource examples. The Myriad product comes in two parts – a tower enclosure or chassis which accomodates power, disks, tapes and up to 20 Intel 80286/386 card slots, and a range of modules or paqs; by plugging different combinations of paqs into the chassis, users are able to access resources normally confined to separate micros, and mix and switch between Novell and Xenix networks. The MS-DOS-based software package Lanbatch provides a similar resource sharing function within networks running on Novell’s Advanced Netware. By prefixing standard commands with batch, authorised users can submit jobs to be performed in parallel by other resources in the network – maenwhile leaving the screen free for other tasks – and are automatically notified upon completion. The Slough-based firm, whose US sister Topaz Technology resides in Silicon Valley, already has one anonymous installation with a major UK utility – Sid might be able to tell you which one – under its belt, and is currently looking for a distributor. Myriad prices start at UKP7,000, while Lanbatch costs UKP450; short-term the two products will be available only in the UK.
