Netscape Communications Corp will add management technology code named Lava to its forthcoming version of SuiteSpot, which combines a Java front-end with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol capabilities (LDAP). Netscape has licensed some of the technology from Bellevue, Washington-based NCWare and key employees from NCWare are now employed at Netscape. It will enable server configuration and management information to be stored in a central directory. At present with SuiteSpot 3.0, each server houses its own configuration and management information. If there are 100 servers in a company, any change would have to be made 100 times without the centralized directory. With Lava, it will be configurable from a Java GUI, which could run on any client or server. Apollo is the code name for SuiteSpot 4.0 server technology that Netscape hopes will take it successfully into the so-called extranet market: business-to- business networks linked together. It is expected in the second half of next year some time. Netscape said it was already on the road to doing this work, but the addition of the NCWare technology and people have given it a kick-start. NCWare founders Terence Kwan and Thomas Kwan have joined Netscape, reporting to Netscape directory architect Tim Howes.
