With the release of NetWare 4.1 now due at the end of the year, Novell Inc has followed through on the promise it made to release NetWare 4.02 this summer. The main thrust of the release seems to be bug fixes – described by Novell as improvements to NetWare Directory Services that enhance reliability, functionality and performance – but Novell has also made moves to broaden the appeal of NetWare 4 to small-to medium-sized companies. Rather than increasing the integration between NetWare 3.X and NetWare 4, Novell has done this through a simplified NetWare Directory Services set-up option, which, the company says, automatically and transparently creates a single-level directory tree. Novell has also added a new version of the NetWare Administrator graphical utility which is said to be 200% faster for large installations. The reason for this move is to enable users to print out their directory tree. Updated support for MS-DOS, Microsoft Corp Windows, and OS/2 client software has also been added, as have updated print utilities, faster CD-ROM installation, and updated Storage Management Services files. Finally, the company says it has now also included an improved viewer for NetWare 4 on-line documentation, and an NetWare Loadable Module version checker. The new version is due to ship immediately, and the prices are unchanged from NetWare 4.01. They range from $1,400 for five users, to $48,000 for 1,000 users. Registered NetWare 4 users will receive a free upgrade. Simultaneously, Novell announced an average 15% cut in the price of NetWare upgrades, as well as further cuts in the cost of switching to NetWare from competitive operating systems. The company has also announced an expansion of its upgrade programme by adding peer-to-peer upgrades and server consolidation options. Additionally, with all upgrades, Novell is offering a free copy of what was formerly called WordPerfect Office, and was renamed WordPerfect Symmetry. It has now mysteriously been rechristened Novell GroupWise 4.1 because someone else owned the Symmetry name. Novell’s free offer is planned to run until the end of October.
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