Oracle Corp, Belmont, California developer and marketer of the SQL-based Oracle relational database manager, fourth-generation language tools and decision support software, and Novell Inc have entered an alliance that will enable Oracle to run with Novell’s NetWare on a variety of local area networks. The two companies will cross-certify each other’s products and integrate their product lines to provide complete networking and database solutions for local network users. Oracle Corp reckons that the arrangement will enable many applications that have been handled by minicomputers or even mainframes to be run on networked micros. Networks supported include Ethernet, Token Ring and Arcnet and the NetWare TCP Gateway product and Excelan’s TCP/IP Workstation for Netware will also enable users to take advantage of Novell networking and file-server facilities while connecting their local networks to minicomputers and mainframes using standard TCP/IP. Oracle’s MS-DOS products are now being modified through a joint effort to support Novell’s IPX protocol at the session level. The two have also agreed a cooperative marketing programme so that Oracle products will be available for demonstration to customers at Novell’s 25 Netware Centres around the world, while Novell representatives will participate in Oracle’s sales seminar programme. Oracle expects support for the TCP/IP Workstation for NetWare and the TCP/IP Gateway to be out in the first quarter of 1988. The IPX Interface is set to follow in the second quarter. Novell has also announced that it will provide NetWare compatibility with the IBM OS/2 Standard Edition for the PS/2 line in the first quarter of 1988. Novell notes that IBM provided technical and programming assistance and documentation for development of NetWare compatibility for OS/2. The NetWare Support Package for IBM’s version of OS/2 will be available for users of Version 2.1 of NetWare and will not require an operating system upgrade.
