NetStorage Overview

NetStorage provides secure Internet-based access to files and folders on Linux and NetWare^® servers on your network using either a browser or Microsoft* Web Folders (Microsoft's implementation of WebDAV). NetStorage authentication relies on the power of Novell^® eDirectory^TM to provide secure access, so Internet-based access is as secure as accessing files from within the network.

Novell NetStorage includes the following benefits:

• Lets users securely copy, move, rename, delete, read, and write files between any Internet-enabled machine and Linux or NetWare servers on your network.
• Eliminates the need to use a virtual private network (VPN) client to access files.
• Eliminates the need to e-mail or copy data from one machine to another.
• Supports Internet standards such as HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, XML, and WebDAV.
• Supports the use of drive mappings that users are accustomed to when they log in using the Novell Client^TM (see What Users See When They Access NetStorage).
• Supports access to users' Novell iFolder^® accounts.
• Provides access to network files and folders via Novell Virtual Office, Novell iFolder, and Novell exteNd Director^TM 4.1 Standard Edition.
• Supports Storage Location objects used to display a specified name for a network directory in the NetStorage directory access list displayed through Microsoft Web Folders or a Web browser (see Storage Location ).

With NetStorage installed on one Linux server with Novell Nterprise Linux Services, users can potentially have access to any Linux or NetWare 5 or later server anywhere on your geographically dispersed network.