NetWare 4 "Green River" Release Provides Fully Integrated TCP/IP Support

Protocol Independence Gives Customers Complete Access to Applications, Information on Heterogeneous Networks, Intranets and Internet

OREM, Utah -- July 2, 1996 -- Novell, Inc. today announced the upcoming release of its market-leading NetWare® 4 network operating system, code-named Green River, includes fully integrated installation and complete support for the industry-standard TCP/IP networking protocol used in heterogeneous business networks, corporate intranets and the Internet. Green River makes it easy for customers to choose between TCP/IP, IPX/SPX or mixed solutions featuring the strengths of both protocols and interoperability between them.

Integrated TCP/IP support enables customers to access the complete resources of corporate intranets and the Internet, while leveraging the power of Novell's network services and preserving investments in the thousands of applications, computers and peripherals compatible with NetWare today. In addition, Green River customers can readily use the Internet, including the managed Internet services provided by Novell's NetWare Connect Services (NCS) partners, to establish wide-area networks and intranets that extend beyond their existing network infrastructure to include customers, business partners and vendors.

"As the leading provider of technologies that make our customers intranet- and Internet-ready, Novell is fully committed to TCP/IP as a standard protocol for NetWare, said William Donahoo, senior director of product marketing at Novell. "By supporting open standards such as TCP/IP as a primary protocol, Novell provides its customers with the flexibility to choose the best network solutions to meet their needs.

By offering full TCP/IP integration, Green River allows users to connect to NetWare resources and services, including industry-leading Novell Directory Services™ (NDS™), from any location via intranets and the Internet to retrieve and share information. NetWare networks also provide users with the fullest access available to a wide variety of IP-based network resources, including UNIX and Windows NT servers. No other network operating system provides a comparable level of integration and access through a single network connection.

"Having TCP/IP support fully integrated into NetWare gives me and my network users the most complete access to network resources, as well as easy connection to the Internet, said Michael Hicks, communication systems technician for City of Tucson, Department of Transportation. "The IP support in NetWare makes network integration and management easier, while providing me with a simple, low-cost way to create a wide-area network.

Protocol Independence

Green River makes it easy for administrators to select protocols during the installation process. Network managers can leverage the strengths of both the TCP/IP and IPX/SPX protocols in the same integrated solution. For example, they can take advantage of the speed and openness of IP for wide-area networking and the management simplicity of IPX for local network traffic. For networks transitioning to IP-only environments, Green River allows administrators to migrate to TCP/IP at their convenience, while ensuring consistent user access to network services.

Benefits of Full TCP/IP Integration

Integrated TCP/IP support in Green River offers users the following benefits:

• Eases TCP/IP protocol selection by fully integrating protocol selection into the Green River installation process;
• Simplifies IP address management through DHCP/BootP server software by continually providing a pool of IP addresses that are automatically allocated to users as needed;
• Allows mobile users with a SLIP or PPP connection to use the Internet to access NetWare servers anywhere in the world;
• Provides NetWare 3 and 4 users access to IP resources by supporting existing IP stacks from vendors such as Novell, FTP, Microsoft and NetManage;
• Improves wide-area network performance by eliminating Service Advertising Protocol (SAP)/Routing Information Protocol (RIP) traffic, freeing bandwidth on wide-area connections and improving throughput;
• Enables NetWare users to connect to heterogeneous IP-based network devices such as servers and printers attached to UNIX hosts -- NetWare clients can also access network printers running lpr/lpd;
• Leverages existing client stacks to provide full access to network resources for a wide variety of desktop clients, including DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 and Windows NT Server and Workstation;
• Improves access to Windows NT services from any Windows Workstation (Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 and Windows NT) and eliminates redundant IP server systems by providing the necessary NetBIOS Name Server resolution information (WINS) via DHCP to connect any Windows client to NT services through NetWare connections; and
• Offers IP network users full access to existing IPX applications.

About Green River

Green River, the next version of the NetWare network operating system, provides a proven foundation for comprehensive network, intranet and Internet solutions. This platform significantly eases installation, migration and administration of networking processes. Currently slated for release later this year, Green River=s other major features include:

• Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) scalability to support network applications and intranets;
• NDS enhancements such as NDS Manager to simplify the monitoring and management of multiple NDS trees;
• C2-level security to protect sensitive data during transmission across networks;
• Advanced network printing capabilities to give users more control over their printing;
• NetWare Application Launcher™ (NAL) to centrally administer network applications and provide network access from any location; and
• Easier network migration planning, installation and administration functionality.

Novell (NASDAQ:NOVL) is the world's leading network software provider. Novell software provides the infrastructure for a networked world, enabling customers to connect with other people and the information they need, anytime and anyplace. Novell partners with other technology and market leaders to help customers make networks a part of their everyday lives.

Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks and GroupWise, Inner Web Publisher, NDS, NetWare Application Launcher, NetWare Web Server and Novell Directory Services are trademarks of Novell, Inc. All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Press Contacts:
Jason Werner
Novell, Inc.
(801) 861-7574
Internet: jwerner@novell.com

Chimene White
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
(408) 764-0751
Internet: chimene@ccipr.com