Novell Unveils Java-Based Management Strategy
Novell's Future Java Platform and Management /Administration Tools Will Enable
Task-Based Management From Any Web Browser
JAVAONE, San Francisco -- April 2, 1997 -- Novell, Inc. today will unveil a
new strategy
for using Java to make network administration easier and reduce management complexities
created by the
tremendous growth of the Internet. Code-named Houston, Novell's management-by-Java
paradigm will
simplify network administration and management by integrating, for the first time, all Novell and
third-party
products into a common management platform. Administrators will be able to access their
networks and
perform specific management functions from any Web browser or Java-enabled machine,
ultimately
increasing efficiency and reducing network costs.
"The proliferation of the Web has fueled the rapid, exponential growth of networks, and costs and
complexities of network and system management have grown right along with it," said Marc
Epstein, vice
president and general manager of Novell's Management Products Division. "We will combine our
networking
expertise and Java's cross-platform capabilities within Houston to give customers a cost-effective
and
interoperable solution that can be customized to meet customers specific management needs."
Houston will feature all of Novell's current management and administration tools, including
ManageWise® and NetWare Administrator, as well as new utilities and functions,
written
completely in Java. All applications, components and objects within the framework will be
thoroughly
integrated within Novell Directory Services (NDS) through the Java Naming and
Directory Interface
(JNDI), JavaSoft's cross-platform directory architecture. In addition, Novell will ensure that a
comprehensive
set of third-party Java management components are available, by providing developers with
application
programming interfaces (API) as part of a future software development kit (SDK). Houston will
be 100%
Pure Java and will run anywhere, regardless of vendor-specific directory or platform.
Management by roles via the Internet
Network administrators, tasked with the responsibility of managing every aspect of the network,
are finding it
increasingly difficult to single-handedly oversee today's large networks. Houston accommodates a
more
distributed model of network management by providing a highly configurable framework that
allows shared
management of networks by roles, without sacrificing security. Through NDS, role-based
management allows
administrators to delegate management responsibilities to individuals within their network without
having to
grant them access to all other management tools and preserving network security.
Network administrators will have the capability to design and assign "work spaces" that enable
specific
management or administration functions. For example, a printer management or software
distribution work
space can be built so that the monitoring and maintenance of all printing queues and problems
within a
network can be handled by one person, while the software distribution function can be handled by
another.
This distributed model of network management will free network administrators from the more
time-consuming management duties, allowing them to concentrate on the global task of
maintaining network up
time.
With Java's ability to easily traverse the Internet, network administrators will have the flexibility to
perform
management processes anywhere using a Web browser, regardless of location or platform.
Houston's
management information will be available via any Java-enabled interface, such as all personal
computers,
networked computers and palmtop devices. This function allows administrators more mobility and
quicker
access to their networks, resulting in greater efficiency and reduced network costs.
NDS through JNDI
Houston's single point of management and administration and role-based management capabilities
rely on
NDS to centralize all network information into a master repository. NDS further improves
network security
by allowing administrators to grant access rights to specific management features and tasks. This
is especially
important in larger environments where multiple IS professionals have specialized responsibilities
and
differing scopes of control.
Support for NDS will be accomplished by writing to the JNDI, a cross-platform directory and
naming
interface spearheaded by Novell and jointly developed by Hewlett-Packard, IBM, JavaSoft,
Netscape and
Novell. JNDI will allow applications written in Java to access information on network users and
resources for
multiple network naming and directory services, including NDS.
Developing to Houston
Houston will give developers the opportunity to build network management solutions for the
Java-based
management platform. Houston is designed to ease development of third-party products by
providing a single
snap-in and platform independent architecture. Houston further eases development by providing a
common
look and feel and integration of management and administration tasks. In addition, Houston's
role-based
management will mean developers can quickly build components and accelerate their time to
market.
Applications and components written as Java Beans will be 100% compatible with the Java-based
Houston
framework. By basing their applications on Java Beans, developers can start developing Houston
snap-in
products today. Many developers are already building Java-based products. By keeping Houston
100% Pure
Java, these products will be easily modified to work within the new framework.
"Novell is moving in the right direction by adopting Java for the future of their network
management and
administration solutions. We support them today with our NetWorker family of storage
management products
and we will continue to support them in the future," said Nora Denzel, senior vice president of
product
operations at Legato Systems. "In fact, our Global Enterprise Management of Storage (GEMS)
product is the
industry's first Java-based product to provide a solution for the enterprise-wide management of
distributed
storage."
"We are very excited to announce our support of Novell's Java initiative for management
administration
tools," said Kirk Fallbacher, president of Geneva Software. "Our AlertPage Enterprise product
snaps-in to
ManageWise today to provide web access to ManageWise information and we intend to develop
it for
Novell's next generation Houston project."
"We believe that Novell is moving management and administration to the next most logical arena
with project
Houston," said Butler Hine, President and CEO of Fourth Planet. "Fourth Planet will develop
their
management interface product for this new platform to provide customers with a comprehensive,
three
dimensional view of their network."
Pricing and Availability
Novell expects to have the Houston SDK available to developers by late 1997 through Novell's
DeveloperNet
subscription program. Developers interested in more information can join DeveloperNet on the
Internet at
http://developer.novell.com or by calling
1-800-REDWORD.
About Novell
Founded in 1983, Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL) is the world's leading provider of network
software. The
company offers a wide range of network solutions for distributed network, Internet, intranet and
small-business markets. Novell education and technical support programs are the most
comprehensive in the
network computing industry. Information about Novell's complete range of products and services
can be
accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com.
Novell and ManageWise are registered trademarks and NDS, NetWare Administrator, and Novell
Directory
Services are trademarks of Novell. All other companies and products are trademarks or registered
trademarks
of their respective companies.
Press Contacts:
Deena Monchick
Novell, Inc.
(408) 577-7943
Internet: dmonchic@novell.com
Kim Nguyen
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
(415) 858-3776
Internet: kimn@ccipr.com
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