Press Release

Novell Customers Win with NetWare 5 Upgrade Promotion

Promotion provides NetWare 4.11 customers Netscape Enterprise Server for NetWare and the easiest, most cost-effective upgrade to NetWare 5

BRAINSHARE, NICE, France -- May 12, 1998 -- Novell, Inc. today announced NetWare® First Look, a limited-time promotion that provides new and upgrade NetWare 4.11 customers with an easy, cost-effective upgrade to NetWare 5 when it becomes commercially available in mid-1998. In addition, NetWare First Look customers will receive a copy of the Netscape Enterprise Server™ for NetWare. Customers who buy new or upgrade box versions of NetWare 4.11 between April 1 and two weeks after NetWare 5 ships, will be eligible to participate in the NetWare First Look promotion. The cost is as little as $99 MSRP with NetWare 4.11 box upgrades and $219 MSRP with new NetWare 4.11 box purchases.

With this promotion, customers will receive Netscape Enterprise Server for NetWare, the latest Novell Client32 CD and Novell's Year 2000 informational CD. When NetWare 5 becomes available, they will also receive the upgrade fulfilled directly from Novell at no extra charge. The promotion enables participating customers to deploy high performance Web applications on NetWare 4.11 today, and manage them with Novell Directory Services™ (NDS™). It also offers the easiest, most cost- effective way to upgrade to NetWare 5, the highly anticipated network from Novell for Internet-enabled business.

"As we developed NetWare 5, we focused on NetWare customers' needs to conduct business on the Internet and on their increased reliance on Web and Java applications," said Brian Faustyn, product manager for NetWare 5. "This promotion gives our customers a head start on upgrading their networks to NetWare 5 in the next few months, and an opportunity to use the leading LDAP directory, NDS, to manage Web applications and information."

"Based on the huge success of the beta program, most Novell customers want to get their hands on NetWare 5 as soon as possible," said Bill Towey, president of Powerscourt, a Tacoma, Washington- based reseller. "This program is a great way for customers building and growing their networks to move forward with NetWare 4.11 today, while planning their NetWare 5 upgrades."

NetWare 5

Available this summer, NetWare 5 cements Novell's leadership as an Internet solutions provider by enabling organizations to conduct business over the Internet. NetWare 5 is an intelligent networking platform, optimized with the following new features and capabilities to provide superior management and control of network applications and resources:
  • The ConsoleOne management framework, which provides a central point of administration that can be accessed anywhere a Java Virtual Machine is present, including a NetWare server
  • A free five-user license of Oracle8, the best-selling database technology from Oracle, Corp.
  • Support for pure IP to ensure interoperability with open-standards based networks such as the Internet
  • An enhanced version of NDS, with innovative management capabilities such as catalog services, simplified login, role-based management and LDAP v3 support
  • The Upgrade Wizard for automating the move from NetWare 3.x servers to directory-based NetWare 5 servers
  • Compatibility mode allowing customers to run current IPX applications on a pure IP-based NetWare 5 network
  • A Domain Name Server (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) management utility ties network resources together into a single, trusted, NDS-based system
  • Support for industry and Internet standards including Java, JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface) CORBA/IIOP and Active X
  • The world's fastest Java Virtual Machine for running server-based Java applications and services.

Pricing and Availability

The NetWare First Look promotion is available through authorized Novell resellers and partners with the box purchase of new NetWare 4.11 servers or upgrades between April 1 and two weeks after NetWare 5 ships. The cost for new NetWare 4.11 customers is 80 percent off the new NetWare 4.11 MSRP; for NetWare 4.11 upgrade customers, the cost is 80 percent off the upgrade MSRP. Specific pricing varies based on the number of users. Novell will ship the NetWare 5 upgrade to all registered NetWare First Look customers when NetWare 5 is commercially available.

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 NetWare are registered trademarks and NDS and Novell Directory Services are trademarks of Novell, Inc. All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Media Contacts:
Jason Werner
Novell, Inc.
Phone: (801) 228-7230
Internet: jwerner@novell.com

Danielle Epstein
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
Phone: (650) 858-3745
Internet: depstein@ccipr.com