Press Release

Novell Enhances Replication Service to Simplify Management of Global Networks

Novell Replication Services 1.21 reduces significant costs associated with wide area network communication

PROVO, Utah — November 3, 1998 — In another move to make network administration easier, Novell, Inc. today announced availability of Novell Replication Services™ (NRS) 1.21, a software solution for replicating, distributing and synchronizing server-based information across wide area networks and corporate intranets. NRS 1.21 features improvements that speed the replication process and better protect replicated data. Through tighter integration with Novell Directory Services® (NDS™), Novell's industry-leading directory technology, NRS 1.21 further simplifies and centralizes management of replicated data. The shipment of NRS 1.21 signifies Novell's ongoing commitment to providing customers with solutions that allow them to maintain manageability of the network as they grow to have global businesses.

By simplifying administration and speeding replication across WANs , NRS 1.21 reduces the overall cost of networking. In companies with several branch locations, customers must implement vast networks to link resources, applications and files housed in various offices. However, accessing information stored in London from an office in Los Angeles can be inefficient due to slow and expensive WAN connections. NRS 1.21 solves this problem by enabling administrators to store several copies of the same information on local servers. NRS 1.21 optimizes available bandwidth and allows administrators to schedule replication and synchronization during off hours, further reducing WAN communication costs.

"Novell Replication Services provides our global customers with an efficient and cost-effective way to access files and applications in offices around the world," said Michael Bryant, director of Novell's Advanced Services Marketing Group. "By enabling customers to store copies of the same information locally, we eliminate the long wait and the cost of requesting information from a remote server. By allowing data changes from only one server, we protect the integrity of network-based information. Finally, NRS replaces the need for manual replication, providing network managers an opportunity to focus on more pressing administrative matters, without worrying about the safety and accessibility of the information they rely on everyday."

Novell Replication Services 1.21 Enhancements

Novell Replication Services 1.21 enables replication of documents, applications, graphic images, audio clips, video clips and Web server content. The enhanced release offers the following new benefits to customers managing information systems that include branch offices:
  • Performance/Scalability -- NRS 1.21 increases the speed of one-way data or application distribution and allows the inclusion of up to 15 replica servers per master server. This improvement means that with 15 servers linked from the master server, NRS 1.21 can support up to 241 servers in a single replication tree, improving scalability and decreasing the cost of expensive WAN links.

  • Management -- Key management enhancements make NRS easier to use and more cost effective. A new console screen has been added on the server to show which operations NRS is currently performing. In addition, a NetWare Administrator snap-in has been added that gives customers the synchronization status of all servers at a glance. NRS now offers flexible placement of the NRS database, allowing it to exist on any volume.

  • Reliability -- One-way software distribution is now more reliable since replicas of protected master servers no longer allow file system changes. This allows customers to publish data once and then watch it flow down the replication hierarchy without worrying about the data being changed along the way.
"NRS was key in our PeopleSoft Student Administration rollout this summer. It allowed us to replicate nearly daily updates of our client code as well as SQL and Crystal report changes in minutes to our 30 sites and 500 users that use the software," said Scott Hazard, technical services manager for Apollo Group, Inc., the parent company for the University of Phoenix. "It eliminated the need to use Citrix which was the alternative put before us. We are now about to use it to rollout Oracle Forms 4.5 to about 2,000 users, which will save us considerable time and money."

Pricing and Availability

NRS 1.21 is available immediately through authorized Novell resellers for $995.00 per server, the same price as version 1.2. Free upgrades are available to all existing NRS customers. For additional information about NRS 1.21, customers can contact Novell at 1-800-638-9273 or download information from the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/nrs.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) is the world's largest network software company and the leader in directory-enabled network solutions. Novell solutions make networks more manageable and secure and reduce the total cost of ownership for organizations of every kind and size. Novell's worldwide channel, developer, education and technical support programs are the most extensive in the network computing industry.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at www.novell.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at www.novell.com/pressroom.

Press contacts:
Shannon Harmon Shupe
Novell, Inc.
Phone: (801) 228-5126
Internet: smharmon@novell.com

Nan Stillinger
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
Phone: (650) 858-3772
Internet: nstillinger@ccipr.com