Press Release

Novell Internet Caching System Wins Top Honors in Data Communications Web Cache Test

Novell Internet Caching System — Powered By Dell Wins "Tester's Choice" Award

Joint Novell-Intel Submission Demonstrates Performance Platform for Future In-the-Flow Services

PROVO, Utah — Nov. 2, 1999 — Novell Inc. today announced that its two Internet Caching System submissions took top honors in Data Communication Magazine's Web Caching Lab Test, including the Dell PowerEdge 6350, which received the prestigious "Tester's Choice" Award. Data Communication editors called the Novell® Internet Caching System™ — Powered By Dell the "one product that stood out with the best combination of performance, features and price."

"The Data Communication Web Cache results re-affirm Novell's leadership position in the caching market," commented Drew Major, vice president and chief scientist, Novell. "Caching is a big-time Internet growth opportunity for Novell, our customers and partners. With caching we fundamentally understand how to deliver Web content faster, which will give content publishers, ISPs and businesses of all sizes a performance foundation from which they can offer future in-the-flow Internet services."

Novell's other entrant in the Data Communications Web Cache Test, a joint prototype with Intel, blew past the other cache entries in the performance measurements of the test. The Novell-Intel solution, a test unit designed to challenge the upper limits of the Intel Architecture-based Novell cache file system, handled 6,000 Web requests per second, easily three times as many as the next closest entry. It also served those Web requests faster than any other solution, delivering content at a mean response time of 0.04 seconds. These results are particularly compelling when considering the need to ensure that Web sites can handle large volumes of traffic as well as sudden peaks and spikes.

"The results from the Data Communications Test showcase the performance that Intel-based systems, featuring the Pentium III Xeon processor, deliver," said Bill Raleigh, director of marketing for Intel's Enterprise Server Group. "Caching services such as the Novell Internet Caching System are yet another example of an important building block for the Internet Economy."

Novell ICS — Powered By Dell Results

Based on the Data Communications Test results, Dell maintains its leadership position in single-cache peak request rate performance. The Dell ICS-635B also demonstrated near ideal average responses times for cache hits (0.05 seconds) and cache misses (3.11 seconds) under peak workloads. To learn more about Dell's ICS cache appliances, see www.dell.com/products/poweredge/serversolutions/caching.htm.

Novell ICS-Intel Results — Best Throughput at Only One-third Power

Novell's results on Intel Architecture (IA) systems demonstrate the Novell Internet Caching System's fine-grained service tolerances under load. Both the Intel and Dell Internet Caching System results produced the lowest mean response times for cache hits and misses. The Intel solution delivered a 0.04-second average cache hit response time from a 324GB cache. Non-Novell Internet Caching System solutions in the competition delivered cache hit response times 100 to 3,800 percent higher than Novell's. Latency induced by the competition during cache misses was 40 to 1,000 percent higher than Novell's.

Using these results, Novell also demonstrated significant CPU headroom for value-added services. While servicing 6,000 requests per second, the three Intel systems were not running at full capacity. The Layer-4 switch was the bottleneck in this configuration and the three Novell Internet Caching System units were operating at only 33 percent processor utilization during the workload's peak intensity. This performance capacity positions Novell ICS for in-the-flow value-added services that require significant CPU headroom and uniform response times under load.

For the article and test results, please visit http://www.data.com/issue/991007/proxy.html. For additional details on the test methodology and vendor comments, please visit http://polygraph.ircache.net/Results/dcomm-1/.

Novell Internet Caching System

Winner of PC Week's Best Internet Product at Spring Comdex 1999, the Novell Internet Caching System dramatically improves the speed and efficiency of delivering Internet content to employees, business partners and customers within corporate intranets and extranets as well as across the Internet. The Novell Internet Caching System, which can be easily installed in any Cisco, Unix, NT or NetWare® network enables content publishers, ISPs and enterprises to deploy high-performance, content-rich Web storefronts that increase buyer satisfaction, attract new customers and drive new revenue opportunities. Delivering unmatched scalability, flexibility and price/performance, the Novell Internet Caching System OEM appliance is the only solution that delivers the ability and most importantly, affordability, to scale the entire network — from the branch office to the ISP.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) is the world's leading provider of directory-enabled networking software. Novell solutions give businesses total control of their private networks and the Internet, simplifying the management of user access and identity. Novell's worldwide channel, consulting, 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 http://www.novell.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom. In addition, detailed comparisons between Novell products and competitive offerings from other vendors are available on the Web at http://www.novell.com/advantage. For information on the Year 2000 status of Novell products, please access Novell's Year 2000 Web site at http://www.novell.com/year2000 or contact Novell's Customer Response Center at year2000@novell.com.

Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks, and Novell Internet Caching System is a trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contacts:
Gordon Evans
Novell, Inc.
Phone: 408-967-6371
Internet: gmevans@novell.com

Matt McOwen
Cunningham Communications
Phone 650-858-3791
Internet: mmcowen@ccipr.com