Caching Live Video Streams Gives Viewers Control over How Multimedia Content is Viewed over the Internet

LOS ANGELES (QuickTime Live!) — Nov. 9, 1999 — At Apple's QuickTime Live! conference today, Novell, Inc. revealed new Web caching technology based on the Novell® Internet Caching System™ that supports QuickTime multimedia streaming on the Internet. Novell Chief Scientist Drew Major demonstrated an industry first, control over the playback of live video streams. This same technology will eventually enable caching of live streams from the QuickTime TV network, utilizing Akamai Technologies' FreeFlow^SM content delivery service and the Novell Internet Caching System. This breakthrough Novell caching technology provides the high speed and throughput needed for dependable, high quality Internet delivery of video news footage, live and on-demand programming and internal training videos based on QuickTime streams.

Caching live QuickTime multimedia streams gives users control over how and when live multimedia content is viewed over the Internet. While other solutions have been able to control previously recorded content, the Novell Internet Caching System is the first to provide the ability to control live Internet content. Using the Novell Internet Caching System with support for QuickTime TV (QTV) streams, viewers of live Internet content can pause, rewind or fast forward live streams, giving them immediate VCR-style control over live Internet content.

Large content publishers, content delivery systems such as Akamai's, service providers and corporations can all powerfully enhance the Internet experience of their customers and users by implementing the Novell Internet Caching System with support for QuickTime TV streams. Support for QuickTime and other multimedia stream caching will be included in a future release of the Novell Internet Caching System.

"The potential of video and multimedia on the Internet is tremendous, but without caches these services place an incredible burden on network bandwidth and Web server performance," said Drew Major, Novell's chief scientist and vice president. "The ability to have immediate control over live Internet content by caching live QuickTime multimedia streams at content provider sites, ISPs, and within business networks will lead to significant expansion of video traffic on the net."

"QuickTime TV provides premium content to millions of Internet users worldwide," said Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of worldwide product marketing. "The Novell Internet Caching System gives end-users a hot new way to view QuickTime content."

Novell Internet Caching System
The Novell Internet Caching System is sold as an Intel-based solution appliance from OEM partners including Compaq, Dell, IBM, Microbits, NEC*, Pionex and Quantex. The Novell Internet Caching System dramatically improves the speed and efficiency of delivering Internet content to employees, business partners and customers within business networks as well as across the Internet. Delivering unmatched throughput, scalability, and price/performance, the Novell Internet Caching System can be installed within 10 minutes to support any Web environment whether Cisco, Linux, NetWare®, NT, Solaris or other versions of UNIX. Novell Internet Caching System appliances scale from branch office requirements to those of the largest ISPs. Please visit www.novell.com/nics for more information.

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 U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. *The agreement announced here is with NEC Corporation and does not (currently) cover the NEC Computer Systems Division (NEC CSD) which is responsible for the North American and South American geographies.

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

Matt McOwen
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
Phone: (650) 858-3791
Internet: mmcowen@ccipr.com