Novell iFolder
Although the text below focuses on iFolder 2.1, Novell iFolder 3.1 is now available as part of Novell Open Enterprise Server. To read more about the two current versions of iFolder, please see Novell iFolder Frequently Asked Questions.
overview
A key component of Novell storage and networking solutions, Novell iFolder™ is a simple and secure storage solution that can increase your productivity by enabling you to back up, access and manage your personal files—from anywhere, at anytime. Once you have installed Novell iFolder, you simply save your files locally—as you have always done—and Novell iFolder automatically updates the files on a network server and delivers them to the other machines you use. For example, you can save a file at the office and Novell iFolder automatically transfers the file to your home computer. With Novell iFolder you no longer need to e-mail files to yourself or save them to a disk: your files are up-to-date on all the machines that you use.
To maintain data integrity and ensure you have the latest version of your files, Novell iFolder seamlessly synchronizes the contents of all of your Novell iFolders, no matter which of your computers you may be using. This is possible because computers that use Novell iFolder communicate regularly with the Novell iFolder server—ensuring that the most current information is distributed to all computers that use Novell iFolder. If you make a change to any of your personal files, Novell iFolder locates the changes you made and only communicates the changed data to the server and your other computers.
protect your files
Novell iFolder provides you with many significant benefits. It accelerates your access to the most current version of your files and also provides reliable protection against data loss due to system failure or disaster. For example, if the system you have been using at home crashes beyond repair, your files are still accessible and usable. By transparently synchronizing your Novell iFolder files across all of the computers you use—including desktops, laptops, workstations and your company's Novell iFolder server—Novell iFolder ensures that you are only as far away from the information you need as the nearest Internet-connected device. Your files are safe and secure on the other machines you use and on the company's network, all of which are accessible through a standard Web browser.
Novell iFolder also provides enhanced security options for Novell iFolder users. For example, Novell iFolder uses a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory—such as Novell eDirectory™ or Microsoft Active Directory—to verify the identity of Novell iFolder users. And, by encrypting your personal files as they are delivered to the network and while they reside on the server, Novell iFolder eliminates the need to deploy a virtual private network (VPN). To protect user computers that are routinely left unprotected, you can also deploy Novell iFolder in a Hewlett-Packard (HP) Digital Asset Protection (DAP) solution. With tight security features and convenient storage capabilities, Novell iFolder provides an easy way to make sure your work is always backed up, synchronized and securely accessible—from anywhere, anytime.
get iFolder 3.1 for Open Enterprise Server
Novell iFolder 3.1 is now available as part of Novell Open Enterprise Server (not as a standalone product). It includes an open source client, allowing you to share your iFolders with other users. You can designate the rights other users have to the iFolder contents: read only, read/write or full control. When a file is updated and saved by a user with appropriate rights to the shared iFolder, all other users get the latest version on their own machines. Novell iFolder 2.1 is the standard version included in Open Enterprise Server, but customers who purchased Open Enterprise Server with Novell iFolder 2.1 are entitled to 3.1 as well. The two versions can coexist on a Linux server. The standalone iFolder 2.1 continues to be supported.
The table below outlines the functionality in each version of the product:
Novell iFolder 2.1 and iFolder 3.1: A Comparison
| Feature or Capability | iFolder 2.1 | iFolder 3.1 |
| Server | ||
| Offers support for the following servers: | NetWare 6.5, Novell Open Enterprise Server and Windows 2000 and 2003 (Windows version sold separately) | Open Enterprise Server—Linux |
| In NetWare 6.5 | NetWare and Linux versions | No |
| In Open Enterprise Server | NetWare and Linux versions | Yes |
| Manage servers | Web-based iFolder administration | Plug-in to iManager |
| Automatically provision users | No | Yes |
| Maximum iFolders per username | One | Unlimited number of iFolders for an owner or member |
| Allow administrator to create and share an iFolder and specify its member users | No | Yes—
|
| Allow administrator to transfer ownership of shared iFolder to another user | No | Yes |
| Specify disk quotas | Yes—the administrator can specify a default maximum quota that applies systemwide, as well as individual user quotas. |
Yes—the administrator can specify a default maximum quota that applies systemwide, as well as individual user quotas. |
| Set maximum-file-size restrictions | 4 GB (Actual size is limited by the server or client's local file systems.) | The administrator can specify a default maximum file size that applies systemwide and can specify individual user accounts. (If a default is not set, the actual size is limited by the server or client's local file system.) |
| Set minimum synchronization interval | Administrator can set minimum synchronization intervals that apply systemwide or for individual users. | Administrator can set minimum synchronization intervals that apply systemwide or for individual users. |
| Specify which file types to include or exclude in the synchronization | No | Yes—the administrator can either include or exclude file types. |
| Enable/disable iFolder synchronization | Yes—users can do so by temporarily activating/deactivating the user. | Yes—users can do so by temporarily enabling/disabling synchronization for the user account or by specifying an individual iFolder or synchronization. |
| Encrypt iFolder data | Files are encrypted in transit over the wire and may also be encrypted on the server with encrypted iFolder option. | Files are encrypted in transit over the wire and decrypted at the server. Files are not encrypted on the server. |
| Back up and restore | Entire iFolder contents must be backed up and restored. | Individual files and directories in each iFolder can be backed up at once or incrementally. |
| Multiserver clustering support | Yes—a single domain can front multiple iFolder servers. | No |
| Scale to thousands of users | Yes | No |
| Client | ||
| Use multiple iFolders | No | Yes |
| Share an iFolder across multiple computers | Yes—users can share, but only with a single folder. | Yes—users can selectively replicate any of their iFolders to other computers. |
| Share iFolders with other users | No—not by design. | Yes—as the owner users or a user with full-control rights:
|
| Allow the owner of a shared iFolder to transfer ownership of a shared iFolder to another user | No | Yes |
| Access multiple iFolder servers | No—not by design | Yes—a user can have an account and synchronize files to more than one iFolder service at the same time. |
| Support client platforms | Windows* 2000 and XP and Novell Linux Desktop | Windows 2000 and XP, Novell Linux Desktop and Macintosh* OS X |