Everybody NOVELl ???

cliffjag1987

Hey everybody

NOVELL seems like a good OS for servers, that is what i heard. It got a good structure and is better than Windows 2003 Server. Can anybody give me some more info about this. I see that Novell is coming more on the market and is more stable the windows 2003.


More info needed,because i want to do a course about novell & also i want to administrate Novell

lazyart

Novell used to be THE choice for server OS until NT4 proved it's own. You will still find it used quite a bit, but don't think it will overtake the MS stable.

RussS

As far as file and print servers go it outshines MS by a long shot. However as an application server it does have some things lacking .... but with Novell purchasing SuSe Linux I think they will soon have a 'do it all' option.

Things like Active Directory and others are rip-offs from Novell as far as I can see. MS is now a viable alternative, but is still not up to Netware in many ways.

superflyzx3

Novell Nterprise Linux Services is your best bet for a Novell product that will kill Windows 2003. Built on top of a Red Hat or Suse Linux server it is hard to beat. Plus you get more for your money. File Email, Web, etc. in one package, its hard to compete with that.
As far as server management goes, Novell has had Windows beat hands down. One pre-built tool, ConsoleOne, allows you to do everything you need. Unlike Windows where you have to open a new MMC for users and another for domains.

Webmaster

I think the situation would be entirely different if sys and net admins had both Netware and Windows skills and knowledge, as they would use the best from both products.

RussS wrote:

As far as file and print servers go it outshines MS by a long shot

I've migrated several Netware networks to Windows and it was always hard to justify the migration of file and print servers. The main reason to do it was always to have only one network OS. The reason that that one OS was MS windows was often MS Exchange server. Groupwise just couldn't measure up to Exchange server + Outlook, so when email became a standard for every self-respecting company (and Word took over Wordperfect's position so everyone had MS Office which included MS outlook...) most companies use Exchange server for e-mail which pretty much always led to a Windows domain. The descision to migrate Netware to Windows always came 'from above'. I never met a Netware sys admin who actually wanted to change to Windows. I've met quite a few who were happy afterwards but I don't think they ever got over the fact that they had to miss reliable print services and not to forget a decent way to create login scripts.

Things like Active Directory and others are rip-offs from Novell as far as I can see.

Yeah it does look like that a lot and there may be some truth in it, but ADS is a logical result of the Windows NT3.5/4 structure combined with the Exchange Exchange 5/5.5 directory, which in turn is based upon the Exchange server 4.0 directory (1996), and they are all X.500-like directories, just like Netware, but Novell didn't invent X.500 directories. There were more players at that time which had similar directory style network operating systems. Of course they had a close look at the competition... partitioning the NDS was something Windows NT 4 domain admins with a ridiculous amount of trusts and domain controllers could only dream of...

ajs1976

superflyzx3 wrote:

Novell Nterprise Linux Services is your best bet for a Novell product that will kill Windows 2003.

I started out working on a campus wide Novell Network, and then moved to a company that was a Novell Platinum partner. I now work mostly with MS and Citrix.

Nterprise Linux Services is just the latest buzzword from Novell. I have seen a couple over the last six years. The first was Netware 5.1 and its wonderfull GUI. then eDirectory and its cross platform capabilities. Netware 6 and its added web support. And now the whole linux thing. It seems that every 1 1/2 years there is a new thing from Novell that is going to put it back on top. i hope something eventually works, because I feel that competition is a good thing.

I have ripped out a number of Novell servers over the last couple of years. I have run across a number of reasons:

1. The licensing thing and having multiple OSes
2. windows is usually a better application server. There are a lot of MSDE based apps running around right now
3. The admin inherited a novell server, but doesn't know novell
4. The company owner had a lot of MS stock and made a lot of money off of it. (i'm not kidding with that one)

superflyzx3

As far as Total Cost of Ownership goes, the Novell Linux Service would have to be the best bet in the long run. Being build on a solid server ground work is a big step in the right direction for Novell. A low cost solution that offers you File, Print, Web, Email, etc. services bundled together is another step in the right direction. Keep in mind I said long run, because Microsoft want be filing for Chapter 11 any time soon, because 1.0 of Novell Nterprise Linux Services has a lot of ground to make up. Ask anyone who has tried installing and configuring the software( the install scripts have some slight bugs in them ), its a pain in the butt.

Another thing to keep in mind when trying to put in a Nterprise solution is the system admin. Not only will they have to be knowledgeable in Linux but in Novell as well. This can be a big learning curve for someone who has worked with one or the other for a while.

If Novell would be more gun ho in marketing this product they might have a good chance of taking some of Microsoft's Market share away. Don't expect this to happen overnight or anything.

Here is a little hindsight to keep in mind for you sys admins out their that are thinking of jumping on the Nterprise bandwagon.

Iomega thought they were going to kill the floppy with the zip drive, but their now just a footnote in computer history.

Also if you are looking for some obscure server software try Mac OS X Server. Its a long shot form taking over the Microsoft Domain.

drewm320

Please correct me if I'm wrong but if you wanted to deploy a Novell LAN, you would have to purchase Novell licenses on top of the Microsoft licensing, right?

superflyzx3

If I'm reading your question right, you have to have clients running licensed copies of Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X, or what ever. You have to buy Novell licenses in order to make connections to the NNLS server. So if you buy 25 client NNLS from Novell, 25 clients can connect using Windows, Mac OS X, or Unix/Linux. The main benefit to Novell NNLS is in the services it offers. In other words more bang for you buck.

drewm320

That's what I thought. So 25 MS seats + 25 Novell licenses = Too much money for a lot of small businesses.

matchey

Novell Netware is a far superior product an MS NOS. M$ copied Novell's NDS and called it Active Directory. It you want a more stable, reliable server that does not need patched all the time and rebooted choose Novell.

Novell servers stay up for years not days or weeks, also you can put more users on netware boxes and the licences are cheaper, all in all a better deal in cost and product.

Go to the Novell site it is excellent www.novell.com

Novell let themselves down a bit in the marketing side of things but are fighting back again, which is good