FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 23, 1998
Novell Raises Bar for Software Industry, Elevates NetWare Customers
Networking Leader Leaps Ahead with NetWare 5 Beta 3, including World's 
Fastest Java Virtual Machine, Oracle8 Database, and Java Console
BRAINSHARE, SALT LAKE CITY - March 23, 1998 - The intelligent network server 
platform belongs to Novell. That is the message as the networking leader 
kicks off its annual developer conference here today with platform product 
news that raises the bar of network performance, scalability, and 
manageability across the entire software industry. Focusing this first day of 
the conference on Novell's NetWare(r) server platform and its support for 
intelligent network solutions enabled by Novell Directory Services? (NDS?), 
Novell today announced:
* The world's fastest Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running server-based 
Java applications and services will be included with NetWare 5
* The best-selling database, Oracle8, and the most widely used network 
platform, NetWare, will be in the same box
* The third and final beta of NetWare 5 will be available by the end of 
April, keeping the new server platform on schedule for mid-year release and 
delivering scalable networking services using open standards
"The products are shipping, the benchmarks are in, and the results are 
clear," said Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Novell, Inc. "Novell is 
delivering the network server platform against which all others will be 
measured. By listening to our customers and focusing on networking, the thing 
we do better than anyone else, we have brought into sight our goal of 
leadership in Internet software by the end of 1998. Our customers will 
continue to rely on a platform that elevates them above their industry 
counterparts, enabling new kinds of solutions and giving them an even broader 
competitive edge."
Fastest Java Virtual Machine
NetWare 5 will ship with the world's fastest Java environment. Independent 
tests by Key Labs, using the VolanoMark benchmark, certified the NetWare 5 
JVM is more than twice as fast as the nearest contender, Microsoft's JVM on 
Windows NT Server. These benchmarks were measured using 200 connections 
running on Intel 300 MHz Pentium II hardware with 128 MB RAM. Preliminary 
results also indicate that Novell's JVM is many times faster then Java 
implementations for leading UNIX systems running on similarly priced 
rdware.
This breakthrough in JVM performance positions NetWare as the best server 
platform for running Java applications, providing users with fast access to 
applications and data by eliminating a significant amount of the performance 
penalty historically associated with Java applications. In addition, 
NetWare's server-side Java will allow developers to meet the performance 
requirements of large networks and mission-critical applications. The Java 
Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.1.5, including the JVM, is included in NetWare 5 
Beta 3 and is also a part of Novell's Open Solutions Architecture? (OSA) SDK.
"Novell's JVM is incredibly fast and provides an excellent server platform 
for our 100 percent Java-based suite of office information management 
applets," said Pete Grillo, president of PlusFactor Software, a leading 
developer of Java applications for small businesses (www.plusfactor.com). 
"Our initial experiences also show Novell's JVM to be very reliable. This 
breakthrough performance will definitely help Java applications like our 
Office Pack suite gain fast acceptance among Novell's huge base of over 70 
million customers."
The Best of Both Worlds
Novell customers will get an integrated, directory-enabled database 
application solution offering superior performance and management starting 
with NetWare 5 Beta 3. With a complete five-user version of Oracle8 included 
in every box of NetWare 5, customers will automatically receive a high 
performance and scalable integrated application platform for deploying 
applications, including Java.
Shipping NetWare 5 Beta 3
The new features in the final phase of beta for NetWare 5 enhance its 
capabilities for developing, deploying and managing network solutions. The 
features work in concert with NDS to make NetWare 5 an IP-based enterprise 
network server platform for managing heterogeneous network resources such as 
applications, printers, files, databases, the company intranet and more. 
Novell will also continue to support IPX in NetWare 5 for customers who 
require a mixed environment. New elements in NetWare 5 Beta 3 include the 
following:
ú ConsoleOne - Code-named "Houston" during development, Novell ConsoleOne 
brings graphical user interface (GUI) management to the NetWare server 
console. By leveraging NDS, ConsoleOne provides administrators with flexible, 
role-based administration. This common framework is 100 percent Java and 
integrates Java applets and snap-ins allowing developers to build network 
management solutions with a common look and feel.
ú Enhanced NDS - NetWare 5 incorporates an enhanced version of NDS, Novell's 
industry-leading directory service. This new version includes support for the 
LDAP v.3 (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) standard to ensure customers 
of interoperability with other LDAP directories. Also new are directory 
catalog services to help administrators search the directory and more quickly 
access network information. NetWare 5 also provides improved directory 
performance and reduced network traffic to speed performance in wide-area 
networks.
ú New Installation and Migration - A new server setup routine reduces the 
time customers must spend preparing their server for a NetWare 5 
installation. The Novell Migration Wizard has also been updated and included 
in NetWare 5 Beta 3 to provide customers automated migration for their move 
to NetWare 5.
"We're currently evaluating NetWare 5 on a test network as part of the 
NetWare 5 beta program," said Keith G. Momberg, lead network analyst at 
Lockheed Martin. "Although we have a mix of IP-only and token ring protocols, 
the most interesting NetWare 5 features we've seen so far are pure IP and 
Novell Storage Services (NSS). We have servers on our production network with 
multi-gigabyte disk arrays and we hope NSS will help ensure our maximum 
access to that data."
NetWare 5 Training and Certification
More than 290,000 Certified Novell Administrators (CNA) and 135,000 Certified 
Novell Engineers (CNE) will be able to upgrade their skills with new NetWare 
5 CNA and CNE certifications. Courses will be available concurrent with 
product launch at more than 1,450 Novell Authorized Education enters (NAEC) 
worldwide.
Prior to the availability of certification courses, individuals have two 
opportunities to learn about NetWare 5: a free two-hour product seminar or a 
one-day hands-on course available at select NAECs and Novell sales offices 
worldwide this Spring. For more information or to locate an NAEC, visit the 
Novell Education website at http://education.novell.com.
Pricing and Availability
NetWare 5 Beta 3 will be available worldwide in April through an open beta 
program. Customers will be able to register to receive the NetWare 5 beta 3 
CDs from Novell's Web site at
http://www.novell.com/netware5/ for a fee of $20 (US) to cover handling and 
materials.
About Novell
Founded in 1983, Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL) is the world's leading provider of 
network software. The company offers a wide range of network solutions for 
distributed network, Internet/intranet and small business markets, as well as 
the network computing industry's most comprehensive education and technical 
support programs. Information about Novell and its complete range of products 
and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com.
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Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks and Open Solutions Architecture, 
Novell Directory Services and NDS are trademarks of Novell, Inc. All other 
registered trademarks and trademarks are the property of their respective 
holders.
Press Contacts:
Jason Werner
Novell, Inc.
Phone: (801) 861-4009
Internet: jwerner@novell.com
Danielle Epstein
Cunningham Communication, Inc.
Phone: (650) 858-3745
Internet: depstein@ccipr.com
Novell Raises Bar for Software Industry, Elevates NetWare Customers Page 5
... A sleeping fox counts hens in his dreams.
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