Novell adopts Linux as NetWare migration path

Reduce Cost and Increase Efficiency with Grid Computing Oracle Database 11g Internet Seminar Bringing Order and Security to your Mobile Workforce: Corporate Mobility Policy and Device Management The Trend from Unix to Linux in SAP Data Centers Oracle Database 11g on Windows: Development and Deployment Staying Ahead of the Curve: Oracle Database 11g vs. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

April 14, 2003 (Computerworld) -- SALT LAKE CITY -- Faced with the reality of a steadily falling share of the network operating system market, Novell Inc. today answered the NetWare migration question. And the answer is Linux.

At its annual BrainShare user and partner conference here, Novell executives announced that NetWare 7, due out in approximately two years, will be a set of services that sits on top of both the NetWare and Linux kernels.

"We are not dropping NetWare; we are adding Linux. This is not a departure from NetWare," said Jack Messman, Novell's chairman and CEO. "We will not abandon you, and you need not abandon us," Messman told the Novell faithful in his keynote speech.

In a press conference following his keynote, Messman said Novell customers paying maintenance fees will have the option to migrate over time from the NetWare kernel to the Linux kernel if they choose. "It's a good migration path for NetWare users who were worried about where we were going with NetWare," Messman said. "It gives customers comfort" that file, print, storage, directory, Web development, resource management and other NetWare services will be available for the long haul, he said.

NetWare 6.5, the public beta of which was released today, is scheduled for availability this summer. Messman said NetWare 7 availability will follow Novell's standard timeline of approximately 18 months between releases.

Novell Vice Chairman Chris Stone said it's too early to elaborate on plans for the packaging of the Linux kernel. He said Novell has no plans to release a "unique flavor" of Linux, adding that the utilities and services that would be part of Novell's Linux offering are still being worked out. In any case, whether a customer opts for the NetWare kernel or the Linux kernel is "irrelevant," Stone said. "The value is in the services."

Messman stressed that Novell will continue to support and enhance NetWare. "It's all about choice," he said. He expressed the view that for NetWare users, having the choice to migrate to Linux will be more important than exercising it. "I think once they get that option, they'll choose not to do it," he said. "They just need to know they can."

George Kuzmowycz, system and technology project leader at AIPSO, a Johnston, R.I.-based nonprofit organization that provides services for the automobile insurance industry, was unconcerned with the Linux announcement. "We've been a NetWare shop since [Version] 2x, so we're probably not changing," he said. "It's interesting, but probably not relevant from a business perspective." Kuzmowycz said he's more concerned about Novell's progress in Web services integration and new marketing approaches.

A NetWare systems administrator supporting 16,000 users at a large industrial supply company in the Midwest who asked not to be identified said he wasn't particularly interested in Novell's Linux strategy from a NetWare standpoint. "[But] from a GroupWise standpoint, absolutely," he said, referring to Novell's messaging and collaboration offering.

Novell announced today that a Java-based GroupWise client for Linux and Macintosh desktops will be available later this year.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"News around the web is that Apple is planning to reduce its iPhone shipments to Rogers, Canada's lone GSM/EDGE/HSDPA provider...." Read more... "Apple yesterday dropped the price of the 64Gb MacBook Air by a whopping $500 ($400 less for the SSD and..." Read more... Read more Operating Systems posts or See all Blogs

Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner Microsoft trumpets security additions in upcoming IE8 Apple cuts price of high-end SSD MacBook Air by $500 More top stories...

Ultrathin showdown: Apple MacBook Air vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs. Toshiba Portege R500 Best Places to Work 2008 Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks

This old laptop: Revitalizing an aging notebook on the cheap All it takes is a couple hours and about $125 to breathe new life into an old laptop. Here's how. Bill Gates moves on Is Microsoft's Golden Age over? What are Gates' most memorable quotes? Find out in Computerworld's complete coverage of the end of the Bill Gates era at Microsoft. Five things you should never tell your boss There are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear. Also don't miss the flipside, Five things you should always tell your boss. Hands-On: Firefox 3 fixes what's broke and keeps what's right With its latest version, Mozilla's browser continues to raise the bar for what Web browsers should be. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Linux Rising Get this Computerworld report free (a $195 value) for a limited time, compliments of Novell. Linux is now firmly entrenched in the enterprise. Computerworld's new Executive Bulletin on the open-source operating system will get IT managers up to speed on the latest Linux developments, ranging from its impact on database sales to competition with other operating systems. Download this executive briefing  Energy Logic: Cutting Data Center Energy Costs By 50 Percent or More Energy Logic: Cutting Data Center Energy Costs By 50 Percent or More View this webcast now! Go to the webcast  Five Technologies Simplifying Infrastructure Management Get this white paper now! (Source: Liebert) Today's data centers must support more devices, are consuming more power and generating more heat. Learn five infrastructure technologies that are making it easier for growing businesses to introduce new IT systems as needed while maintaining high levels of availability. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Deploying Virtualized NetWare on Linux Whitepaper Toward More Flexible, Next-Generation Collaboration Solutions Driving Business Success Through Workgroup Choice and Flexibility View more whitepapers

• Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner
• Microsoft trumpets security additions in upcoming IE8
• Apple cuts price of high-end SSD MacBook Air by $500
• More top stories 

HP StorageWorks EVA4400 Before now, midsize customers settled for either an expensive and complex array or low cost solution that lacked functionality. Now experience virtual storage with enterprise class functionality at an affordable price. View this product demo now

In Depth: Apple's Leopard leaps to new heights A refined look, revamped apps and new options build on an already solid OS foundation. Read more...

Understand Messaging Archiving Email storage is growing at an average rate of 35% annually - three out of five decision makers cite the growth of messaging storage as their leading messaging-related problem. This Osterman Research white paper discusses the several reasons to implement a messaging archiving system and provide an overview of Sunbelt Software's offering focused squarely on the archiving space. Download this white paper now!

Best Places to Work in IT Where can you earn top dollar, get the best benefits, the latest IT and more? Find out in our 14th annual survey.