Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 14:18:56 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: ttam@mail.iidpwr.com (Tony Tam) Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.org, questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Novell Netware Message-ID: <199608242118.OAA19921@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <96Aug23.230023pdt.15364@mail.iidpwr.com> from "Tony Tam" at Aug 23, 96 11:03:41 pm
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> Could anybody tell me what are the advantages of a Novell Netware > Network? Since Windows 95 comes with TCP/IP stack, file, and printer > sharing capabilities, why would a network need a Novell Netware server? > Moreover, FreeBSD supports samba, why would a network need a Novell > Netware server? 1) Legacy. This is, IMO, Novell's big market right now, though they may still have the ability to double their stock price in the next while or so... 2) Directory services. Login to the newtork instead of the host is a big win. It's unfortunate for Novell that they harped on this so heavily with their 4.x release, since it damaged their ability to sell the other benefits of their 4.x product over their 3.x product. Big marketing blunder there. 3) Security. If the Internet doesn't run IPX, it will be a difficult thig to hack your way into a Novell Network. For most Windows95 SMB-over-TCP/IP networks, it's pretty trivial: the "security fix" fix one instance of a class of problems on Win95 (though it fixed the real problem on WinNT). Less of an issue after NT displaces 95 (and pigs fly and RAM and disk drives grow on trees. Several years off, at least). 4) Central administration. This is above and beyond just central administration of users (via NDS). A WinNT BrowseMonster ...er BrowseMaster... is still an annoying way to administer multiple servers, especially if one of them goes down. 5) Real TCP/IP. At least the Novell code doesn't violate the RFC's and listen to routing messages when it's not supposed to (the Win95 sniper bug is still alive and kicking, and the Internet shows no sighns of getting over its growing pains). 6) Bang for the buck. A Novell server can service 512 client stations on the same hardware where an NT server starts choking at 128. Part of this is the ability to turn around cached data reads in about 6uS or less. Yes, 6uS. Coding central loops in assembly that can fit in the processor L1 cache does have an effect... None of these are really compelling reasons on networks which aren't running near capacity, and need to trade more efficient use of the hardware off against not being able to put off the upgrade another year or so. > Is there any technical advantages which IPX over TCP/IP? No. Unless you count packetburst, which is a fixed window low latency transfer that could be implemented on TCP/IP without the fixed window (but which has no Microsoft equivalent yet, anyway). Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
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