For a number of years, NetWare was synonymous with networking. However, Windows NT is giving NetWare some stiff competition. NetWare, an exceptionally fast file-and-print server, allows desktop clients to share files, data, and printers. A typical distributed processing environment is shown in Figure 2-1 on the following page.
Netware’s strength is in its file-and- print services.
From its inception, Novell’s redirector implementation strategy reflected the need for speed. The NetWare redirector was designed to intercept and redirect system calls for disk access; as an afterthought, Novell decided that client/server computing was also important. However, Novell’s client/server implementation was problematic. The implementation was based on a 16-bit MS-DOS operating system that did not run in a protected mode. If one user session locked up, the server needed to be rebooted. Windows NT and OS/2 ran each user’s session in protected mode; if one user’s session locked up, the server didn’t need to be rebooted.
FIGURE 2-1
A typical distributed processing environment with centralized data storage, as used in Novell’s NetWare