Novell networks with Sun

Electronic News, Nov 18, 1996 by Cynthia Bournellis

Menlo Park, Calif.--Network operating system veteran Novell just got its hands on a big stick: Java.

Novell will license the Java WorkShop development software and other Java technologies from Sun Microsystems for use in Novell's directory services (NDS) environment. NDS is a cross-platform directory service that provides a single point of access and management for both users and network administrators. It works with all types of networks, operating systems and Internet service providers. According to Novell, NDS has more than 17 million users and 200 compatible directory applications.

Last week at the Sun campus in Menlo Park, Calif., executives from Novell and Sun's SunSoft subsidiary discussed a new partnership designed to expand both companies' respective markets. "A lot of people are doing PC networking on Novell software, and it is important that they get access to the Internet and Web type of environments." said Janpieter Scheerder, president of SunSoft, Inc.

The terms of the alliance include several agreements. Starting next month, Novell will license Java WorkShop and distribute it to subscribers of Novell's DeveloperNet program. Java Workshop is an integrated development environment for creating Java applications. By mid-1997, Novell will add the next generation of Java tools into its IntranetWare server platform. Novell will also license Sun's Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, which quickly executes Java applications, and incorporate it into the IntranetWare software development kit for the Java platform--a beta version is currently available.

Next quarter, Novell will distribute Java WorkShop, with an early-access release of Novell-specific Java class libraries scheduled for the same time. By the middle of next year, Novell will ship a Java execution product, with JIT, in IntranetWare. No changes will be made to Java in order for it to take advantage of NDS.

Novell will also license Sun's WebNFS technology for use in NetWare NFS. This means any WebNFS browser or client will be able to get information from NetWare WebNFS servers either over a intranet or the Internet. WebNFS is the de facto Internet file system standard and an enhancement to the network file system (NFS) developed by Sun.

In turn, Sun will license the NDS code and make it available on its Solaris operating system, along with IntranetWare file and print services. SunSoft's Mr. Scheerder would not disclose when NDS on Solaris would be available or Sun's sales plans, except to say that products will come out next year. Sun is also working on adopting NDS to Layer 2 devices, which operate at the data link layer of a network.

The aim of the alliance is to provide a standard way of accessing services across multiple hardware and software platforms. Important to Sun is Novell's history as one of the early leaders who built networking software around personal computers. The company's flagship product, NetWare, controls multiple hardware and software systems.

And while NetWare's market share suffered some time ago at the hands of former Novell chairman Ray Noorda (he shifted the company's focus off NetWare when he instigated the purchase of Unix System Labs from AT&T and the WordPerfect merger), today NetWare is still a solid product with a large installed base. This, coupled with Sun's motto of "the network is the computer," makes this a viable partnership, explained Mr. Scheerder. Novell's Denice Gibson, senior VP of Internet Products at Novell, concurred. "Sun is the number one supplier of Internet servers. Most servers run on Sun Solaris, and most PCs run on Novell."

While the alliance will increase both companies' customer base, it will undoubtedly give Novell more power. "Novell is getting the best benefit, because when you put your name next to Java, you now have a big hammer," said Mary Hubley, an analyst at Datapro Information Services in New Jersey.

The alliance follows Novell's recent distribution strategy to accelerate the adoption of NDS. Operating systems developers can now obtain a royalty-free source code and distribution license for NDS in order to create a common directory service across heterogenous environments. Partnerships with independent hardware and software vendors will be revealed over the next several months. This distribution model will make it easier for users to find information on corporate networks, intranets and Internets, regardless of where the information sits.