From owner-freebsd-hackers Sat Aug 24 04:40:36 1996 Return-Path: owner-hackers Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.5/8.7.3) id EAA29126 for hackers-outgoing; Sat, 24 Aug 1996 04:40:36 -0700 (PDT) Received: from arl-img-4.compuserve.com (arl-img-4.compuserve.com [149.174.217.134]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id EAA29121 for ; Sat, 24 Aug 1996 04:40:28 -0700 (PDT) Received: by arl-img-4.compuserve.com (8.6.10/5.950515) id HAA26303; Sat, 24 Aug 1996 07:39:57 -0400 Date: 24 Aug 96 07:39:10 EDT From: Jan Knepper <106030.3360@CompuServe.COM> To: "[FreeBSD Hackers]" Subject: Novell Netware Message-ID: <960824113909_106030.3360_JHF48-1@CompuServe.COM> Sender: owner-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk Tony Tam wrote: /* Could anybody tell me what are the advantages of a Novell Netware Network? */ I don't know if there are any advantages anymore, but there where a lot in the time that hardware was still expensive. Novell NetWare had their best growth when everybody (almost everybody) was using MS-DOS. IPX/SPX is a relative easy and small protocol. I think Rank Xerox originally defined it. In todays world where the Novell Market share is shrinking, Windows NT Server is growing, Unix is becoming more and more important and even beating the NT market I would think IPX/SPX aint that important anymore. Also Novell NetWare actually has a 8.3 filename standard. Is has a high performance filesystem, but if you ask me I would say it has been *designed* to interface with MS-DOS. /* Since Windows 95 comes with TCP/IP stack, file, and printer sharing capabilities, why would a network need a Novell Netware server? */ You don't need one. You also can use a FreeBSD machine as File Server or even a Windows 95 or Windows NT machine. However if you have applications that use NLM's like the Btrieve Server for instance you can switch to Windows NT server from Novell NetWare. Unix would be impossible for now since there is no Brieve Server available for that platform. Like Btrieve there are many others that work that way. /* Moreover, FreeBSD supports samba, why would a network need a Novell Netware server? */ Just for those that still use MS-DOS and want to share file, databases, printers I would say. /* Is there any technical advantages which IPX over TCP/IP? */ I *think* TCP/IP is much more a standard than IPX/SPX is. Also for this reason I guess that NT 4.0 supports TCP/IP as standard. I have never tried, but for a local network IPX/SPX might deliver the end user a higher performance. This is what I was told. I can not support it with any proof. <<<< Form a long term Novell NetWare user and developer >>>> Don't worry, be Kneppie, Jan