Pros and Cons of Novell’s NetWare and Related Services
One might wonder why I would like using such a dying technology. The answer is not that simple but I will try to explain some of the reasons I like using NetWare and OES as well, I will describe some of the drawbacks associated with it.
I may as well start off by saying that I am not a network tech or server admin. I work on a help desk where some of my duties include user administration, file management/maintenance, tech support, and other stuff.
So here goes. What do I like about NetWare, OES, eDIR, etc.?
- Printing with NDPS or iPrint works very well
- eDirectory is logically designed and the types of objets are easy to understand
- File management is a breeze
- eDir and OES can be integratd with other services such as Active Directory and LDAP.
- User account administration is very straight forward
- Zenworks for Desktops is great for keeping an inventory of computer systems and software
- NetWare 6.5 may be the last of the NetWare family but it’s still support fairly well
- GroupWise is a very good email system
- Since NetWare is not as popular as MS Windows, there aren’t near as much malware or vulnerabilities directed at it
- In my experience, people who work with NetWare (and other Novell services) know it well. Probably more than most of the folks who work with Windows based products.
Now that I’ve talked about the good stuff here are some things that I don’t like.
- ConsoleOne is junk but is needed to administer GroupWise
- The DNS/DHCP console is also junk but is needed
- Anyone who’s ever used NetWare knows what happens when it can’t synchronize properly
- Novell has been promising an “all-in-one” tool for years but has yet to produce it
- Novell is more focused on Linux now
- Drivers for new hardware are getting harder to find
- There are limited online resources where one can find information to help solve problems
- Less and less software vendors are creating software that is compatible
- When consulting is needed for big projects it’s harder to find qualified people than it was in previous years
- Having the extra overhead of the Novell Client on the desktop. This gives us one more piece of software to upgrade, manage, and troubleshoot.
I am sure that there are people out there who will disagree with my pros and cons but keep in mind these are just things I have noticed over the past fours years while employed in the IT sector. If you have been living under a rock and have no idea what NetWare, eDirectory, Zenworks, or anything else I mentioned is click here to get to a Wikipedia article that explains more.
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Comments
I would agree with your Pros and Cons. They are honest, thought out and not just rants.
I am a network administrator who took a job at a school running Netware and many other Novell products 8 years ago. At that point I had never even heard of Netware. It is so stable I was able to administer that network for a year without problems, while learning Netware. I wouldn’t want to try that with a Windows based network.
I would add that I am not a fan of the new management interface iManager. My favorite would have to have been NW Admin32. It was fast, easy to update and navigate.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Daniel Blake
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