Novell Announces the Release of Directory-Enabled NetWare® 4.2

Year 2000-ready NetWare 4.2 reinforces Novell's commitment to providing the best network solutions for the growing and evolving needs of businesses

PROVO, Utah -- December 7, 1998 -- Novell, Inc. today announced the release of NetWare 4.2, a proven network solution that allows Internet-enabled businesses to more effectively manage and control their increasingly complex networks. NetWare 4.2 will be available to customers on or before Dec. 31 and will replace intraNetWare and NetWare 4.11. This new addition to the Novell family of network solutions is built upon the field-proven NetWare 4 with Novell® Directory Services® (NDS™) and delivers greater system reliability, more efficient centralized administration of desktops, tighter Internet/intranet integration and NetWare 5 compatibility in one convenient package -- all while lowering the cost of network ownership.

Testers have been pleased with NetWare 4.2, which has been in beta testing since September. "I've been testing NetWare 4.2 for several weeks now and it's as stable as a rock," said Dr. Joseph Doupnik, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Utah State University. "NetWare 4.2 contains all the elements I need to manage a network easily and effectively. It already has the mileage to prove that it's an exceptionally solid network. And I can run it on my current servers, so I don't need to make any new hardware purchases."

"NetWare 4 has and will continue to be an important part of the network solution on which many of our customers depend," said John Slitz Jr., senior vice president of corporate marketing at Novell. "NetWare 4.2 reinforces our commitment to our NetWare 4 customers, while facilitating a phased migration to a NetWare 5 environment. With NetWare 4.2, Novell is once again delivering on its promise to provide the solutions our customers need to effectively and efficiently manage their complex, evolving networks heading into the new millennium."

NetWare resellers are also pleased about Novell's decision to release NetWare 4.2. "I'm happy with Novell's development of NetWare 4.2," said reseller Steve Krivit, of Data Link Services Inc. in Pacific Palisades, Calif. "With a complete set of robust NetWare options to offer, I can easily match my customers' needs with the best network solutions. It demonstrates Novell's commitment to offering the best choices for both new and existing customers."

The new benefits and features of NetWare 4.2 include the following:

• NetWare 5 compatibility. NetWare 4.2 ensures compatibility with NetWare 5 by including IP and IPX protocol integration and NetWare 4s most current version of NDS, the industry- leading directory service from Novell. It also includes the same IP and Z.E.N.works™-ready client software as NetWare 5, so that desktops in a NetWare 4.2 environment are primed to fully leverage NetWare 5 servers when they are added. A three-user demonstration copy of NetWare 5 is also included to help customers evaluate and prepare for future NetWare 5 upgrades.
• Improved network management and control. The Z.E.N.works Starter Pack is included with NetWare 4.2 and provides tools that allow for the centralized administration of desktops and applications based on the Windows* platform.
• Lower total cost of ownership. NetWare 4.2 comes with a five-user version of Oracle8*, the industry-leading relational database. The upgrade process from earlier NetWare versions is simplified with the inclusion of the Novell Upgrade Wizard. NetWare 4.2 also allows network access for remote employees.
• Improved Internet/intranet integration. NetWare 4.2 provides a complete set of improved Internet/intranet services, including Netscape FastTrack Server* for NetWare, Netscape Communicator* and a new version of Multi-protocol Router (v3.2). New versions of the Perl (v5.1) and NetBasic* (v6) scripting tools are also included to make the development of Web-based applications even easier.
• Improved security, reliability, scalability and performance. NetWare 4.2 is built upon the same core operating system as NetWare 4.11 and has been integrated with all reliability updates. NetWare 4.2 also supports the Euro currency. Furthermore, all components of NetWare 4.2 have been thoroughly tested for Year 2000 readiness.

Pricing and Availability

NetWare 4.2 will be available to customers on or before Dec. 31. A server with a five-user license is $1,095 US MSRP -- additional 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500-user client packs will be available for customer purchase in any combination. Upgrade pricing is available for current NetWare customers. Additional information on NetWare 4.2 can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/products/netware4.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) is the leading provider of network software enabled by directory services. Novell Internet solutions make networks more manageable and secure and reduce the total cost of ownership for organizations of every kind and size. Novell's worldwide channel, developer, education and technical support programs are the most extensive in the network computing industry.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at http://www.novell.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell, NetWare and Novell Directory Services are registered trademarks and NDS and Z.E.N.works are trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.