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So your boss just elected you to go out and find a network system for your small business. But what makes a network solid and reliable? File and printer sharing are just two of the vital components that make up today's networks. You also need an e-mail and group scheduling package, the ability to access the network remotely and, of course, Internet access. You may wish to consider Novell's NetWare for Small Business 4.11 for handling all of your workgroup needs. We tested the package in our University of Wisconsin Real-World Labs and were quite surprised with its solid integration and ease of use and installation.
NetWare for Small Business gives you quite a bit of bang for the buck. It's integrated with GroupWise 5.2 for e-mail, group scheduling and document management; MPR (Multiprotocol Router) for connecting to the Internet via a dial-up connection; GroupWise Internet Agent for Internet-based e-mail; Netscape FastTrack Web Server; NetWare Connect for remote access; a fiveuser version of Computer Associates' ARCserve 6.1 for backup; Computer Associates' InocuLAN Lite for virus protection; and a two-user version of FAXserve 5.
For comparison, we priced a five-user version of NT Server along with Exchange server. The cost for these two was $1,808, as compared with $995 for the fiveuser version of NetWare for Small Business. Novell also lets you purchase additional licenses in one-user increments, which is great if your company expands. With this pricing and the bundled components, NetWare for Small Business is difficult to pass up.
Getting the Network Up and Running
NetWare for Small Business' ease of installation and use is one of the first features we noticed. If you have several computers installed with multiple network cards and connected to a hub, you can select a machine as the dedicated server. Installation is simply a matter of loading the included boot floppy and CD-ROM into your machine and turning it on. The boot floppy and CD-ROM handle all administrative tasks, from loading the appropriate CD-ROM drivers to creating the disk partitions on the machine. There is a word of caution: Before installation, be sure to remove any data you wish to keep from the machine, as it will be lost during the install process. This process removes any existing...