Next-generation network operating systems will aim to provide a more robust platform for integrating Internet processes with the enterprise. Microsoft, IBM and Novell are targeting enterprise networks by enhancing Internet support and adding attributes found in mainframe systems with upcoming releases of Windows NT, OS/2 Warp and NetWare, respectively. "Research tells us that 625 new terabytes of data are added to the Internet [each] month," said Jim Greene, manager of product marketing for Novell. "Everyone is moving toward connecting to the Internet, and there is a huge data store out there. The No. 1 issue is management and control of that, linked with security and reliability."
Novell is expected to release the third beta of NetWare 5.0 at its BrainShare conference to be held March 22-27 in Salt Lake City, with commercial shipment to follow by midyear. NetWare 5.0 will link IP and IPX network segments and include a compatibility utility for running IPX applications after migrating to IP.
"The big upgrade change is on a protocol level between NetWare 4.0 and NetWare 5.0," Greene said. "We've engineered it so that if IPX is the protocol of choice and IP is secondary, there is no migration that needs to occur." Other Internet-related features in NetWare 5.0 will include the ability to dynamically allocate IP addresses and update domain name servers from within NDS, optional Java installation and Netscape Communications' FastTrack Web server.
Novell is also planning to develop tools for handling the vast amount of data on the Internet. "Bandwidth is a big concern. Everyone on the Internet complains about the worldwide wait," Greene said. "What we want to do is provide the capability for a new breed of applications that are Java-centered. NetWare is the best file system out there, and [file transfers are] the No. 1 thing being done on the Internet and Web today."
Novell is also releasing new utilities, such as ZENworks> (Zero Effort Networks for users), a desktop management tool that makes use of the user profile in NDS to maintain a user's preferences such as menu choices and desktop configuration, no matter which machine the user logs in on. When it ships in the second quarter, ZENworks will allow policy-based software distribution and facilitate remote desktop management and maintenance.
Coming attractions in OS/2 IBM's plans for OS/2 Warp include a new version of the operating system in the first quarter of next year. The platform will add a journaling file system that logs file-system transactions, said Jeff Smith, director of OS/2 business line management for IBM, in Austin, Texas. "If there is a system failure, rather than recheck dozens of gigabytes of data, you replay the log and it puts the system in its correct state in minutes," Smith said. The technology for this originated with IBM's AIX platform and is a key reliability feature for large server installations, he said.
The new version of OS/2 Warp will also allow a file system to span multiple physical disks. "We are removing the tie between the physical disk and the notion of a file system, which is a logical thing, to let you have a logical file system on physical disks any way you want," Smith said. The next generation of OS/2 Warp will also include a common look and feel for Warp Server and the Warp 4.0 Client modules, as well as the ability to manage NT servers in a Warp Server domain.
More immediate enhancements to OS/2 Warp will include a performance update in Version 1.1.6, due by midyear, to its Java for OS/2 Warp module. "Our main requirement is to keep up with the industry on performance," Smith said. Early in the fourth quarter, Java for OS/2 Warp 1.2 will gain a Netscape Communicator browser.
IBM's network operating system development plans also include enhancements to its WorkSpace On-Demand module that allows thin clients and network PCs to boot off of OS/2 Warp Server. "Today, we boot using [Remote Program Load] and NetBIOS protocols," Smith said. "We are adding BOOTP and IP-based protocols early in the fourth quarter this year." WorkSpace On-Demand will also expand its capabilities beyond OS/2 by adding support for DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 clients as well as additional server platforms.
Windows NT 5.0, which entered beta testing last September, is slipping towards a 1999 release date. One key addition is Active Directory, a new directory service that stores data about all objects in a network. Administrative tasks such as adding new users, finding resources and managing peripherals will be centralized with Active Directory.
"NT 5.0 is another key milestone for us," said Tanya van Dam, group product manager for Microsoft. "What we are looking to do is enable you to have a directory based on industry standards that not only integrates your user account and management of the network operating system, but goes a step further to integrate with third-party applications." Active Directory will also enable a single-user log-on for all network resources and provide integration with other network operating systems, van Dam said.
"People have been asking for centralized management for a long time. We will definitely deliver on that with NT 5.0. You will be able to get synchronization between NDS and Active Directory," she said. NT 5.0 will also take aim at data storage by featuring disk quotas and hierarchical storage management.
