| Which Windows? | Don't Close Your Old Windows | NT's Portable Power | NT Storms the Server | Mixing It Up: Win95 Features In NT Workstation |
One-on-One: Win95 and NT |
Although it got off to a slow start in 1993, NT is gaining momentum on the server, with an estimated installed base of more than 1 million units. Microsoft says NT Server sales are doubling each year, allowing it to gain ground on Novell's market-leading NetWare. Last year, NetWare outsold NT by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to International Data Corp., a research firm in Framingham, Mass. This year, sales of NT and NetWare are running neck-and-neck, IDC says. The competition is especially fierce right now, following Microsoft's recent release of Windows NT Server 4.0 and Novell's new NetWare 4.11 upgrade, code-named Green River.
NT and NetWare each has strengths and weaknesses. NT Server is a general-purpose operating system designed to support file, print, application and Internet services. NT also supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), and runs on Intel, Mips, PowerPC and Alpha microprocessors. In contrast, NetWare was designed for file and print services. It lacks robust application services and only runs on Intel-based servers (a PowerPC version is under consideration).
NetWare does boast vastly superior directory services, an urgent requirement for distributed enterprise networks. A directory service is a repository for managing every object on a network, from user names to printer locations. Microsoft isn't expected to offer credible directory services on NT until at least late 1997.
While some companies are migrating from NetWare to NT, most are using the two in tandem: NetWare for file, print and directory services, with NT supporting database, messaging and Internet/intranet services. Microsoft and Novell each offer extensive comparative information that explains how to integrate or migrate from NetWare to NT, and vice versa. You'll find them on the companies' Web sites at http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/moment.htm and http://netware.novell.com/.
| Which Windows? | Don't Close Your Old Windows | NT's Portable Power | NT Storms the Server | Mixing It Up: Win95 Features In NT Workstation |
One-on-One: Win95 and NT |