Network Support Encyclopedia 15/novell-nsepro-1992-vol15.iso/download/wanlnk.rel

Text File | 1992-09-04 | 7KB | 147 lines

Novell Announces Release of WAN Links v2.0

Product Simplifies WANs, Supports More Protocols, Extends 3rd Party
Support, and Consolidates Functionality

SAN JOSE, Calif., -- August 3, 1992 -- Novell today announced an expansion
of its enterprise networking capabilities with the introduction of NetWare
WAN Links v2.0, enabling the routing of IPX, TCP/IP, AppleTalk and OSI
traffic across X.25-based public networks or private networks based on
leased lines.

NetWare WAN Links v2.0 simplifies the implementation and management of
wide area networks by building on end users' and resellers' knowledge of
NetWare. The familiar NetWare interface is integrated into the improved
configuration and installation utility. WAN Links works with a dedicated
NetWare MultiProtocol Router in a corporate headquarters environment with
high-traffic demands or with a NetWare server in a branch office with less
intense traffic. Novell's internetworking strategy is built on using
standard off-the-shelf PCs, making enterprise networking easy and
economical.

In a related move targeted to encourage third parties to develop WAN cards
for the NetWare WAN Links v2.0 environment, Novell also announced the Wide
Area Network Interface Specification (WANIS). WANIS defines the
programming interfaces for developers who wish to incorporate their wide
area links such as Frame Relay, SMDS or ISDN WAN cards, into a NetWare
MultiProtocol Router or NetWare server.

"NetWare WAN Links v2.0 allows customers to connect geographically
dispersed LANs in a multiprotocol environment easily and inexpensively,"
said Navindra Jain, vice president and general manager of Novell's
Internetworking Products Division. "With WANIS, Novell is opening its wide
area networking interface to third-party developers thereby providing
customers more choices of products that operate and are managed in a
uniform manner."

Announcement Highlights

Highlights of the NetWare WAN Links announcement are:

~Enhanced and combined functionality of previous Link products into one

~Routing of IPX, TCP/IP, AppleTalk, and OSI over wide area links
(Previously Novell could only route IPX over wide area links.)

~Support for Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), the IETF standard for
multivendor/multiprotocol environments

~Support for X.25

~Improved SNMP management capability

~WANIS availability to third-party vendors that allows them to easily
develop compatible products.

Product Consolidates Former Offerings

NetWare WAN Links v2.0 combines and improves upon the functionality
offered in previous link products including Link/64 v1.1 and Link/T1 v
1.1. In addition, WAN Links 2.0 includes support for X.25, allowing users
to access public and private X.25 data networks.

PPP and X.25 Support

Point-to-Point (PPP) is  designed to provide vendor interoperability by
defining a standard for running multiple network-level protocols, such as
IPX, TCP/IP and AppleTalk, over serial wide area network links. With PPP,
users can directly interconnect one manufacturer's router to another, such
as a NetWare router to a Cisco router in an IP environment, via high speed
serial lines. PPP leverages a customer's existing investment in routers.

Link/X.25 provides services for NetWare products and other applications
requiring wide-area connectivity to public and private X.25 networks. The
X.25 configuration utility features a set of Novell-developed profiles for
the major X.25 public data networks that significantly simplifies the
configuration process.

Network Management Features

Novell's internetworking products support the industry standard for
network management, Simple Network Management Protocol, SNMP. More
importantly, Novell is providing a way for third parties to connect to the
network management environment. The benefit is a single network management
interface for the end user. Novell's SNMP agent supports TCP/IP and IPX
protocols. In addition, the extensible SNMP agent allows third party
developers of WAN cards to interface their MIBs into the NetWare
environment.

Customers can manage their wide area links remotely.  In addition to
traditional IPX-based remote console utilities,  Telnet and X-Windows
support have been added to allow for remote management from TCP/IP and
UNIX workstations. WAN Links provides access to a DSU/CSU supervisory port
for management that makes trouble-shooting possible from any workstation
on the network.

Wide Area Network Interface Specification (WANIS)

WANIS is being distributed to encourage the growth of network computing
over wide area links. The specification extends the concept of Novell's
Open Data Link Interface to the wide area environment. WANIS allows
developers to more quickly and easily integrate their WAN adapters with
the NetWare MultiProtocol Router, NetWare, or NetWare for SAA. WANIS also
shields end-users from having to learn separate installation and
configuration utilities for each manufacturer's adapters.

"WANIS is a step forward in the integration of networks and eases the task
of third-party developers," commented Larry Stephenson, President, Newport
Systems. "Newport Systems will port all our LAN 2 LAN wide area network
products, such as X.25 and Frame Relay, to the WANIS interface."

Pricing, Upgrades, Availability and Educational Seminars

NetWare WAN Links v2.0 has a suggested list price of $1295 (U.S.), if
purchased between now and October 31, 1992. After that date the product
will have a suggested list price of $1495 (U.S.). NetWare WAN Links v2.0
will ship in September and will be available through Novell authorized
resellers.

There are two upgrade paths from previous versions of NetWare Link
products to the new NetWare WAN Links v2.0. If NetWare Link/64 v1.1 or
Link/T1 v1.1 was purchased between June 1, 1992 and July 31, 1992, the
customer is eligible for a FREE upgrade to WAN Links v2.0. The customer
must request the free upgrade by calling 1 (800) UPDATE-1 on or before
October 31, 1992. If Link/64 or /T1 v1.1 was purchased prior to June 1,
1992, or if the customer wishes to upgrade from Link/64 or /T1 v1.0 to WAN
Links v2.0, the suggested list price is $625 (U.S.).

For pricing outside the U.S. and Canada, customers should contact their
local Novell reseller.

To educate customers and resellers on this new, multi-purpose platform
approach to building manageable internets, Novell, Intel and WilTel (a
leading provider of leased line services) will conduct a series of FREE
seminars beginning September 2, 1992 and concluding October 20, 1992. The
seminars are scheduled for the following cities:  Santa Ana, Sacramento,
Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, St. Louis, Dallas, Minneapolis, Chicago,
Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Herndon (VA.), Atlanta, Toronto and New
York City. For more details, please call 1 [phone], extension 353.

Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:  NOVL) is an operating system software company, the
developer of network services, specialized and general purpose operating
system software products including NetWare and DR DOS. Novell's NetWare
network computing products manage and control the sharing of services,
data and applications among computer workgroups, departmental networks and
business-wide information systems.