---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SunConnect Introduces NetWare Connectivity For Solaris SunFLASH Vol 34 #18 October 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SunConnect, a Sun Microsystems, Inc. business, today (Oct 18th, 1991) introduced NetWare SunLink. The press release is attached for your reference. This announcement should be viewed as a Sun Microsystems Computer Company (SMCC) future software direction. Actual pricing and packaging will be announced next year. Summary: * SunConnect will license Portable NetWare v3.11 from Novell and will port it to the Solaris platform. * Sun and Novell will work on joint marketing programs promoting this solution. * This solution will enable NetWare users to access Unix resources and applications, and take advantage of powerful Unix servers on their network. * It will be a server only implmentation. This means that the Sun acts as a a server for unmodified DOS, MAC and OS/2 NetWare clients, providing them with UNIX integration. (Solaris 1.0 clients can access NetWare 3.11 already through Novell's implementation of ONC/NFS.) * Provides opportunities for system integrators and resellers to integate Unix into commercial environments. * Product positioning with PC-NFS: - SunConnct's NetWare product will allow Sun's to integrate into PC LANs - PC-NFS allows PC's to fully integrate into UNIX networks - Both products support our distributed computing strategy for the development of client server applications ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SUNCONNECT INTRODUCES NETWARE CONNECTIVITY FOR SOLARIS DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING SOLUTION Major Resellers and Software Vendors Endorse Integration of UNIX Environment With Leading PC-LAN DALLAS, Texas -- October 14, 1991 -- SunConnect, a Sun Microsystems, Inc., business, today introduced NetWare(R) SunLink(R), a NetWare connectivity product that allows DOS, Microsoft(R) Windows, OS/2(R) and Macintosh(R) NetWare users to share data, files and print services with UNIX(R) systems. The new product runs on Solaris(R) 1.0, the leading 32-bit distributed computing solution for SPARC(R) systems, introduced by SunSoft earlier this year. The product gives Novell's installed base of NetWare users direct connectivity with SPARC workstations and servers. This enables NetWare users to access UNIX resources and client/server applications, such as database management and group productivity packages, and take advantage of powerful SPARC servers on their networks. "SunConnect is in business to integrate UNIX with all major computing environments," said Cheryl Vedoe, vice president and general manager of SunConnect. "With NetWare on the Solaris platform our customers will be able to leverage UNIX in their PC-LAN environment." "With so many of our customers using NetWare and UNIX as complementary rightsizing solutions, we are excited to see the development of NetWare-to-Solaris integration," said Darrell Miller, executive vice president at Novell, Inc. "The NetWare SunLink product will offer NetWare users seamless access to a broad range of UNIX applications." Meets Customer Needs With the NetWare SunLink product, distributors, resellers and developers will be able to address customer demand for direct interoperability between UNIX systems and PC LANs. Several major customers, independent software vendors and distributors have already endorsed the new product. "The NetWare SunLink product should allow us to increase productivity through efficient information sharing," said Russ Turner, director of information management at Rockwell's Space Systems Division. "The integration of our more than 4,000 PC and Macintosh NetWare clients with powerful Sun(TM) UNIX servers will enable us to implement distributed database applications across our organization." "I think it's a great step for the industry," said Mark Bennett, vice president of marketing at Intelligent Electronics. "It provides incredible synergy to our business. It means that dealers who have been selling NetWare can now offer better Sun/Novell integration to their customers." Ed Anderson, president of ComputerLand Corp., USA, the nation's largest Novell reseller, commented, "The NetWare SunLink product from SunConnect bridges the gap from the old world to the new. We see this as providing an elegant migration path to WANs and client/server solutions." "Oracle's new SQL*Net V2 product, together with NetWare SunLink, for the first time empowers end users with transparent access to all commercial computing environments -- from PC LANs to workstations and servers to minis and mainframes -- for complete enterprise-wide data accessibility," said Jim Sha, vice president, UNIX division, Oracle Corp. "This positions Sun's SPARCsystems as the MIS glue for all corporate computing resources." Oracle will include support for NetWare SunLink in a new version of SQL*Net V2 in mid-1992. Sun and Novell Collaboration Today's announcement marks another important milestone in Sun and Novell's continuing collaboration on networking technology. In 1988, Novell licensed the NFS(R) distributed computing technology from Sun Microsystems, Inc. and later made it available to users of the NetWare 3.11 operating system. Sun and Novell both support transport-independent procedure call technology (TIRPC), which enables developers to easily write a single application that can run in different networking environments and protocols. The NetWare SunLink product will be available in mid-1992.The product will provide all the basic services included in Novell's NetWare Version 3.11. Under terms of the agreement between SunConnect and Novell, the SunConnect NetWare implementation will be fully tested and certified by Novell before the product is released. The NetWare SunLink product will be available through SunConnect and Novell reseller channels. Pricing will be announced at a future date. SunConnect is demonstrating the product at the NetWorld trade show in Dallas, held from October 14-17, 1991. SunConnect was formed in July 1991 as a business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc. The company develops and markets products that enable customers to reliably and transparently integrate UNIX systems into mixed-vendor environments and efficiently manage enterprise-wide networks. Sun Microsystems, Sun, the Sun logo, SunConnect, the SunConnect logo, SunSoft, SunLink, SunLink, NFS and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. licensed to Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International, Inc. licensed to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Press Information; SunConnect Erica Vener (415) 336-3566 Hi-Tech Public Relations Claudia Carasso (415)864-5600 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.