What You Get in Novell's Small Business Suite 6
Articles and Tips: article
Novell, Inc.
01 Sep 2002
Like large Fortune 1000 companies, small businesses want to harness the power of the Internet to become more responsive to the needs of their customers, partners and employees. For the small business owner, being able to access company data anywhere and at any time means capitalizing on new business opportunities.
Unlike large Fortune 1000 companies, though, small businesses often don't have the resources to manage their own IT needs. They often lack the financial means to constantly maintain or update their systems. More than 45% of small business owners feel that technology is inhibiting--not contributing to--their growth.
Enter Novell Small Business Suite 6
Novell Small Business Suite 6 makes the Internet an everyday business tool for small businesses. NSBS 6 is designed to be easy to use, with administration tools that make the entire network a snap to manage.
The Novell Small Business Suite 6 is a full-service bundle of high-performance, easy-to-use software solutions that instantly transforms each business into a fully networked powerhouse. NSBS 6 comes with products not only from Novell, but from third-party vendors as well. Here's a list of what's included.
Novell Components:
NetWare 6
iFolder (instant access to data from any location)
iPrint (Internet printing)
Native file access for Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX clients
NetWare Remote Manager and NetWare WebAccess
GroupWise 6
E-mail, calendar, scheduling, and document management
Wireless device support
ZENworks for Desktops 3.2
Application distribution, management, and recovery
Workstation imaging and inventory management
BorderManager Enterprise Edition 3.6
Virtual Private Networking (VPN) services
Firewall, proxy/cache, and remote access
NSBS Tools and Enhancements:
Simplified installation
Novell Easy Administration Tool (NEAT)
Novell Internet Connection Expert (NICE)
Third-Party Components:
Tobit's FaxWare (electronic faxing from the desktop)
Network Associates' NetShield and VirusScan (server and desktop virus detection and recovery)
FatPipe Internet (modem pooling for a faster Internet connection)
The Details
Some of the greatest new features in NetWare 6 enable non-stop access to your business. NetWare 6 offers quite a number of solutions to help make your business happen. These include:
Novell iFolder.
The Internet connects almost every network in the world with every other network, but you can't reach the files you have stored locally. So you have to constantly e-mail files to yourself (or copy them onto diskettes or CDs) so you can work on those files at home or on the road.
The Novell iFolder solution completely eliminates location as the most important aspect of file access. iFolder makes it possible for you to access your working files and applications from any machine through any Web browser. You simply put your folders in a single directory and access those folders any time, anywhere, using a browser-based device.
Novell iPrint.
You travel a lot and often take your work with you. When you go to another office or to another network, you often face the frustrating aspect of seeing a printer you can't print to because you don't know the printer's name or how to download the drivers to make the printer work. Another frustrating aspect happens when you want to get a document to a branch office but you don't have the time to print it out and send it overnight.
Novell iPrint allows you to print over the Web through a simple Web browser. iPrint gives you a map of all the available printers, no matter where those printers are located. It lists what those printers can do--whether a printer collates, prints in color, prints transparencies, and so on.
What do you have to do to use iPrint? Just point at the printer you want to use and click--iPrint does the rest. The right drivers are downloaded automatically. With iPrint, you can see exactly where the printers are and print to them with no hassles. From your own office, you can even "see" printers in branch offices and send print jobs there, bypassing overnight mailing headaches and expenses. You don't have to invest in new printers to make iPrint work--a big plus in today's cash-tight economy--because iPrint IPP-enables most existing printers.
Native File Access.
Many business have Macintosh or UNIX workstations in addition to Windows client- based machines. Typically, these workstations don't share the network or its resources.
Native File Access lets you plug a Mac or a UNIX workstation directly into your network--right out of the box. You don't have to install any additional client software onto the machine. The same is true if you are running just Windows clients--you don't need to install a client to run these workstations either.
Novell eDirectory.
The world's most powerful directory is in the NSBS 6 box, and it's the backbone of every business, no matter what the size. With eDirectory, you can manage people, devices, and network assets from a single point--the directory itself. You can create highly-defined user identities for employees, distributors, partners, and even customers, and dictate how they interact with their company. For security, you can decide who can do what (and who can't do what) via the directory. You can even use eDirectory to build strong and competitive customer relationships by creating identities--storing preferences, demographics, and other critical business information.
NetWare Web Access.
You can stay in constant touch with network services (applications, e-mail, administration, and so on) through any Web browser.
NetWare Remote Manager.
You can remotely manage your entire network or hire someone else to do it for you.
Apache Web Server.
Serve up everything from a few Web pages to an entire Web-based storefront with Apache Web Server. NSBS 6 also includes Tomcat Java Application Server and Pervasive SQL 2001.
Note: NetWare 6 is licensed for two servers in the box! Run GroupWise, the firewall, or anything else on that second server for up to 50 employees.
GroupWise 6 (Full Version).
The latest version of Novell's full-featured groupware offering provides communication and collaboration tools. It delivers a comprehensive, integrated set of communication and collaboration tools.
GroupWise Wireless - You can take GroupWise anywhere you go; access and use all the major e-mail, scheduling, and collaboration tools from a cell phone or PDA (any WAP-supported device).
GroupWise Smart Caching - provides a local cache of GroupWise server data on your local workstation or laptop, making your entire messaging solution faster than ever.
System health monitoring
Support for multiple forms of encryption
Native support for e-mail and other standards (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, NNTP, LDAP, and so on)
Integrates with Novell eDirectory--so you don't have to create post office accounts by hand or manage them through a lot of other tools.
ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 (Full Version).
ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 is a policy-based management tool that simplifies network administration by leveraging the directory to automate and streamline desktop management. It includes:
Workstation imaging
Workstation remote control - lets someone who knows how to address workstation or application problems take control to fix whatever's broken.
Policy and profile management and reporting
Hardware and software inventory
Centrally administered application distribution, management and updates--now you don't have to manually install new applications, updates or the patches that keep applications stable. You can "push" everything out from the server onto the desktops.
Printer configuration from a central location
Remote help-desk utilities
BorderManager Enterprise Edition 3.6 and VPN Services (Full Version).
Novell BorderManager Enterprise Edition 3.6 includes powerful unified management features for convenient and consistent administration in all applications. The suite includes:
BorderManager Firewall Services, a directory- based, security policy management tool designed to protect the confidential data stored on your private network and control user access to Intranet and Internet content.
Proxy and Caching, which accelerate access to Internet and intranet content
BorderManager Authentication Services, which allows remote access to your private network from the Internet without compromising security.
BorderManager VPN Services, which allow remote users, organizations, customers, and suppliers appropriate and secure access to the confidential data on your private network. The NSBS 6 package also includes site-to-site VPN services for creating an inexpensive WAN link over the Internet. This is especially useful because the package includes two NetWare 6 server licenses and all of the software you need to connect into a private network over the Internet.
Partner Products
Novell has included a selection of partner products that are designed to simplify, secur,e and accelerate the way you do business. These include:
Network Associates' VirusScan and NetShield - detect and remove the viruses that can bring down workstations and servers, or even businesses.
Tobit's FaxWare - allows you to efficiently send and receive fax documents electronically from a desktop (or laptop).
FatPipe Internet - lets you share the power of your modems. This product allows you to multiplex two to four modem lines to the Internet from the server for a faster connection to the Internet.
You can get more details on all of the features that come with NetWare 6 at http://www.novell.com/products/netware6.
* Originally published in Novell AppNotes
Disclaimer
The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.