Novell Announces Open Beta for NDS v.8
Articles and Tips: article
01 May 1999
Further extending its directory reach to the Internet, Novell announced the open-beta testing phase of its next-generation scalable Internet directory Novell Directory Services version 8. NDS v.8 eliminates the need for special-purpose Internet directories by achieving unprecedented levels of scalable performance, reliability and security. Available for the majority of enterprise network platforms, NDS now allows companies to grow their businesses without interruption and build the necessary infrastructure required for highly centralized directory applications, such as those required for electronic commerce.
Eighty percent of Fortune 1000 companies currently using directory services to manage and secure their networks already rely on NDS, according to a recent report by International Data Corporation (IDC). Analysts expect that in 2000, revenue for directory services products will reach $5 billion five times the amount of directory services revenue for 1998. Further indication of growing NDS adoption is evidenced by the more than 400 NDS-enabled products that are currently available from third-party vendors. As such, with NDS v.8, Novell is poised to capture a greater share of the exploding directory market through Internet-focused customers, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and companies implementing electronic commerce, extranets and distributed applications.
"NDS can now manage more than five times the number of users on the Internet today, making it an invaluable tool in helping our customers expand their business opportunities with the growth of the Internet," said Chris Stone, senior vice president for strategy and corporate development for Novell. "More importantly, by enabling businesses to maintain and leverage personalized information about their customers, NDS will provide the foundation for Internet commerce based on a user's identity."
Internal tests show NDS v.8 has the ability to store and manage millions more users, applications, network devices and data than competing directories and earlier versions of NDS. Providing improved scalable performance insures an organization's ability to grow the network with millions of additional network objects and perform search queries with consistent speed, despite the network growth rate. With NDS v.8, organizations can be confident the infrastructure will support growth with consistent performance.
NDS v.8 integrates more Internet standards and applications than any of its competitors, allowing NDS to easily interoperate with an organization's existing technology investments. NDS v.8 natively supports the directory standard Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) version 3, allowing interoperability with other LDAP-based directories and applications. By integrating the most advanced Internet standard protocol, NDS v.8 is in a position to maintain Novell's directory leadership.
"It's no surprise Novell is introducing a highly scalable Internet directory, given their expertise and focus on directory services," said Tim Sloane, senior analyst for the Aberdeen Group. "NDS v.8 will give organizations the foundation to bring all their customers and supply-chain partners online and ramp up their e-commerce implementations."
One Directory Manages Both Internet and Enterprise Applications
The scalable performance and proven replication capabilities of NDS v.8 make it the only appropriate directory service for centralized, Internet and highly distributed enterprise applications.
Growth Without Disruption
With the ability to support millions of network objects on one server, NDS v.8 will tie together multiple platforms, applications and devices without disruption, allowing organizations to benefit from their existing software investments.
Internet-Ready Security Services
The standards-based infrastructure of NDS v.8 gives administrators easy, flexible control over an organization's security policies. Providing the best choice for evolving and varied security needs, NDS v.8 offers flexible user authentication support with encrypted passwords and smart cards.
Opening New Internet Markets
NDS v.8 will continue to attract ISPs looking to manage customers' Internet access and billing through a single directory. NDS v.8 will enable organizations to build a directory infrastructure to pursue electronic commerce without the issues of scalable performance presented by other directories on the market.
Pricing and Availability
A license to use an open beta version of NDS v.8 is available today free of charge. Existing NetWare 5 customers may download NDS v.8 from Novell's Web site at http://support.novell.com/beta/public.
* 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.