Editing NetWare (section)

{{Short description|Computer network operating system}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = NetWare
| logo = NetWare logo.svg
| logo_caption = Logo of NetWare, this variant introduced with NetWare 4.''x''. The symbol is a tilted rendition of Novell's [[:File:Novell teeth logo.svg|"teeth" logo]] used until 1996.
| developer = [[Novell, Inc.]]
| source_model = [[Closed source]]
| kernel_type = [[Hybrid kernel]]
| ui = [[Command-line interface]], [[text user interface]]
| family = 
| released = 1983
| discontinued = yes
| latest_release_version = 6.5 SP8 (last)
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2009|05|06|df=yes}}
| latest_test_version = 
| latest_test_date = 
| marketing_target = 
| programmed_in = 
| prog_language = 
| language = English, Japanese
| updatemodel = 
| supported_platforms = [[x86]] ([[IBM PC–compatible]] and [[PC-98]]), [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]], [[DEC Alpha]], [[SPARC]], [[PowerPC]]<ref name="Rodriguez-Willett_1993"/>
| package_manager = 
| working_state = Discontinued
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.novell.com/products/netware/|novell.com/netware}}
| succeeded by = [[Novell Open Enterprise Server|Open Enterprise Server]]
}}

'''NetWare'''<ref name=NovNetWareNYT89>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/14/business/the-executive-computer-a-link-for-all-operating-systems.html |title=A Link for All Operating Systems |first=Peter H. |last=Lewis |date=May 14, 1989 |access-date=September 14, 2022 }}</ref> is a discontinued computer [[network operating system]] developed by [[Novell, Inc.]] It initially used [[cooperative multitasking]] to run various services on a personal computer, using the [[Internetwork Packet Exchange|IPX]] network protocol. The final update release was version 6.5SP8 in May 2009,<ref name="Novell_Products" /> and it has since been replaced by [[Open Enterprise Server]].<ref name="Novell_Lifecycle" /> 

The original NetWare product in 1983 supported clients running both [[CP/M]] and [[MS-DOS]], ran over a proprietary [[Star network|star]] [[network topology]] and was based on a Novell-built file server using the [[Motorola 68000]] processor. The company soon moved away from building its own hardware, and NetWare became hardware-independent, running on any suitable Intel-based [[IBM PC compatible]] system, and able to utilize a wide range of network cards. From the beginning NetWare implemented a number of features inspired by [[mainframe computer|mainframe]] and [[minicomputer]] systems that were not available in its competitors' products.

In 1991, Novell introduced cheaper [[peer-to-peer]] networking products for [[DOS]] and [[Windows]], unrelated to their server-centric NetWare. These are [[NetWare&nbsp;Lite&nbsp;1.0]] (NWL), and later [[Personal&nbsp;NetWare&nbsp;1.0]] (PNW) in 1993. In 1993, the main NetWare product line took a dramatic turn when version 4 introduced [[Novell Directory Services|NetWare Directory Services]] (NDS, later in February 2004 renamed [[NetIQ eDirectory|eDirectory]]),<ref>Novell Developer Kit February 2008 (skds_enu.pdf),Revision History pag.85</ref> a global [[directory service]] based on [[X.500|ISO X.500]] concepts (six years later, [[Microsoft]] released [[Active Directory]]). The directory service, along with a new e-mail system ([[GroupWise]]), application configuration suite ([[Novell ZENworks|ZENworks]]), and security product ([[Novell BorderManager|BorderManager]]) were all targeted at the needs of large enterprises.

By 2000, however, Microsoft was taking more of Novell's customer base and Novell increasingly looked to a future based on a [[Linux kernel]]. The successor to NetWare, [[Novell Open Enterprise Server|Open Enterprise Server]] (OES), released in March 2005, offers all the services previously hosted by NetWare 6.5, but on a [[SUSE Linux Enterprise Server]]; the NetWare kernel remained an option until OES 11 in late 2011. NetWare 6.5SP8 General Support ended in 2010; Extended Support was available until the end of 2015, and Self Support until the end of 2017.