Novell or Microsoft - choice of LAN

[Guest_imported]

Hi,
I´m planning for the new LAN for over 100 users, Internet access, VPN to other offices. I´m thinking of the choice of network OS. It´s quite difficult decision.
The choice is between Novell and Microsoft.
I´ve worked with Novell 4 before and consider it to be good OS.
But we have MS plattform on the clients together with Office programs, Exchange mail an so on.
Does it make sense to mix it upp with Novell (i feel that I want to do it, but I don´t have good arguments - fakta -based such)

I didn´t work with Active Directory.And I know NT4 a litlle. Is AD as good as NDS?
Could anyone compare those two with strong and week sides.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[dkediger]

With Exchange you're going to be stuck with Microsoft, and with the size of the LAN, I wouldn't bother adding another network OS to the mix.

That said:
AD is nowhere near NDS. Essentially AD is just a flat directory, OU's are practically useless except for making the tree easier to browse, and all objects must be uniquely named within the same domain. What can be segmented using OU's in NDS requires a new domain in AD

 

[rjohn]

Mix up man - why?
generally MS doesn´t care compatibility and standards - Novell some more. NT-Server has for me not really deserved the name Serversystem - with 100 users you need a reasonable availability. TCO of NT is according to Gardner Group three times Novell. Our current Serveruptime is 600 days since 12/1999 - though we are no heroes of IT. Serveruptimes on any Novellsystem in our Company (50 users) has mainly been limited by Hardwarecrashs, while NT forces many admins to reboot their system - no matter if you install new patches/SVPs or just because you find out that after few days RAM is flooded, performance is down and can only be cleansed by reboot. Security gaps are rather seldom on Netware - while even guestusers are permitted to modify WinNT´s Registry - problems which have been buried on most OS'S ten years ago. To protect NT in an internetconnected LAN can become a hard and expensive job.
NDS has 7 years of experience, AD has one year, >130 Mio NDS-Clients worldwide, NDS is platformindependant, AD certainly not. By the way NT-Workstations can easily managed by NDS, NT-Domains could be included - if needed.
Try yourself how many applications you can run on a NT-Server - then try Netware or Linux - you will be shocked about Win NT. Even with freeware Linux or also Netware we´re running dozens of applications simultaneously (Webservers, ERP, Printservices, Backupservices, Office-Suites, Webmanagementtools like SNMP-trapservices, FTP ..) and though using the linux-server also as OfficeWorkstation, Burning CD´s: Reboots hardly. With NT?: Look for a good systempartner to configure your machine to reach that.
Finally: One Netwareserver does the job of two NT-machines.
Userrights can be defined more accurate on Netware. By the way - don think, that the GUI of Win on NT repays a penny on a Serversystem.
So stay friends with your users who need reliable print- file- and webservices.
Don't believe what MS says about NT - try yourselves - then use it.

 

[traderbob]

We successfully run Exchange within our Netware environment... although I'll never understand why our managment chose Exchange over GroupWise- Exchange has generally been more trouble than it's worth... we're even doing it without WINS :>) We could have saved so much more time and money going with GroupWise it's not funny... but one of our legacy outside software vendors mandated their software would not work with anything but Exchange. We are trying to get the powers that be to approve NDS for NT and Single Sign on- that should simplifymanagement. Other than that, ZENworks works much better than SMS and is infinitely more useful... although it did take time to configure. We've done some tree reorg stuff and management is a breeze now... Create a user and they inherit what they need from the container... no need to mess with users and groups... Try that with AD!
There are those that think a second client complicates things...but for the most part we don't even load MS clients on our workstations... just the Netware client... Yes - even though we are running Exchange and talking to it with Outlook, we don't need the MS client.
Go ahead... take the RED pill... don't let MS and the FUD scare you.