Novell NetWare Adds App Server

NetWare 6.1, due in early 2003, will include an app server for developing Java applications, said Steve Benfield, Novell's chief technology evangelist, Web application development.

The move mirrors Sun Microsystems' decision earlier this year to bundle a J2EE app server with its Solaris operating system.

Novell, based here, also plans to release version 4 of the former SilverStream eXtend Web services and application development platform this week, said Alan Nugent, a Novell senior vice president and CTO.

The new product suite, now called Novell exteNd, is fully J2EE 1.3-compatible, Nugent said. Novell also added functionality from Novell Portal Services to the existing portal in exteNd's Director component.

A future release, exteNd 5, will ship next summer with a development version of a UDDI directory and tight integration to Novell eDirectory, Nugent said.

The addition of J2EE middleware and Web services tools into the product line is part of Novell's strategy to "be more platform-agnostic than it has been in the past," he said. "We want to give customers a choice for the development of J2EE apps."

Security, particularly in the area of identity management using Novell's eDirectory, is another core focus of Novell going forward, Nugent said.

John W. Linss, managing director of Atlanta-based solution provider Bravepoint, said Novell has been "amazingly fast" at integrating SilverStream's products into its strategy in a complementary way.

SilverStream's products fill a void in Novell's strategy and work well with existing products, he said.

Until now, "[Novell lacked the flexible application development and integration solutions most enterprises need for rapidly implementing these technologies," Linss said.