Editing Novell (section)

==== NetWare ====
{{main|NetWare}}
[[Image:Novell_NetWare_2.2_floppies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Floppy disks for NetWare 2.2]]
The first Novell product was a proprietary hardware server based on the [[Motorola 68000]] processor and using a [[star topology]].<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/> This, with the [[network operating system]] (NOS) on it, was known as [[Novell S-Net]], or ShareNet,<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/> and it achieved some visibility; by April 1983, advertisements were seen in trade publications for third-party software products which stated they were compatible with Novell ShareNet.<ref name="PCM_advert_1983"/>

The company realized that making a proprietary solution in this sense was disadvantageous and looked instead to the [[IBM PC]] as an alternative platform.<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/> Now called NetWare, the network operating system was ported to run on an [[IBM PC XT]] with an [[Intel 8086]] processor and supported centralized, multitasking file and print services.<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/> By March 1984, Novell was putting out announcements about third-party products that worked with Novell NetWare.<ref name="CW_listing_1984"/>

NetWare came on the computing scene just as the IBM PC was emerging as a market force and applications such as the [[VisiCalc]] spreadsheet for the [[Apple II]] were showing what microcomputers could do for businesses.<ref name="Age_forsale_2000"/> There was an immediate demand for [[local area network]]ing that could make files and printers available across many PCs.<ref name="NYT_Noorda_1992"/><ref name="Age_forsale_2000"/> In addition, the advent of the PC caused organizational changes within companies and enterprises and allowed Novell to find entryways into individual departments or regional facilities rather than having to convince upper management of the value of networking.<ref name="Fortune_battle_1993"/> Thus, Novell's timing was spot on.<ref name="BW_Knell_1996"/> As the ''[[New York Times]]'' subsequently wrote, "Novell, in one of those instances of serendipity and visionary thinking that are the stuff of personal computer legend, found itself in the right place at the right time."<ref name="NYT_Noorda_1992"/>

Partly in consequence of its design of running at kernel level [[ring 0 (computer security)|ring 0]] without regard for separate or protected address spaces, and thus not having the properties of a [[general-purpose operating system]], NetWare was known for being very fast in operation.<ref name="Byte_cover_1995"/> This trend continued into 1987 with the Advanced NetWare/286 release, which was well received within the industry.<ref name="PCM_nominee_1987"/> NetWare also excelled with respect to [[computer security]] considerations, supporting user- and group-based roles and volume- and file-level access restrictions, thus making it attractive to systems administrators.<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/>

Novell based its [[network protocol]] on [[Xerox Network Systems]] (XNS),<ref name="Cisco_protocols_1999"/> and created its own standards which it named [[Internetwork Packet Exchange]] (IPX) and [[IPX/SPX|Sequenced Packet Exchange]] (SPX).<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/> These protocols were based on a [[client–server model]].<ref name="Cisco_protocols_1999"/> File and print services ran on the [[NetWare Core Protocol]] (NCP) over IPX, as did [[Routing Information Protocol]] (RIP) and [[Service Advertising Protocol]] (SAP).<ref name="PCM_Arch_1992"/>

Starting in 1987, Novell began selling its own [[Ethernet]]-based [[Network interface controller|network adapter cards]].<ref name="IW_cards_1987"/> These included the 8-bit [[NE1000]], and then in 1988, the 16-bit [[NE2000]].<ref name="NW_cards_1988"/> They priced them lower than cards from competitors such as [[3Com]], whose card Novell had previously been distributing.<ref name="IW_cards_1987"/> By 1989, Novell's cards were being sold at a rate of 20,000 per month, aggressively expanding Novell's market presence.<ref name="IW_cards_1989"/> At that point, Novell transferred the NE1000/NE2000 business to Anthem Electronics, the firm that had actually been making them, but the cards remained branded as Novell products.<ref name="IW_cards_1989"/>

As author James Causey would later write, "NetWare deserves the lion's share of the credit for elevating PC-based local area networks from being cute toys to providing powerful, reliable, and serious network services. NetWare was the first Intel-based network operating system to provide a serious alternative to mainframe-based server networks, providing critical reliability and security features needed in the modern enterprise."<ref name="Causey_chapter_1997"/>

Novell acquired [[Kanwal Rekhi]]'s company [[Excelan]] in 1989;<ref name="NYT_Excelan_1989"/> Excelan manufactured smart Ethernet cards and commercialized the Internet protocol [[TCP/IP]],<ref name="OH_Rekhi_2017"/> solidifying Novell's presence in these areas.  The acquisition combined Novell's $281 million in annual revenue with Excelan's $66 million.<ref name="NYT_Excelan_1989"/> Rekhi became a high-ranking Novell executive,<ref name="NYT_Excelan_1989"/> and played an influential strategic and managerial role with the company over the next several years.<ref name="OH_Rekhi_2017"/> Excelan was based in [[San Jose, California]], and they, along with a couple of prior Novell acquisitions, formed the basis for Novell's presence in [[Silicon Valley]] going forward.<ref name="IW_expansion_1990"/><ref name="OH_Rekhi_2017"/>