A quick comparison of recommended hardware for Windows NT and NetWare will show that NetWare runs faster on less expensive server hardware. The following sections highlight the major comparative issues and provide some of the more compelling reasons to consider NetWare 5 as a Web services platform. The first item for comparison is to look at what Web services are available for each platform. Basic services such as e-mail are easy enough to install, but exact behavior varies and may not easily provide the robust feature set clients expect. However, supporting services vary, and management can be complex.
Security can be a real problem.
HTTP services are provided by the Netscape Enterprise Server for NetWare. I was impressed by many of the features such as high performance, Web publishing, full indexing and search functions, and intelligent agents that can automatically deliver information according to user- specified rules. FTP Services are also provided with NetWare 5, and again, these are powerful, convenient to use, and easy to manage. An advantage well worth noting is the inclusion of a 5-user version of Oracle 8i with NetWare 5. This powerful SQL database offers Web site builders some exciting opportunities, and an upward migration path from more limited data management alternatives.