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Windows 2000 and Linux Dominate the News

The release of Microsoft Windows 2000 dominated discussion of operating systems during the past year, and for good reason. Most discussion centered around the fact that it established new standards for delays in the release of operating systems. Now that Windows 2000 has finally arrived, debates rage about the pace of adoption, but our own evaluation suggests the product is living up to much of the company's hype and is largely ready for at least selective deployment this year (see Windows 2000: Worth the Pain). As a desktop operating system, it's a big win in comparison with either Windows 9x or Windows NT, though resource requirements are greater. Further, improved availability and management features, combined with a true directory service, make it awfully tempting as a server platform as well, as long as multiplatform integration isn't your highest priority. All is far from perfect. Performance has not lived up to Microsoft's advance billing, there are some significant deployment issues associated with Dynamic DNS and DHCP configuration, and stability under a range of demanding applications scenarios is yet to be proven.

Linux has also garnered a very high level of attention among both technologists and, increasingly, at universities and ISPs. Despite some premature forecasts of an early demise, Linux continues to be a strong contender for targeted server applications tackling traditional Unix-based platform roles such as DNS, DHCP and e-mail services. Cracking the desktop will be a tougher challenge, though some progress has been made on that front in terms of improved installation, enhanced user interfaces and wider availability of applications. The lack of a Linux version of Microsoft's Office suite, however, makes it a very tough sell within most organizations. Linux has also emerged as a popular embedded operating system on specialized client devices and on network appliances.

Despite a fragmented market with numerous distributions--the unofficial estimates are at more than 100--Linux went through a major kernel update in the past year and garnered application support beyond the early adopting database vendors. Computer Associates International's move to port its entire line of applications to Linux certainly turned more than a few heads. Novell is also helping things along with its recent NDS eDirectory release for Linux. Only time will tell how these Linux offerings fare compared with their Windows- and Unix-based operating system counterparts.

Sun Microsystems also has been hard at work with Solaris, advancing its Java efforts and Sun-Netscape Alliance ventures. Solaris 8's "What's New" reads like a grocery list of dot-com features. Improved high-availability features including clustering and load-balancing, as well as network-management options like QoS (Quality of Service) and resource management, litter the list and show an increased focus on application services and e-commerce. The now more solid iPlanet product line spans everything from Web and application server products to Netscape Communications Corp.'s Directory and MetaDirectory services. A boatload of Sun-specific extensions capable of synchronizing traditional Unix NIS (Network Information Services) directories with Netscape directories fills out the offering.

Novell flexed its e-muscle with the release of NetWare 5.1, its first server to include IBM's WebSphere Application Server and Studio products, giving Novell a complete Web applications development and hosting environment in the box. While we don't see too many customers abandoning incumbent operating systems and switching to NetWare as a platform for network services, these new products may at least stem the erosion of Novell's installed base. And we couldn't ignore the fact that Novell has done the best job of any vendor in leveraging a sophisticated directory service to improve the value of not only its own operating system but also those of its competitors. Its ZENworks products, which provide a range of directory-based management offerings, are early examples of technologies that will change the operating system and network management landscapes in the future.

NetWare 5.1 won our Well-Connected Award for best server operating system mainly because it leverages a set of increasingly strategic cross-platform directory services. While that's the same goal Microsoft has with Windows 2000 and ADS, they're just not there yet, and we wonder whether they ever will be in terms of cross-platform integration. This cross-platform support is the key reason we selected NDS eDirectory as our software product of the year. Simply put, Novell is delivering a credible directory-services environment that can act as a key enabling technology for enterprise and e-commerce applications of the future. Whether the company can sell the market on it is an unanswered question.

Are We Getting Any Thinner?

One of the most significant but overlooked features of Windows 2000 is the inclusion of an enhanced version of Terminal Services in the base server product. Now, vendors of thin-client devices have a base platform for the delivery of remote application services. Early Windows-based terminals built around the Windows CE operating system have not lived up to expectations. Their prices aren't much lower than those of full-function, low-end PCs, they lack integrated browser support, and performance and management are subpar. But we expect this model of remote application delivery to continue to gain in popularity, both within enterprises and within application service providers.

While Microsoft has upped the ante with an improved Terminal Services, Citrix Systems is still king of the hill. Citrix MetaFrame provides significant added value, including its cross-platform ICA protocol, sophisticated load-balancing, enhanced application management and streaming media capabilities. We were also impressed by SCO's competitive thin-client offering, which provides many of the same services, all delivered through a Web-based interface.

High Availability And High Performance

New mission-critical network-based applications are also stimulating renewed focus on reliability. Most organizations now have deployed sophisticated and reliable switched-network fabrics. Last year proved to be the breakout year for products focusing on high-availability services beyond Layer 2. Offerings from market leaders Alteon Web Systems, F5 Networks, RadWare and Resonate showed themselves to be extremely effective in improving performance for both e-commerce and enterprise-oriented Web sites.

Vendors also rolled out global load-balancing features aimed at preventing even the slightest Internet hiccup from hindering site performance. Product offerings in the high-availability space are already in third- and fourth-generation product cycles. And with enterprise budgets springing back to old levels after being sapped by Y2K preparation and even increased to address new e-business challenges, load balancing and high availability are taking precedence.

The fact that these products integrate with existing technologies and infrastructure, including DNS, routers and network switches, as well as with new protocols such as the Network Element and Control Protocol, bodes well for the future of network and systems management. In the packet-level products market, vendors are building load-balancing, caching and Internet traffic-management solutions to work more closely together than ever before. The caching solutions that we have tested in our labs provide substantial payback by improving performance and, in some cases, forestalling the need for increases in Internet bandwidth. The Squid Web Proxy Cache, developed at the University of California San Diego, earned our top award in this category.

The need for additional Internet bandwidth may also be moderated somewhat by the intelligent use of network content-monitoring software. By implementing these services, you can put some enforcement into your acceptable-use policies and relegate employees' recreational Web surfing to their home systems. We picked SuperScout from JSB's surfControl as our winner in this category, but Elron Software's CommandView Internet Manager also proved to be a strong offering.

Just Plug It In

A market for network appliances has also begun to heat up, with a range of thin-server products designed to provide plug-and-play services for small and midsize businesses and remote offices. With network appliances, the underlying operating system plays more of a background role, with the emphasis placed on delivering core network services like e-mail, security and Internet access, with minimal administrative overhead. That's not to say that these products are subpar. For many installations, network appliances--ranging from Mirapoint Systems' turnkey messaging servers M100 and M1000 to Internet access servers like Extended Systems' ExtendNet 4000--can provide enterprise-grade services with the ease of use necessary for quick installations. This year we chose ExtendNet 4000 as the winner of our best network appliance award because it delivers on the promises of rich services, simplicity and low cost. When your business operates in Internet time, network appliances can often make a substantial impact on your network resources for the better.