· Microsoft Exchange relies on the Windows NT domain structure for security. However, Exchange needs to maintain its own directory because the domain structure is not extensible. Therefore, Exchange's user list has to be imported from Windows NT or IntranetWare servers. In contrast, GroupWise extends the NDS schema to accommodate messaging-specific objects.

· Netscape's SuiteSpot Directory Server is based on a scaled-down version of the X.500 standard, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), which is only a subset of the more robust, X.500-based directory platform, NDS.

The GroupWise perspective is radically straightforward. You depend on e-mail; you need it wherever you are. Anywhere that you can use a standard Web browser, you can use GroupWise. With GroupWise WebAccess, you get seamless Internet access to your Universal Mailbox and corresponding access to your e-mail, attachments, calendaring, voice messaging, fax messaging and documents from any Web browser.

Maintaining the simplicity of browser-like access while managing the complexities of multiple data objects within a collaborative setting is just one example of how Novell GroupWise excels. This is why GroupWise continues to gain market approval from a sales and awards perspective.

Network Computing's Evaluation of Novell's RFP
To download an Adobe Acrobat .pdf format version of the Novell Network Proposal, click here.
Pros: Most complete solution; redundancy; server clustering; new hardware included; fully integrated fax, pager, calendar, document and task management, workflow and voicemail

Cons: No NNTP support; optional cc:Mail gateway; can't restrict size of user message store

Novell gets the bid with GroupWise 5.2 as the premier solution for MegaSystems by providing the most complete and cost-effective collaborative computing environment. The GroupWise integ rated product suite features a single user interface, the Universal Mailbox, built on an infrastructure that provides common access to messaging, calendaring, workflow, document management, discussions and administration. The mailbox, which can be accessed by any Web browser, holds e-mail, faxes, phone messages, appointments, workflow items, tasks, shared documents, message-tracking information and images.

The solution's design lets MegaSystems retain most of its investment in server hardware and software (because of the existing NetWare infrastructure). The proposal includes new hardware in the core locations, along with the redeployment of existing file servers to the branches. The hardware includes four new servers for th e mail system and four new fax servers. Compaq Computer Corp. ProLiant 5000 machines with 256 MB of RAM and 2-GB hard drives are proposed for the primary machines with existing servers in a cluster arrangement for redundancy. The equipment is not as high-end as the Lotus solution, but because GroupWise provides compression in the message store and does not limit the size of the directory, it is adequate to meet the needs of 1,000 users. U.S. Robotics' modems and servers are proposed for remote access for mobile users.

The GroupWise Message Transfer Agent (MTA) is capable of routing more than 250,000 messages an hour, running as a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM). This scalability will serve MegaSystems well in terms of projected growth. Redundancy for Internet connectivity is accomplished by having two locations with IntranetWare Web Server 3.1. GroupWise extends the schema of NDS for messaging attributes, and anyone in NDS is automatically placed in the GroupWise directory. In addition, GroupWise supports LDAP.

FaxWise fax servers provide MegaSystems with enterprisewide broadcast fax capability. CallWare provides the voicemail integration for the GroupWise Universal Mailbox. Pager access is offered as a built-in feature of GroupWise. InForms Designer and Filler enable desktop or SQL da tabase integration. With GroupWise Workflow, users can design ad hoc workflow scenarios and launch them through the messaging system, tracking their progress. Novell also proposes PhoneAccess, unique among the proposals, to provide telephone integration with the user's desktop for placing and receiving phone calls.

Novell's GroupWise Monitor is integrated with the Administrative Console and the company's ManageWise product. The Monitor offers remote-control capabilities, autochecking for status changes in monitored objects and the ability to discover agents, such as the MTA or Post Office Agent. The tool features sophisticated rules and filter options. It also generates alerts, launches applications and sends Simple Netw ork Management Protocol (SNMP) traps or an e-mail message. GroupWise lets the administrator schedule an "expire and reduce" action on the database to purge old or deleted messages. The system collects statistics such as the size of the user's message store, the total number of messages, what type and how old. If an individual user's information store is corrupt beyond repair and a backup hasn't been taken for 60 days, for example, the system looks at all the message databases and rebuilds the user's store from pointers. An administrator cannot, in this release, limit the size of an individual user's message store.

To download an Adobe Acrobat .pdf format version of the Pricing Summary, click here.
To download an Adobe Acrobat .pdf format version of the vendor's technical specifications, click here.


Updated July 31, 1997