Novell S-Net

Novell S-Net

Developer	Novell, Inc.
OS family	Network operating systems
Source model	Closed source
Initial release	1983
Available in	English
Platforms	Motorola 68000
License	Proprietary
Official website	www.novell.com

S-Net (aka ShareNet) was a network operating system and the set of network protocols it used to talk to client machines on the network. Released by Novell in 1983, the S-Net operating system was an entirely proprietary operating system written for the Motorola 68000 processor.

Physically, S-Net used a star topology to allow up to 24 DOS and/or CP/M machines to connect directly to the 68B server machine. Ethernet and ARCnet were both considered but dismissed on cost grounds. S-NET used cheap dual twisted-pair phone wire and since each client computer was directly connected, the need for complex network addressing was eliminated. The 68B server ran NetWare/S-Net

S-Net has also been called NetWare 68, with the 68 denoting the 68000 processor. It was superseded in 1985 by NetWare 86, which was written for the Intel 8086 processor. NetWare/86 which came in several editions and paved the way for the subsequent monolithic version of NetWare.

NetWare/Omninet. This was one of three kinds of NetWare/86 systems with LAN hardware purchased from other companies and packaged together with the NetWare/86 version of the NetWare Operating System. They supported PC-compatibles as file servers using the Intel 8086 or 8088 microprocessor. Novell bought the Omninet hardware from Corvus Systems, Inc.

NetWare/G-Net, another NetWare/86 system. Novell bought the hardware from Gateway Communications, Inc.

NetWare/ARCnet, the third OEM NetWare/86 system. Novell bought the ARCnet-PC network interface cards from Standard Microsystems Corp.

Each of these could support up to 50 PC workstations, 252 megabytes of disk storage, and 3 shared printers. The file servers could be either dedicated file servers or combination file server/workstations (non-dedicated file servers).

References

• Causey, James. "Part IV: The Right OS for the Job; Chapter 22: NetWare - A Brief History of NetWare". High-Performance Networking Unleashed. Macmillan Computer Publishing. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2018-09-02. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• White, Jr., Roger Bourke (2010). "Hardware Independence". Surfing the High Tech Wave: A story of Novell's early years, 1980-1990. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
• "LAN Tech" (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2006-02-10.