Network Operating Systems
Nestar Cluster System advertisement
Companies like Nestar offered networked systems that could group inexpensive personal computers into a “cluster” for sharing files, printers and communication devices. Applications included email, chat and remote databases.
Network Operating Systems
Protocols like Ethernet established low-level links between computers. But users still needed to do higher-level tasks, such as sending e-mail, exchanging files, and sharing printers.
This yielded a hodge-podge of third party “network operating systems,” including Novell Netware, and built-in solutions like Apple’s AppleTalk. Eventually, Internet protocols replaced them all.
NetWare Lan Operating System Software box
Novell’s Netware was a popular network operating system for personal computers. Novell used Superset Software’s networking protocols based on Xerox Network Systems (XNS), a competitor to Internet TCP/IP protocols. Novell had previously been an unsuccessful Utah-based PC manufacturer.
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Novell button
Starting with Netware 286 in 1985, Novell’s network operating system strove to be independent of the LAN (Local Area Network) hardware.
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