05.02.09

Novell News Summary – Part III: SCO-Novell, DMTF, Security, and Partners

Posted in Finance, Identity Management, Mail, Marketing, Novell, SCO, Security, Servers, UNIX, Videos, Virtualisation at 6:51 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Last roundup of Novell news for this week, excluding SUSE

Shreepriya Gopalan claims to be the owner of Novell, but that’s just a bizarre little story which is not worth discussing. Let’s start with UNIX ownership (SCO trial).

Novell vs. SCO

Groklaw has covered the very little that there was in this trial, starting with the latest exchange of paper blows.

Here’s SCO’s appeal brief and this is Novell’s brief that this one is replying to. While I will read it carefully now, the opening six pages, to my quick reading, reflect SCO’s usual casual nod in the direction of accuracy. For example, how do you like this sentence:

This is the rare case where the principals on both sides of the contract agree on the parties’ intent.

I think not, m’lord. That’s why you are in appeals court.

There is some more information here.

Novell has filed a response to Wayne Gray’s Motion asking if he can file an “amicus” brief.

Groklaw took another look back at the past. It attempted to resolve uncertainty around Novell’s UnixWare copyrights.

I’m going to present some new evidence that Novell did have copyrights prior to 1993, and that there was no NetWare that I can find in UnixWare until after 1993, but I will also republish an article Groklaw published on June 17, 2004, “Notice this Notice?”. Yes. Five years ago. It presents a clear timeline that will help to lift this fog.

Finance

There is this one report covering Novell, but financial news outlets have generally been very quiet since the market collapsed.

Virtualisation

Here comes that old thing again [1, 2]. It’s about rPath’s Web seminar, which had Novell involved.

Hosted by rPath and presented with Forrester Research, Novell and BlueLock, this webinar offers insights from industry experts on emerging approaches to automating “the last mile” of IT processes, specifically as it relates to system configuration, deployment and maintenance across traditional, virtual and cloud-based execution environments. The result is lower cost, lower risk application delivery, and dramatically improved enterprise agility and business responsiveness.

There are several reports about the looming death of Cassatt and here is one which mentions Novell.

Cassatt’s impending demise comes at a time when cloud computing and converged data centers are becoming important trends in the industry. Top-tier vendors—including IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Novell and VMware—have unveiled strategies designed to integrate server, storage, networking and software into a single data center entity, fueled in large part by virtualization.

Novell’s PlateSpin Recon 3.6 is out, but the potential of PlateSpin does not appear to have been realised inside Novell. Lots of key staff left.

Novell today announced the availability of PlateSpin(R) Recon 3.6, the first data center workload profiling, analysis and planning tool to combine consolidation planning with virtual capacity management to give customers an ongoing view of their physical and virtual infrastructure ( http://www.novell.com/products/recon/manage_virtual.html ).

DMTF

Here is the big press release about this ‘cloud’ (server) computing initiative. Novell is a member too, so it was mentioned in some places that include:

i. DMTF Group to Create Cloud Computing Specs

The Distributed Management Task Force is organizing a group of members who will create informational specifications aimed at addressing the need for open management standards for cloud computing. The group—made up of officials with such vendors as AMD, Intel, Novell, Red Hat, Microsoft, IBM and HP—in particular will look at ways to develop standards that create interoperability between private and public clouds.

ii. Tech giants form open cloud standards group

Companies sitting on the OCSI leadership board include AMD, Cisco, Citrix, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Novell, Red Hat, Savvis, Sun and VMware. Many of these companies were also signatories to a recent Open Cloud Manifesto, with Microsoft being the notable exception.

iii. DMTF to Develop Standards for Managing a Cloud Computing Environment

The current incubator leadership board consists of AMD, Cisco, Citrix, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Novell, Red Hat, Savvis, Sun Microsystems, and VMware. Please click here for more information, or to learn more about participating.

iv. DMTF creates open cloud incubator

Some, though not all, of those members signed the Open Could Manifesto in mid-March. Microsoft, along with Amazon.com, criticized the secret drafting of the manifesto and declined to sign the document.

It’s important to remember the unsubstantiated FUD Microsoft produced against the “Open Cloud Manifesto.”

Mail/Collaboration

Since Novell’s headquarters are based near Boston, the Boston press tends to mention it a lot and here is the latest example.

John Dragoon, chief marketing officer of Novell Inc., a Linux software maker in Waltham, said the company was already investing in high-definition teleconferencing gear, as a substitute for costly plane trips. But the swine flu outbreak has given Novell one more reason to rely more on video technology.

It’s very interesting that they describe Novell as a “Linux software maker” despite the fact that the overwhelming majority in the company does not work on Linux, not to mention the shrinking number of Novell engineers that develop Linux. Novell laid many of them off.

Here is some new coverage that mentioned GroupWise:

i. Alltel Grabs BlackBerry Pearl Flip

Like the BlackBerry Pearl, the Flip has a SureType keyboard for composing messages, and it can receive wireless push e-mail, calendar, and contact information from Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus, Novell GroupWise, and Web-based e-mail providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail.

ii. Q&A: Turning The E-mail Explosion Into VAR Opportunity

Smolek: The primary purpose of an ECM solution is to manage electronic content. In that respect, e-mail is simply another form of electronic content for the solution to manage. ECM solutions providers have added connectors for the major e-mail server software, such as Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise.

Identity Management

The Gartner Group is a bit of a joke, but nevertheless, it has just commented on Novell in identity management although the focus of this analysis is Sun/Oracle.

The Oracle/Sun deal shares some similarities with HP’s exit from the IAM market. Subsequently, Novell acquired most of HP’s IAM customers (see “Lessons From Novell and HP on Managing IAM Ownership Changes”). Oracle risks losing Sun customers if support is withdrawn too quickly.

Security

For an article about security, SD Times actually approached a marketing person from Novell, which is not a smart move. Maybe he was just the one chosen to deliver the message.

Novell has published a security development life cycle for its Linux-based products, said spokesperson Ian Bruce.

Bruce is still pretty new at Novell and he is not likely to be very familiar with the technical aspects of the subject he remarks on. Ryan Naraine at ZDNet has meanwhile commented on security vulnerabilities in Novell’s proprietary software.

5. Novell Teaming

A user-enumeration weakness and multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities expose users of Novell Teaming to a range of attack scenarios.

* A remote attacker can exploit the user-enumeration weakness to enumerate valid usernames and then perform brute-force attacks; other attacks are also possible.
* The attacker may leverage the cross-site scripting issues to execute arbitrary script code in the browser of an unsuspecting user in the context of the affected site. This may allow the attacker to steal cookie-based authentication credentials and to launch other attacks.

NDS is mentioned in this introduction to mobile computing protection (particular offers thereof).

The enterprise edition offers centralized management and supports numerous directory services such as Microsoft’s Active Directory, OpenLDAP, and Novell Directory Services for user and machine management.

People

It was useful to discover that Diebold’s board members include someone from Novell.

    --  Richard L. Crandall, non-executive chairman of the board, Novell, Inc.,
        Waltham, Mass.

Another former Noveller makes her move.

Averett received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and master’s from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. She has worked in human resources for Community Nursing Services in Salt Lake City, WordPerfect Corp. in Orem, Novell Inc. in Provo, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. in Provo, and Intermountain Healthcare in Park City.

Matt Asay’s connections with Novell are being revealed once again.

Matt’s session, entitled “Set Your Content Free: Why Your Content Strategy Needs to Start with Open Source,” will offer insight into the current economic and technical drivers of open source adoption. An open source advocate since 1998, Matt is one of the industry’s leading open source business strategists. He is a founding member of Novell’s Linux Business Office and founded and runs the annual Open Source Business Conference.

Despite all that, he occasionally criticises Novell, but there is a conflict of interests in his writings, obviously.

Amanda from the Linux Foundation appears to have interviewed Markus Rex (of Novell) for the Collaboration Summit. He used to be their CTO and this interview was made private for some reason (a previous one with Novell's James Bottomley was not) [update: it’s now public]

Partners

Novell was mentioned in many press releases of other companies, but there was nothing of great significance. Here is something about a BVI Networks-Novell connection:

BVI Networks is led by an experienced management team consisting of former senior managers from Cisco, Oracle, Motorola, IBM, Juniper, Novell and Intel, as well as retail professionals with extensive background in operations, merchandising, asset protection and consumer packaged goods.

Autonomy still puts Novell in the footer(ish) of its press releases and Novell was also just mentioned in:

1. APTARE and Hitachi Data Systems Renew Global Partnership-APTARE Delivers Web 2.0 Storage Reporting and Management Functionality to Hitachi Storage Capacity Reporter
2. Growing Number of Academic Institutions Choose Elluminate Solutions Despite Economic Downturn
3. Neocleus Ships NeoSphere Next Generation Client Virtualization Solution

Marketing

The following weird video was uploaded to YouTube (twice even). It’s promotional.

Here is another new upload.

That’s about it for this week. █

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