Does the "Amiga Client for Novell NetWare" exist?

Question

On page 139 of Brian Bagnall's book "Commodore: The Final Years", there is the statement that at CeBIT Hannover in March 1989, Commodore announced (amongst other things) "Novell Netware for Amiga".

I had not previously heard of any way to connect an Amiga to NetWare, so this was a bit of a surprise. With a bit of web searching, I found some references to a Commodore product called "Amiga Client for Novell NetWare" with product numer AS220.

However I've not been able to find any concrete information that this product was ever actually available. Does it really exist? And for bonus points, is it obtainable?

Brian H · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-06T22:50:18.237

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The "Amiga Client Software for Novell Netware v1.4" (official name) was created in 1992 by Oxxi. It is available as a set of six(6) floppy disk images most places where Amiga abandon-ware is found. For instance, it can be found in the TOSEC Amiga archive.

Commodore Amiga [TOSEC v2012-04-10]/Applications/[ADF]/Commodore Amiga - Applications - [ADF] (TOSEC-v2011-11-04_CM)/Amiga Client Software for Novell NetWare v1.4 (1992)(Oxxi)(Disk 1 of 6).zip

And 5 more...

edited Apr 06 '20 at 22:50

answered Apr 06 '20 at 18:00

Brian H

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So in March of 1989 it was vaporware? Or perhaps the Oxxi version is a later separate development? – Jon Custer Apr 06 '20 at 22:43
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@JonCuster I doubt it was vaporware. v1.4 is most likely just the final version and the one most likely to appear in online archives. – Brian H Apr 06 '20 at 22:45
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Ah, got it, so first version could well have been in 1989. – Jon Custer Apr 06 '20 at 22:46

score 9 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 06 '20 at 17:15

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A bit of web searching finds a site offering it. I have no idea if the site is legitimate or safe.

answered Apr 06 '20 at 17:15

John Dallman

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score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 27 '20 at 03:13

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Yes there’s a client, which I bought years ago and used with Netware up to v5 when I was running my own server at home.

answered Apr 27 '20 at 03:13

bsanf3

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score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 12 '20 at 18:55

I saw the "Novell Netware for Amiga" live at the Cebit und it was impressive. There were some A2000 connected to an Netware 3.x Server. The main disadvantage is that a separate driver is required for each network card. So only network cards will work that were there at that time and were supported. IMO: SANA-II Network Device Driver Specification does not exists in these days

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 04 '21 at 19:52

I was one of the original developers of Oxxi's Novell Netware for Amiga. I worked for Oxxi from 1989-1996 and maintained their SuperBase project among others.

I was living in Long Beach at the time, in Belmont Shores, and had some of my best experiences as a young software engineer working for this small company.

OMNI_Larry · Answer 6 · 2021-03-11T08:37:18.017

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YES, the client for Novell Client Exists. I have a set of the original AEGIS/Oxxi client for Novell disks and manual. Used it briefly in my Amiga store, now sitting in front of me on my desk. :)

I used an A2065 Ethernet Local Area Network Board and still have that manual, too, but will have search to see if I still have the 2065 card. Pretty sure I do. So, final answer: Yes, it exists and I have physical proof. :)

edited Mar 11 '21 at 08:37

answered Mar 11 '21 at 03:56

OMNI_Larry

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Welcome to Retrocomputing Stack Exchange. Unlike many other sites, we're not a discussion forum; please read the [tour]. Could you explain how this answers the question “Does the “Amiga Client for Novell NetWare” exist?”, please? (You might want to [edit] your answer; see [answer] for advice.) – wizzwizz4 Mar 11 '21 at 06:55

Does the "Amiga Client for Novell NetWare" exist?

6 Answers6