Novell’s Netware Management System, a graphics-based system allows the network manager to centrally monitor real-time alerts and collect configuration information from multiple distributed LANs and servers.

Novell’s system will reach beyond the Netware environment to give users insight into everything from the health of a hub card to CPU and disk use on a LAN server to the status of an unitcr-rupliblc power supply, according to Janet Hyland, director of network strategy research at Forrester Research, Inc., who was briefed recently by Novell. “The momentum is incredible,” she added. Dozens of vendors have committed to supporting the system.

Compaq Computer Corp., for example, is already writing software to allow its servers to be managed by Novell’s platform.

The platform will also be able to manage Simple  Network  Management   Protocol compliant LAN systems, Hyland said.