Novell Taps PXE Technology to Accelerate Upgrades, Simplify Management of Workstations Across Multiple Platforms

• ZENworks for Desktops uses PXE to provide hands-free management of workstations from birth to death
• ZENworks with PXE technology vastly simplifies customer rollouts of Windows 2000 or other desktop operating systems
• ZENworks for Desktops works on NetWare, NT and Windows 2000 servers

Novell, Inc., the leading provider of Net services software, today announced it is licensing PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) technology from PreWorX to bring additional business value to Novell's ZENworks® desktop administration solution. To be sold as an add-on product to the next version of Novell® ZENworks for Desktops, PXE is an industry-standard protocol initiated by Intel that allows a workstation to boot up and execute a program from the network before the workstation operating system starts, which will provide ZENworks for Desktops customers completely hands-free management of workstations from birth to death. Technicians no longer need to visit machines to deliver or build the desktop operating system, vastly simplifying the management of Net resources and reducing the cost of a customer's rollout of Windows* 2000 or other desktop operating system.

Managing a company's information technology assets, particularly its multiple desktops, is a major drain on IT resources. The incorporation of PXE into ZENworks for Desktops creates the only complete solution for easily managing the lifecycle of a workstation. With PXE support, industry-standard PCs can now connect to the network through ZENworks for Desktops before the operating system initializes. This enables tasks such as imaging a workstation with a corporate-standard operating system without having to initially install any software to the PC. ZENworks for Desktops works on NetWare®, NT and Windows 2000 servers, helping customers operate across platforms as one Net.

"PXE functionality in ZENworks for Desktops will give our customers the ability to manage their desktops remotely from the operating system on up, saving them time, money and vital resources," said Brad Anderson, ZENworks business unit manager for Novell. "Anyone who has purchased new workstations from Compaq, Dell, IBM or another vendor in the past 18 months most likely purchased PXE-ready workstations. Customers can literally unpack a new PC from the box, turn it on, and ZENworks will identify the PC configuration and, through policies, automatically apply the proper operating system image. The addition of PXE support to ZENworks for Desktops enables our customers to easily deploy and manage software such as Windows 2000 and a host of applications, efficiently managing their workstation investment over the entire life of the hardware."

Benefits
Benefits of using ZENworks for Desktops with PXE technology include:

• No software from Novell needs to be installed on a workstation in order to "image" it.
• If an imaging task has been defined in Novell eDirectory™, the workstation will be remotely booted into Linux* and then imaged. The workstation is only booted to Linux if an imaging task has been defined.
• Automation of workstation registration and OS deployment for new workstations, all using the built-in intelligence of ZENworks imaging policies.
• PXE management of non-PXE compliant devices. "PXE enabler" on floppy or HDD makes non-PXE workstations become manageable.

"We are delighted to partner our technology with an industry leader like Novell," said Ricus Ellis, CEO of PreWorX. "As a technology provider of extended PXE and preboot technologies, we feel strongly that the additional benefits of preboot functionality within the Novell ZENworks for Desktops solution will take PC management far into the next level. The ability to provide management services to a PC at any point from 'bare metal' to 'fully functional' is an extremely powerful tool that will eventually alter the way we traditionally manage and support PCs around the world."

When combined with ZENworks for Servers, ZENworks for Desktops gives customers a policy-based management solution for their entire network that can literally save millions of dollars. Administrators can automate software packages or desktop images, deploy them once on a single server, and let ZENworks' Tiered Electronic Distribution (TED) deliver the content to NetWare, NT and Windows 2000 servers and desktops throughout the organization.

Pricing and Availability
PXE functionality will be available as on add-on to the next version of ZENworks for Desktops, which will be announced in the near future. Pricing will also be announced at a later date. For more information about ZENworks, visit www.novell.com/products/zenworks/index.html.

About PreWorX
Since 1990, PreWorX is an international supplier of leading-edge preboot technology solutions specifically aimed at lowering the costs associated with supporting, managing, owning and interacting with PCs.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL), is the leading provider of Net services software that delivers services to secure and power all types of networks the Internet, intranets, and extranets; wired to wireless; corporate and public across leading operating systems. Novell's Net services software provides the foundation for one Net a single global network that supports new applications and forms of business. Worldwide channel, consulting, education and technical support programs, along with strategic alliances, combine Novell Net services software with third-party products and services to form complete Net solutions.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at http://www.novell.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom. In addition, detailed comparisons between Novell products and competitive offerings from other vendors are available on the Web at http://www.novell.com/competitive.

Novell, NetWare and ZENworks are registered trademarks, NetWorld is a registered service mark, and eDirectory is a trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.