NETWORK WORLD FUSION FOCUS: DAVE KEARNS on NOVELL NETWARE
Today's Focus: Btrieve free ride ends
03/14/00

Dear Wincenty Kaminski,

Today's Focus: Btrieve free ride ends
---------------------------------------------------------------
By Dave Kearns

NetWare has shipped with Btrieve (originally a flat-file database
system, now grown into a full-fledged relational database system) since
the days of NetWare 2 some 12 years ago. Many independent software
vendors have relied on this and constructed their NetWare applications
to use the built-in facilities Btrieve afforded.

Originally licensed from its creator, Softcraft, Novell bought Btrieve
outright in the late +80s, then sold it off 10 years later to some of
the original developers, now incorporated as Pervasive Software.
Pervasive has, essentially, retired the Btrieve name in favor of
"Pervasive SQL 2000," a true relational database system which
nevertheless still purports to support applications written to the
Btrieve 6.x specification.

A major change has been introduced in NetWare 5.1, however. There is no
longer an unlimited-use version of the database included. Novell still
uses Btrieve technology for (among other things) its installed products
database (sys:system\products.dat is the file), but NetWare 5.1
includes only a two-user license for SQL 2000  enough for the
administrator to add new products and services, but not enough for any
Btrieve-based applications the network might be running.

There is an unlimited-use version of SQL 2000 included, but it,s an
evaluation version only. It will time out after 90 days. Full-use
licenses may be purchased from Pervasive Software (or your software
vendors may provide them), but unsuspecting network administrators
could be caught off-guard when applications stop working.

For the adventurous, there is an unlimited-use version of Btrieve 6.10
included with the NetWare 5.1 distribution. But Novell admits it hasn't
tested the software with NetWare 5.1, it may not work, and  the real
killer  most current applications (such as Computer Associates
ArcServe) require Btrieve 6.15.

Check the applications you're using before doing that upgrade to
NetWare 5.1, and calculate the additional costs of obtaining the
requisite number of SQL 2000 licenses. Then, decide if that's what you
want to do, or if switching to a different application is the better
choice.

To contact Dave Kearns:
-----------------------
Dave Kearns is the Word Wrangler for Virtual Quill, a writing agency
serving the computer and networking industries. If your target
customer doesn't know your product, doesn't know its uses and doesn't
know he needs it, he's not going to buy it. From books to reviews,
marketing to manuals, VQ can help you and your business. Virtual Quill
- "words to sell by..." Find out more at: http://www.vquill.com/, or
by e-mail at mailto:info@vquill.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR RELATED LINKS -- Click here for Network World's home page:
http://www.nwfusion.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pervasive.SQLv 2000 Product Family SDK
http://www.pervasive.com/products/psql/sdk/

Understanding Pervasive.SQL 2000, a white paper (PDF)
http://www.pervasive.com/products/psql/psql_wkgrengine/workgroupwp.pdf

Migration Guide 6 to Pervasive.SQL.doc
http://www.pervasive.com/support/technical/papers/Migration%20Guide%20-%206.15
%20to%20Pervasive.SQL.pdf


Other NetWare-related articles from Network World:

Active Directory upgrade requires strong game plan, Network World,
03/13/00
http://www.nwfusion.com/archive/2000/89629_03-13-2000.html

Microsoft exec sketches future for Win 2000, Network World, 03/13/00
http://www.nwfusion.com/archive/2000/89698_03-13-2000.html

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