Novell NetWare 2.15
Novell NetWare 2.15 was one of the earliest and most stable networking systems for the PC. Released around 1987, it was one of the first network operating systems that allowed small and medium-sized businesses to share files, printers, and applications over a local area network (LAN) — decades before “the cloud” existed.
What made NetWare 2.15 special?
NetWare ran on one dedicated file server: a PC that functioned exclusively as a server, completely disconnected from the workstations. The server had its own kernel — not MS-DOS — which made the system exceptionally fast and reliable for file sharing and printer management. Workstations simply ran MS-DOS and accessed the server via a software client (the shell).
System requirements
| Part | Requirement | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Server CPU | Intel 80286 or higher | NetWare 2.x used the 80286’s Protected Mode; the earlier NetWare 86 still ran on an 8086 |
| Server RAM | Minimum 2 MB, recommended 4 MB+ | More RAM = larger disk cache = higher network speed |
| Storage space | Minimum 20 MB hard drive | Typical server installation from that era; volumes up to 2 GB supported |
| Installation media | 5.25″ floppies (360 KB or 1.2 MB) | Excluding 5.25″ with v2.15; only with NetWare 2.2 (1993) did a 3.5″ version also appear. |
| Network | Ethernet or Token Ring NIC | IPX/SPX protocol; multiple network types supported via interchangeable drivers (LAN drivers) |
| Workstations | 8086 or higher + MS-DOS 2.0+ | The workstations did not have to be 286; MS-DOS was only needed to boot the workstation |
| Max. users | License dependent (5–250) | Licenses were sold per number of workstations |
The floppy disks
5.25″ — original medium
NetWare 2.15 (1987)
3.5″ — added later
NetWare 2.2 (1993)
A complete NetWare 2.15 installation consisted of a series 5.25 inches floppy disks that had to be loaded one by one. The smaller one 3.5 inches floppy disk — which you might associate with early ’90s software — wasn’t common for IBM-compatible PCs until around 1989–1990. NetWare 2.15 was therefore exclusively released on 5.25″; it was not until NetWare 2.2 (1993) that Novell also offered a 3.5″ version.
Yet this was a revolutionary system at the time: a network of PCs working together was far from self-evident in the 1980s.
MS-DOS and NetWare: a combination
MS-DOS was on the workstations indispensable: it loaded the NetWare shell (IPX.COM + NETX.COM), after which the disk drives on the server appeared as additional drive letters (e.g. F: or G:). To the user, this felt completely transparent: you simply opened a file on a network drive, just as you would on a local hard drive.
The server itself was running none MS-DOS — Novell NetWare kernel only, designed for maximum throughput and reliability. This was the key to NetWare’s success: the server did not have to be a general-purpose operating system, but was optimized for a single task.