Many organizations that use NetWare are seeking solutions for downsizing or reengineering existing applications that run on minicomputers or mainframes. NetWare servers are designed to function primarily as file and print servers, so they do not support such business-critical applications well. NetWare servers do not feature preemptive multitasking or protected virtual memory, essential features for client-server applications. On the other hand, Windows NT Server makes an ideal platform for such demanding applications because of its scalability, fault tolerance, 32-bit architecture, and threaded, preemptive multitasking with full memory protection.
NetWare administrators can take advantage of the advanced features of Windows NT Servers on an existing NetWare network without interfering with client systems' access to file and printer resources on NetWare servers. For example, a NetWare administrator can add Windows NT Server computers running SQL Server to the network so client workstations can take advantage of a distributed high-performance relational database system while still being able to use files and printers shared by their usual NetWare servers. Such a solution requires no additional hardware or software to provide the necessary connectivity.
To function as an application server for NetWare clients, a computer running Windows NT Server must be running the built-in NWLink IPX/SPX-compatible protocol stack (NWLink). Connections over NWLink can be made via Remote Procedure Calls (RPC), Windows Sockets, Novell NetBIOS, or the NWLink NetBIOS installed with NWLink. Because NWLink is NDIS-compliant, the Windows NT computer can simultaneously run other protocol stacks, such as NetBEUI Frame (NBF) or TCP/IP, through which it can communicate with non-NetWare computers.