Talk:3Server

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Information from the Seybold Report on Desktop Publishing, Volume 05, Number 06, Feb. 4, 1991:

3Com bails out of LAN OS business

To focus on network adapters, bridges and system integration

Microsoft and 3Com announced recently that they had reached an agreement whereby 3Com would cease to market Microsoft's LAN Manager network operating system software under its own label (except on its proprietary 3Server product line).

Moreover, 3Com will turn over to Microsoft the marketing and development rights to several of the value-added services that it has developed especially for LAN Manager. These services include its Macintosh connectivity products (3+Open Macintosh), its Netware connectivity services (which enabled LAN Manager workstations to connect simultaneously to Netware servers) and technology related to the development of X.500 directory services. (3Com had this under development but hadn't released a product.)

The above services all pertain to LAN Manager 2.0, the new and much-improved version that Microsoft shipped late last fall. 3Com will continue to sell its 3+ and 3+Open 1.1 packages for both PC servers and its 3Server family. (For reviews of 3Com's 3+ and 3+Open 1.1 product families, see Vol. 2, No. 11, and Vol. 4, No. 9.)

However, as part of the announcement, 3Com indicated that it would refocus its efforts away from network operating systems and servers, which traditionally only accounted for 10-15% of its business, to network adapters and enterprise-wide systems (including bridges and routers and the like).

It also indicated that its workgroup-related businesses (3+, 3Servers, 3Stations and the value-added services not picked up by Microsoft, including 3+Mail, 3+Internet and its SNA connectivity products) would be sold off over time, and that its workforce would be reduced by 12%.

3Com indicated that it would support its existing customer base for some time in the future, and that it had set aside a one-time charge against income of $45 million for ongoing customer service and employee severance packages. 3Com will work with Microsoft to ensure that existing 3Com network customers will have as painless a transition path as possible.

Back to basics

The announcement is significant because it suggests that both Microsoft and 3Com are biting the bullet in recognition of what needs to be done to compete with Novell, which so far has barely lost its stride under the combined onslaught from Microsoft, 3Com and a dozen other LAN Manager licensees.

Originally, both companies had thought that LAN Manager would quickly carry them to competitive parity with Novell in the marketplace. However, critical omissions in the areas of security, network management, network printing and Macintosh connectivity (which wasn't available until a year after LAN Manager was announced, and then only from 3Com), as well as the well-publicized problems with OS/2 itself (on top of which LAN Manager is based), meant that LAN Manager had barely emerged from the starting gate.

It was small comfort to both companies that Novell was having trouble jump starting sales of its own next-generation network operating system--Netware 386. Netware 286 was and remains king, with more than 70% of the desktop LAN market.

Perceiving that customers were confused by the plethora of LAN Manager versions in the market, Microsoft had announced early last year that it intended to go into the LAN operating system business itself with direct sales and the like.

3Com realized that it was futile to compete directly with Microsoft, and it had already decided simply to remarket the Microsoft version of LAN Manager 2.0, offering its value-added packages as add-ons later. The announcement was 3Com's recognition that it couldn't continue to spend enormous R&D resources on a business that represented only a fraction of its total revenues--3Com is the acknowledged leader of the Ethernet adapter market, with a reputation for quality and high value.

Upgrade path

Still starting more or less from scratch in the LAN operating system business, Microsoft has every incentive to ensure that current 3Com customers make the transition to LAN Manager 2.0. Overall, the addition of 3Com's value-added services should help to make LAN Manager far more competitive against Netware. (We would have preferred to have 3Com's mail and routing/remote capabilities added to the Microsoft product, but Microsoft's Mail group has hinted that significant internal developments are in the works in these areas.)

We were saddened by the announcement since we have come to depend on 3Com's Macintosh, store-and-forward mail, and remote routing/ dial-in capabilities to run our seminar business. We know that we will be able to assemble the pieces of a comparable, and undoubtedly superior, solution in the future with Microsoft and various third-party products. But it was convenient to get all the services we needed in one integrated package--third-wave nostalgia, no doubt, but appreciated all the same.

I thought this was historically important and intend to add this information to Wikipedia eventually... --SFoskett 21:15, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Message for wiki user Materialscientist

OBS - Important notice!

IP Source Addr Reference: Mentioned Article Updates below, were all issued via my IP address:

2.105.161.180

as the source of provided Article update information!

Hello,

I've just noticed your current removal of my 2 WIKI 3Com article updates for the:

3Server and: 3+Share networking S/W products

You're kindly requested to supply some qualified explanations as the basis for this quite disrupting / counter productive action of yours Say: What exactly are factual wrong / incorrect within the provided but currently removed 3Com article updates of mine?

I'll look forward in getting some qualified information back about theese issues from your side, in order to get the two article updates back on the two relevant wiki pages as soon as possible.

For your information, I'm an experienced Network Systems Engineer with more than a decade of both practical and theoretical experience from also 3Com Corp. Networking products during the 80'ties an 90'ties.

In addition I got Certified with the highest technical  3Com Network Certifications:

- 3+Wizard / Advanced Systems

- 3+Open Wizard Advanced Systems

Which were the highest 3Com technical level Computer Network Certifications, at that time.

So I know these products and related technologies quite well, and knows what I'm talking / writing about in this regard.

The actual (currently removed)

3Com: 3Server and 3+Share

WIKI article input updates of mine, are definitely - due to my very best (neutural) judgement - both technically and historical valid and correct as presented!

However please be aware, that much of the provided technical information within my WIKI 3Com (3Server and 3+Share) Article updates - solely originates from my personal technical knowledge, traning and practical experience within the 3Com Networking Area at that time, which cannot be verified by any e.g. paper Magazine, tech articles, books or newsletters etc. anywhere around the world by today - as otherwise (almost per default) demanded by the Wikipedia org.

That is simply because such detailed technical 3Com information does not exists any longer (public accessible) anywhere around the globe.

At the basis on above facts within this case, I'm looking forward in hearing your qulified suggestions for adjusting my relevant (but pt. removed) Article input texts in order to qualify them for reloading the updates on the two WIKI 3Com Pages in question.

Thank you in advance.

/NikeCom50

NikeCom50 (talk) 16:00, 19 October 2023 (UTC)