Novell Netware 3.12 ((top)) -

For information on Novell NetWare 3.12, the following technical papers and manuals provide comprehensive details on its installation, management, and historical context: Core Reference Materials NetWare 3.12 System - Administrator's Reference

highly specialized 32-bit protected-mode OS

NetWare did not run on top of DOS, nor was it a GUI-driven environment. It was a purpose-built, that ran directly on the server hardware. You booted it from a floppy disk (later a bootable partition), and it ceded all system resources to the sole task of moving packets. novell netware 3.12

Benefits

• They were stable.
• Migration was expensive.
• "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."

: To keep file access fast, NetWare cached the entire directory structure in RAM. This made it incredibly fast for small offices, but it would "choke" if you tried to host thousands of modern scanned images or large file sets. The Security Landscape For information on Novell NetWare 3

By 1996–1998, Windows NT Server (4.0) gained ground due to: They were stable