Novell S-Net
| Company type | Proprietary software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer networking |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Novell |
| Products | Network operating system |
S-Net, also identified as ShareNet, was a proprietary network operating system created by Novell in 1983 specifically for the Motorola 68000 CPU. It featured a collection of network protocols that facilitated communication between server and client machines.
Utilizing a star network configuration, S-Net supported up to 24 client devices running DOS or CP/M, all directly linked to the 68B server. To minimize expenses, the system employed affordable dual twisted-pair telephone wiring instead of Ethernet or ARCnet technologies, which removed the need for complex network addressing by enabling direct client-to-server connections. The 68B server operated NetWare/S-Net.
Known alternatively as NetWare 68—emphasizing the 68000 processor—S-Net was succeeded in 1985 by NetWare 86, which targeted the Intel 8086 CPU. The introduction of NetWare/86 included several editions and established the groundwork for Novell’s later monolithic NetWare releases, representing a significant advancement in Novell’s networking product line.