This will come as no surprise, since they've been talking about it for awhile. On March 7, 2010, NetWare will end its phase of general support. Extended support will be available between March 8, 2010 and March 7, 2012. For three years after that, until March 7, 2015, customers may utilize Novell's self-support resources.

The support lifecycle for NetWare is posted at http://support.novell.com/lifecycle/.

The upgrade path from NetWare is to Open Enterprise Server.

Novell Open Enterprise Server is licensed the same way as NetWare was. It is a perpetual user license, with the addition of maintenance for software upgrades and call-in support. Customers who buy Novell Open Enterprise Server via the Novell Open Workgroup Suite can elect a subscription license instead. Visit www.novell.com/products/openworkgroupsuite/ to learn more about this option.

You can find all kinds of good info about upgrading at

• novell.com/upgrade

• coolsolutions/upgradetooes