Previous | Table of Contents | Next |
Although the server runs in character mode, youll use the Novell utilities for managing the NDS in the Windows environment; for example, the NWADMN32 tool, which is used by the working network administrator to add, delete, and modify users, groups, security, and so on, runs under Windows NT and Windows 95. This tool is windowed, but because the windowing happens at your workstation, it doesnt bog down the server.
If you have an older NetWare 3.x server, you can get a Windows-based SYSCON system manager program by upgrading to 3.2apart from its Y2K readiness. Other 3.x versions are no longer supported by Novell. To get NDS, though, you still need to upgrade to 4.x or higher.
If NetWare 3 servers dont support NDS, what do they support? Each server must maintain its own list of users and groups, called a bindery. The bindery of a server is a standalone entity that does not communicate with other servers at all. If common groups and user names are desired between servers, the network administrators must manually synchronize them.The bindery has become obsolete with NetWare 4.x and higher, but theres still a bindery emulation mode, which makes a NetWare 4.x server respond to NetWare 3.xstyle bindery requests.
Any Novell server is fundamentally a 32-bit program called SERVER.EXE that runs from a DOS prompt (yep, just like Windows 3.x used to run from a DOS prompt). This means you still have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your C driveit just typically consists of one line: SERVER.EXE. This server program actually doesnt do much; for example, it cant network on its own or access hard drives. When you load the SERVER.EXE program, the server console screen opens. This screen, shown in Figure 13.1, is a text-based interpreter that can accept various commands.
Figure 13.1 RCONSOLE (or Remote Console) allows you to remotely control the server console from your desk.
In addition to accepting commands, the server program acts as a traffic cop for all the server resources, and it relies on loadable modules to provide specific services. In general, these modules are referred to as NLMs, short for NetWare loadable modules. NLMs provide everything from a statistic reporting program (MONITOR.NLM) to configuration programs (INSTALL.NLM); in addition, NLMs enable the server to speak certain protocols (TCPIP.NLM).
Special cases of NLMs include older disk drivers (for example, IDE.DSK), newer disk drivers (for example, IDE.HAM), and network card drivers (for example, NE2000.LAN). All these modules act in concert through SERVER.EXE to make your server talk to the network and respond appropriately to requests. Yikes! There are a lot of pieces and parts. A typical NetWare server has dozens of NLMs loaded at one time. When everything works, its great.
Trouble Triage
One of the challenges presented to a NetWare troubleshooter is keeping track of all these NLMs and identifying any trouble presented by a malfunctioning NLM. This was really terrible in the past; you had to download many different files to fully patch your server. Nowadays, you can simply get the latest service pack from Novell (taking a cue from Microsoft, which has always offered one-stop shopping for fixes). Service packs are really simple to apply.
Patch Plethora
Just as Microsoft does for Windows NT, Novell considers certain problems serious enough to issue hot-fix patches (patches that are supplied to the user population before the next service pack is issued). Although not all patches apply for all environments, you might find you need to patch the server in order to fix a certain problem.
Any time you experience problems with your Novell server, check the Novell Knowledge Base at http://support.novell.com. In addition to using the Novell Knowledge Base to search for your current problem, you can also use it to check out the minimum patch list. This can be a great first step in troubleshooting, because you can easily verify that you have all the patches in the minimum patch list loaded on your server.
Patches can fix, but patches can also destroy. You shouldnt get too paranoid, though, because the entire industry has come a long, long way toward making the patch process as safe as possible. For example, the patch process now keeps backups of your previous files. Nonetheless, for your own sanity, make sure that you have good, verified backups of your servers before applying any patches. (This applies to all patches, not just Novell patches.)
As a matter of fact, even if you have Novells Premium Support, the first thing the support staff will have you do is make sure youve applied the latest and greatest patches. Many, many problems are patch related.
I have to give Novell some credit here: It has been good at fessing up to its problems of late. Novell has recognized its problems, taken the blame, and issued fixes for these problems. In some sense, being humbled by Microsoft has been good for Novell, because its no longer a solitary giant in the networking industry. Now its a leaner and hungrier network player that, like the car rental company, tries harder.
Previous | Table of Contents | Next |