Network Client Software

The

Novell 32-bit client for NetWare has grown significantly from a simple login

utility to a whole bunch of new components that allow better workstation

management, and more functionality. Let’s see how this client is installed.

NetWare comes with clients for Win 9x/NT/2000. We checked out

the one for Win 2k. During installation itself, the client lets you choose

whether you want to login to a bindery server, or NDS (Novell Directory

Services). All NetWare servers of version 4.x and above support NDS. Select the

appropriate one, and click Next. You could either do a typical or custom

installation. The first installs the basic components you need to login to your

NetWare network.

The

Custom installation lets you choose from ten different components, which you’ll

need only in special cases. For example, you need the Host Resources MIB for

Novell and the SNMP agent if you have network management software running on

your network. The software can then poll this client for inventory. The Novell

Target Service Agent is used to backup selected hard drives from a NetWare

server. There’s even a component that allows ADSI–a component in Windows

2000–to communicate with NDS.

Only

Novell Distributed Print Services is selected by default, and is required if you

have its counterpart running on the NetWare server. NDPS has been covered in a

separate article in this issue

After installation, you need to restart for the changes to

take effect. If everything went well, then you should get a login screen. If you

don’t, there could be a number of problems. The most common one is a loose

cable connection. so, ensure that it’s secure. You can choose where to login

only from this screen. You’ll find an "Advanced" button that pops up

additional login options. Here, you can choose which NetWare server and NDS tree

to login to. You can also specify your login context. There’s another tab that

allows you to control your login scripts. You can enable them, and display the

login text from this window.

After

login, you’ll find a large "N" in your system tray. This lets you

check your network properties, re-login, or check your login status. You could

also send messages to other NetWare clients from here.

The client also has advanced settings that should only be

tampered with if you know what you’re doing. For this, go to the Control

Panel, select Network, and look at Properties for the NetWare client. Here, you

can control advanced options like auto-reconnect level, receive broadcast

traffic, etc.

Removing the client

Sometimes,

the client may get corrupted and not allow you to login. You may then want to

reinstall it. Just removing it from the Network properties in the Control Panel

may not remove it completely. In fact, that’s a bad idea, and we wouldn’t

recommend it. You should use the client uninstall utility in the client CD that

comes with NetWare. Open the CD, and go to the \products directory. Within this

are sub-directories of clients for specific operating systems. Go into the one

you installed, and you’ll find an \admin directory. Within this, there’s a

unc32.exe file. This file will uninstall the client completely from your

machine.

Directory Service client for Windows 2000

Windows

2000 comes with a Directory Service client for Win 9x. You’ll find it as a

single self-extracting executable file in the \clients\win9x directory in the

Win 2k server CD. The client allows Win 9x users to access the Active Directory

and Distributed File System Redirector Services.

Installing

this client doesn’t mean that you won’t have to install the Microsoft Client

for Microsoft Networks, which ships with Win 9x. The Directory Service Client

must be installed along with the Microsoft Client.

The

Directory Service client allows you to search for all printers in the Active

Directory. For this, go to Start>Find Menu. Here, you’ll see a printer

option–a new addition. Select the option, and you’ll be able to search for

all printers listed in the Active Directory. You can search for printers based

on location, or even on advanced options such as whether they can print

double-sided, color, or are of a specific resolution.

This can be useful in a large network containing lots of

printers, and a user has a specific type of printing requirement.

Anil Chopra