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Migrating from NetWare/IP to NetWare 5 and Pure IP

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NOVELL TECHNICAL SERVICES
TID #2944576
Novell, Inc.

01 Feb 1999


For those who are looking to migrate from NetWare/IP to the Pure IP environment in NetWare 5, this AppNote's for you.

Introduction

This Technical Information Document provides guidelines for migrating from an implementation of NetWare/IP on a NetWare 4.x network to NetWare 5 and Pure IP. The software that enables this migration is the IPX Compatibility Mode Driver (CMD).

The IPX Compatibility Mode Driver facilitates the migration of IPX-based NetWare and NetWare/IP-based networks to pure IP-based networks. Large networks will require a phased IPX-to-IP migration during which IP, IPX, and NetWare/IP networks must co-exist and interoperate. Following migration, CMD can continue to support IPX-based applications in IP-based networks.

For the latest information on the IPX Compatibility Mode Driver, refer to Technical Information Document #2944065 found on the Novell Support Connection. Go to http://support.novell.comand use the Knowledgebase search to find this document.

For information on installing CMD on a NetWare server or Novell client, see the following Novell AppNotes, both from the September 1998 issue:

  • "Migrating to Pure IP with NetWare 5"

  • "Compatiblity Mode Installation and Configuration"

IPX Compatibility Mode Driver

The IPX Compatibility Mode Driver (CMD) consists of the following components:

  • NetWare Server installed with CMD

  • Novell Client installed with CMD

  • CMD Migration Agent

The CMD Migration Agent (MA) provides service information between IPX and IP networks, allowing the disparate networks to interoperate. The Migration Agent software is installed on a NetWare server and acts as a gateway between IPX and IP networks. This server should be accessible to all clients and servers on both networks so the services provided by each are fully accessible.

The Migration Agent software provides the following:

  • To IPX segments: service information about and access to IPX-based services in an IP segment.

  • To IP segments: service information about and access to IPX-based services in an IPX segment Service visibility and access between IPX networks that are not directly connected to each other, but that are connected through an IP network (when enabled with backbone support)

Compatibility Mode on NetWare 4.11/4.2

To install NetWare 5 on a network that uses NetWare/IP with NetWare 4.11/4.2 servers, you must use CMD. To deploy CMD on NetWare 4.11/4.2, the CMD server component (SCMD.NLM) must be installed as a Migration Agent, either in the Backbone Support mode or in a simple Gateway mode.

Note: The SCMD.NLM can be used only as a Migration Agent on NetWare 4.11/4.2.

Planning and Setting Up Migration

The scope of this document is to provide a general migration strategy for converting NetWare/IP networks to pure IP, which is not specific to any particular customer scenario. This general strategy might need to be fine tuned for specific customer environments.

We've assumed a branch-office configuration where central and regional offices are connected through WAN links. In this example, only IPX-based servers and clients are on the local segments. Two (or more) NetWare/IP forwarding gateways connect the segments to use NetWare/IP on the WAN. A DSS server can exist on either or both segments.

This approach focuses on removing IPX from the wire as early as possible during migration and provides a slow, phased segment-by-segment migration. The key idea is to concentrate on the local segment migrations first and then on the WAN migration. Even though it is preferable to complete the local segment migrations before starting the WAN migration, this approach provides you the flexibility to start the WAN migration while local segment migration is in progress. Start with outlying local segments first; then move to the more centrally located segments. Finally, migrate the WAN links.

We recommend you follow these guidelines for each step.

Upgrading One LAN Segment

  1. Install a NetWare 5 server with a Migration Agent. This can be an upgraded NetWare 4 server. Do not upgrade the DSS or NetWare/IP forwarding gateway server during this period.

  2. Start upgrading the existing servers to NetWare 5 with IP CMD. The idea is to make all IPX-based NCP communication use CMD.

  3. Start upgrading the clients to IP CMD. Basic communication uses IP, and CMD provides backward compatibility.

  4. If there are still some IPX servers and clients on the network that have not been migrated, the Migration Agent provides the connectivity between newly upgraded NetWare 5 server and clients.

Upgrading Other LAN Segments and the WAN Link

  1. Place another Migration Agent across the WAN link

  2. Start upgrading the existing servers to NetWare 5 with IP CMD. The idea is to make all IPX-based NCP communication use CMD.

  3. Start upgrading the clients to IP CMD. Basic communication uses IP, and CMD provides backward compatibility.

  4. Implement SLP scopes and IPX filtering on the MA to enable DSS filtering and IPX filtering.

  5. Upgrade the NetWare/IP forwarding gateway servers on both sides of the WAN segment to NetWare 5 pure IP.

  6. Remove DSS dependencies from both sides of the WAN.

  7. Once there are no IPX-based applications or NetWare 4 servers on the LAN segments, you can remove CMD from the local servers and clients.

If you have a single server site, complete the WAN migration first, then start migrating the IPX clients in the segment to IP CMD.

In this example, NetWare/IP is the transport protocol on the WAN and on the LAN. NetWare/IP servers and clients are on local segments. Two (or more) NetWare/IP servers (not necessarily on the forwarding gateway) can be connected through the WAN link.

The second procedure is similar to the first. The main difference is the Migration Agent is running on a NetWare 4.11/4.2 server rather than on a NetWare 5 server. Again, the migration starts with the local segments and continues with the WAN segments.

We recommend the following:

  1. Install a Migration Agent on an existing NetWare 4.11/4.2 server. The Migration Agent must also be a NetWare/IP forwarding gateway to ensure connectivity between the IP and NetWare/IP networks during migration.

  2. Migrate the NetWare/IP server (except the DSS server) to NetWare 5 with IP CMD.

  3. Migrate the clients to IP CMD.

  4. Upgrade the DSS server after NetWare/IP has been totally removed from the network.

  5. Repeat the first four steps on the other LAN segment.

  6. Once the migration on the local segments on both sides of the WAN is complete, remove the Migration Agents from the WAN, and if there are no IPX-based applications or NetWare 4 servers, remove CMD from the local servers and clients.

In this example, NetWare/IP is the transport protocol on the WAN. Both IPX and NetWare servers and clients are present on the local segments. The NetWare/IP forwarding gateway connects the local segments on the WAN.

Since the LAN is a mixed implementation of IPX and NetWare/IP, a combination of the approaches proposed for the first two scenarios can be applied here.

Configuring CMD: Enabling the Migration Agent

By default, loading SCMD.NLM makes a server a simple CMD server. To force it to act as an MA, load it with the following options.

For a normal MA that connects one IPX network with one IP network:

LOAD SCMD.NLM /G

To enable MA-MA protocol (an MA that can communicate and exchange IPX SAP/RIP information with similar MAs:

LOAD SCMD.NLM /BS

This allows disconnected IPX segments across an IP backbone to exchange service information and access each other's services.

Setting the CMD Network Number

By default the CMD IPX network number is set to FFFFFFFD. This can be changed either through the MONITOR utility or, when loading the module, by typing the following command at the console prompt:

LOAD SCMD /NET=XXXXXXXX

Supply the desired network number in place of the Xs.

Setting SAP Filters

Set SAP filters using the FILTCFG utility on the server. There is no special configuration required by the SCMD.NLM. Incoming and Outgoing filtering cannot be done on the SCMD interface. Incoming filtering has to be done on the IPX interface.

Setting IP Backbone Support

To enable IP backbone support, ensure the following:

  1. Each IPX disconnected network has at least one MA running SCMD.NLM in Backbone Support mode.

  2. All the MAs should have NLSP routing enabled and should be using the same CMD network number.

  3. SLP visibility exists among all the MAs.

  4. UDP communication (Port 2645) is enabled between all the MAs.

Conclusion

This document has provided general guidelines for migrating from a NetWare/IP network to NetWare 5 and Pure IP.

* Originally published in Novell AppNotes

Disclaimer

The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.

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