Clash of the Clients
Articles and Tips:
01 Feb 1998
Both Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 and Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for Novell Directory Services (NDS) have been available for more than two years. By now, you would think that a clear winner would have emerged and that it would be equally clear which client your company should use. Unfortunately, many companies are still uncertain about the difference between these clients.
To help you choose the right client for your company, this article describes the unique strengths of both clients and explains the situations in which you must use one client instead of the other. This article also summarizes the main features of each client. (See "Client Features.")
DOWNLOADING NOVELL'S CLIENT
intraNetWare and NetWare 4.11 ship with Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95, which includes all of the components you need to log in to NDS and to use intraNetWare management utilities, such as Novell's NetWare Administrator (NWADMIN) utility. You can download intraNetWare Client 2.2 for Windows 95, the latest version of the client, from http://www.novell.com/novellsw/platform.html.
Earlier versions of the client are called NetWare Client 32 for Windows 95. If you are running NetWare Client 32 for Windows 95 and want to know what version it is, you can consult Novell's technical information document (TID) entitled "What version of Client32 am I running?", which lists the date of each version of the client. (To download this TID, go to http://support.novell.com, click the KnowledgeBase button, and search for TID number 2922501.) Then you check the date of the CLIENT32.NLM file, which is located in the NOVELL\CLIENT32 directory on your workstation's hard drive.
ADDING NDS SUPPORT TO MICROSOFT'S CLIENT
Windows 95 ships with Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks, which by itself does not support NDS. As a result, you are limited to bindery-level connections to a preferred server. That is, you cannot use this client alone to log in to an NDS tree.
To log in to an NDS tree using Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks, you must install Microsoft's Service for NDS, which is included in Windows 95 Service Pack 1. If you are running Windows 95 version 4.00.950a or higher, you can install Service for NDS from the Network option in the Windows 95 Control Panel. If you are running a previous version of Windows 95, you can download Windows 95 Service Pack 1 from http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/updates.htm.
If you want to install only Service for NDS without installing the entire service pack, you can download the MSNDS.EXE file from ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/Mslfiles/MSNDS.EXE. Although the MSNDS.EXE file is the only file you need to install Service for NDS, you may also want to install the SHELL32.DLL and NWSERVER.DLL updates, which are included in Windows 95 Service Pack 1.
The SHELL32.DLL update allows you to browse NDS printers from the Add Printer wizard and corrects a problem with Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks: This update prevents the client from truncating a file to zero bytes when you copy a file onto itself from a second view of the same resource.
The NWSERVER.DLL update fixes a security problem related to Microsoft's File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks and remote administration. (File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks is explained in the next section.)Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Administrator Guide, which you can download from http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/updates.htm, discusses each of these updates in more detail.
Even after you install Service for NDS, you cannot run the NWADMIN utility if you are using Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks. To run the NWADMIN utility with this client, you must copy the following .DLL files, which are included with Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95, to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory on your workstation's hard drive: NWCALLS.DLL, SWIPXSPX.DLL, NWLOCALE.DLL, NWNET.DLL, NWPSRV.DLL, AND NWGDI.DLL. You must also rename the NETWARE.001 file, which is located in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory on your workstation's hard drive, to the NETWARE.DRV file. In some cases, additional files are also necessary. (For more information, download TID number 2908589 from http://support.novell.com.)
CHOOSING A CLIENT
If your company's network includes different types of servers, you must ensure that the client you choose allows users to connect to all of these servers. In most situations, you can use either Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 or Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS to provide basic client-server connectivity. (See "Server Support" and "What Do You Want to Do Today?")
One exception does exist, however: Like Windows NT, Windows 95 allows you to create peer-to-peer connections over an intraNetWare or NetWare network using Microsoft's NetWare emulation feature. On Windows 95, this service is called File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks; on Windows NT, this service is called File and Print Services for NetWare. Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 will not connect to Windows 95 or Windows NT workstations that run this service. Instead, you must use Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Support for NDS.
A better solution is to implement peer-to-peer networking over TCP/IP using Microsoft's Client for Microsoft Networks with File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks. You can run Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 and Microsoft's Client for Microsoft Networks simultaneously, without any conflicts. In fact, if you are running TCP/IP on your company's network now, Microsoft's Client for Microsoft Networks is probably enabled on your workstation. (Novell's client supports NetWare/IP but not TCP/IP.)
THE CASE FOR NOVELL'S CLIENT
There are two reasons to install Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 instead of Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS: superior performance and complete support for intraNetWare and NDS.
Superior Performance
Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 is noticeably faster than Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS. For example, my testing revealed significant differences in speed when performing even simple tasks, such as browsing an NDS tree.
Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 also offers better performance for high-volume transactions due to its support of Large Internet Packet (LIP) protocol. LIP negotiates the largest packet size acceptable to all routers between the workstation and the server, allowing network devices to transmit packets that are larger than the default size of 512 bytes. LIP minimizes network overhead by reducing the total number of packet headers required, allowing more data to be transmitted for each request or response.
Complete Support for intraNetWare and NDS
If you need complete support for intraNetWare and NDS, reliable execution of login scripts, or NETX and Virtual Loadable Module (VLM) emulation for legacy applications, Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 is the only choice. In addition to supporting the NWADMIN utility and all other intraNetWare management utilities, Novell's client supports management tools such as Novell Application Launcher (NAL). NAL allows you to update applications from a central location and increases your control over these applications. (To learn more about NAL, see "Novell's NetWare Application Manager,"NetWare Connection, Sept. 1996, pp. 3643.)
Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 also supports features that enable you to update the client automatically. Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS, on the other hand, does not offer this feature.
In addition, Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 includes several extra features. For example, if your intraNetWare password and your workstation password are different, Novell's client displays a screen that prompts you to synchronize these passwords. If you click the Yes button, Novell's client automatically synchronizes the passwords after you successfully log in to the workstation.
THE CASE FOR MICROSOFT'S CLIENT
The most compelling argument for choosing Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS is that it requires fewer system resources than does Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95. Some network administrators criticize the large memory footprint of client-side NLM technology, but the advanced features offered by Novell's client necessarily require more system resources.
Although system resources have generally become more plentiful in recent years, situations still exist in which every byte of memory saved is a process earned. In these cases and where the advanced features of Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 are not needed, using Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS makes sense.
Some network administrators argue that Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for NDS is more compatible with a broader range of applications. However, these complaints are not well documented. On the other hand, Microsoft's client does have compatibility problems with intraNetWare and NDS.
CONCLUSION
Even with Service for NDS and Windows 95 Service Pack 1, Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks remains a relatively basic implementation of intraNetWare and NetWare support. If your company's principal requirement is simplicity, running Microsoft's client will certainly suffice. However, the simplicity of Microsoft's client may sacrifice more functionality and performance than you are willing to allow. If you are more interested in an integrated client with enhanced functionality and complete support for intraNetWare and NDS, you should definitely use Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95.
Daniel G. Newell works for Niche Associates in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Client Features
|
Feature
|
Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95
|
Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks
|
| Installation and Configuration Features | ||
|
Extreme ease of use |
No |
Yes |
|
Control Panel setup |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Installation program/setup wizard |
Yes |
No (Control Panel only) |
|
Automatic client update (ACU) service |
Yes |
No |
|
Number of definable parameters |
43 |
4 |
| Login Features | ||
|
Customizable user interface |
Yes |
No |
|
Log in to multiple trees simultaneously |
Yes |
No |
|
Choose login script while logging in |
Yes |
No |
|
Browse Novell Directory Services (NDS) tree and context |
Yes (usernames, servers, trees, and context) |
Yes (servers, trees, and context) |
|
Log in to Windows NT or Windows 95 running Microsoft's NetWare 3/2.2 emulation |
No |
Yes |
|
Simultaneous login to NDS and NDS for NT |
Yes |
No |
| Management Features | ||
|
Display NDS tree in Network Neighborhood, Explorer, or other multitree-aware interfaces |
Yes |
No (NDS shown as a domain) |
|
Manage file access rights from Network Neighborhood or Explorer |
Yes |
No |
|
Novell Application Launcher (NAL) support |
Yes |
No |
|
NetWare Administrator (NWADMIN) utility support |
Yes |
Yes (with intraNetWare Client DLLs; rename NETWARE.001) |
| Autoreconnect Features | ||
|
Reconnect to servers |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Reconnect and authenticate to NDS tree |
Yes |
No |
|
Reconnect drive mappings |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Reestablish open file and file lock states with server |
Yes |
No |
| Advanced Features | ||
|
Advanced NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) support |
Yes |
No |
|
16-bit Open Data-link Interface (ODI) and Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) 3.1 support |
Yes |
Yes |
|
32-bit ODI driver support |
Yes |
No |
|
16-bit NetWare client application program interface (API) libraries |
Yes |
Yes |
|
32-bit NetWare client API libraries |
Yes |
No |
| Protocol Features | ||
|
IPX/SPX support |
Yes |
Yes |
|
TCP/IP support |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Large Internet Packet (LIP) support |
Yes |
No |
|
NetWare/IP 2.1 or higher support |
Yes |
No |
|
Packet signing support |
Yes |
No |
|
Packet burst support |
Yes |
Yes |
Server Support
|
Server
|
Novell's intraNetWare for Client for Windows 95
|
Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks
|
|
intraNetWare, NetWare 4, NetWare 3, and NetWare 2.2 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows NT running NDS for NT |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows NT running File and Print Services for NetWare or Windows 95 running File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks |
No |
Yes |
Note: Note. You can use DOS-based Virtual Loadable Modules (VLMs) on a Windows 95 workstation to connect to a Windows 95 workstation running File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks and to connect to a Windows NT workstation running File and Print Services for NetWare. However, Novell has not supported VLMs since it released NetWare Client 32 for Windows 95.
What Do You Want to Do Today?
|
If You Need to . . .
|
Action
|
|
Install Novell's intraNetWare Client for Windows 95 on a new PC or on a PC on which a NetWare client is already installed. |
Run Novell's client setup program. |
|
Install Novell's client automatically as part of a Windows 95 setup from the network. |
Read technical information document (TID) number 2905964 at http://support.novell.com to learn how to configure the MSBATCH.INF Windows 95 Setup file. |
|
Install Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks with Service for Novell Directory Services (NDS) on a new PC or on a PC on which a NetWare client is already installed. |
Install Microsoft's client from the Control Panel by selecting the Network option, clicking the Add button, and selecting the Client option. Install Service for NDS by select- ing the Services option instead of the Client option. |
|
Install Novell's client over Microsoft's client. |
Run Novell's client setup program. |
|
Install Microsoft's client over Novell's client. |
Run the UNC32.EXE file to uninstall registry entries and Novell's client files. After installing Microsoft's client via the Control Panel, rename the NETDEF.INF file as the NETDEF.NW file and rename the NETDEF.BNW file as the NETDEF.INF file. If Novell's client has been installed two or more times, you must restore the NETDEF.INF file from the Windows 95 .CAB source files. (For more information, see TID number Q150925 at http://support.microsoft.com.) |
Note: Note. Installing Novell's client over Microsoft's client is simple. Novell's client setup program automatically replaces Microsoft's client. However, installing Microsoft's client over Novell's client is more difficult: You must change the names of two configuration files and, in some cases, you must manually restore one of these files from the Windows 95 .CAB source files.
* Originally published in Novell Connection Magazine
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.