NetWare 5 Client Software for Windows NT

Articles and Tips:

Mickey Applebaum

01 Mar 1999

In September 1998, Novell released NetWare 5, its latest operating system. To reflect the changes in NetWare 5, Novell also released new versions of its client software: Novell Client 3.02 for Windows 95/98 and Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT. You can download Novell Client 3.02 for Windows 95/98 from ftp://ftp.novell.com/pub/updates/nw/inw411/w95302.exe, and you can download Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT from http://www.novell.com/download. (Novell Client 3.02 for Windows 95/98 is not listed on Novell's main download page because version 3.02 contains few changes from version 3.01. Novell Client 3.01 for Windows 95/98 appears on the main download page.)

A previous issue of NetWare Connection discussed Novell Client 3.01 for Windows 95/98. (See "Technically Speaking: NetWare 5 Client Software for Windows 95 and 98," Dec. 1998, pp. 40-42. You can download this article from http://www.nwconnection.com/dec.98/techspd8.) This article focuses on Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT, describing the new features included in this client software and outlining the various installation options that are available.

EMBRACING TCP/IP

Like NetWare 5, Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT includes native support for TCP/IP. As a result, Windows NT clients can establish a connection to a NetWare 5 server via the TCP/IP stack that comes with Windows NT. With NetWare 5 and Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT, you can implement a network that uses only TCP/IP and the Ethernet_II frame type. You can also provide direct Internet connectivity for both clients and servers.

With previous versions of NetWare and Novell's client software, you can connect clients and servers through TCP/IP by using NetWare/IP, Novell's TCP/IP stack. In this case, servers must run special services to support TCP/IP, including the following:

Domain Naming System (DNS), which provides IPX-to-IP name-resolution capabilities
Domain SAP/RIP Server (DSS), which eliminates the need for the server to encapsulate Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) information within TCP/IP packets
Network Information System (NIS), which provides IPX-to-IP name-resolution capabilities on the server

In addition, clients must perform a tunneling-type function that sends IPX-based NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) requests across the network via TCP/IP. To alleviate this extra workload, you can upgrade to NetWare 5 and Novell's latest client software and run only TCP/IP on the network.

If you must implement both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT supports Novell's IP gateway. (Novell Client 3.02 for Windows 95/98 also supports this gateway.) To take advantage of this support, you must have a NetWare 4.11 server with Novell's NetWare Internet Access Services (NIAS) and the IP gateway installed. You can also purchase Novell's BorderManager Enterprise Edition 3, which includes the IP gateway. (Because NetWare 5 runs on native TCP/IP, NetWare 5 does not include the IP gateway. In addition, NetWare 5 does not include the same version NIAS that is included with NetWare 4.11.)

IT'S A Z.E.N. THING

Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT includes Novell's Zero Effort Networks (Z.E.N.works) Starter Pack, a workstation management tool. (Novell provides two versions of Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT: One version requires you to download the client software and the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack separately, and one version includes these components in a single file.)

If you install Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT with the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack, users can perform workstation management tasks such as browsing the Network Neighborhood, mapping a network drive, checking the status of network connections, and capturing a printer port. Users can also schedule applications to run on their workstation, configure scheduling options, and display information about the Novell Directory Services (NDS) tree to which their workstation has established a primary connection.

If you like the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack, you should check out the complete Z.E.N.works product, which provides a comprehensive collection of network management features. For example, Z.E.N.works allows you to control workstations from a remote location, conduct hardware inventories, and create help-desk request policies. (For more information about Z.E.N.works, visit http://www.novell.com/products/nds/zenworks.)

INSTALLATION OPTIONS

This article assumes that you have installed a network interface board in the workstation and you have configured Microsoft's network services to provide some level of connectivity to the network. These steps ensure that you have a functioning hardware configuration and you can access the Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT configuration options during the installation process.

The WINSETUP utility, which you run to install Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT, offers two installation options: Typical and Custom. In almost all cases, you should select the Custom option, which allows you to specify the protocols and frame types you want to use to connect to the network. The Custom option also allows you to select specific workstation services.

When you run the WINSETUP utility, you are first prompted to select the appropriate Language option. If you are running the WINSETUP utility from the Novell Client for Windows NT CD-ROM (which comes with NetWare 5), you can choose from several languages. However, if you are running the WINSETUP utility from the client file you downloaded from Novell's web site, you must select the language that is specific to the version you are using. If you are using the English version, for example, you can access only this version.

After you select the language you want to use, the WINSETUP utility displays the following installation options:

Install Windows NT Client.
Install Z.E.N.works Starter Pack.
View Quick Start Documentation.

You should select the Install Windows NT Client option if you want to install both the client software and Z.E.N.works Starter Pack. You should select the Install Z.E.N.works Starter Pack option if you want to install the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack separately. You should select the View Quick Start Documentation option if you want detailed information about installing the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack.

The WINSETUP utility then displays another set of installation options: the Install Novell Client option and the Install Documentation option.

The Install Documentation option works only if you are running the WINSETUP utility from the Novell Client for Windows NT CD-ROM. If you select this option, the WINSETUP utility displays the following options:

View the Documentation Without Installing It.
Install the Documentation and Viewer on Your Workstation or Network.
Install the Documentation Viewer Only, Including the Installation of Netscape.

If you are using the Novell Client for Windows NT CD-ROM, you can install the documentation later. At this point, you should select the Install Novell Client option. You are then prompted to select the Typical installation option or the Custom installation option. You should select the Custom installation option.

Next, the WINSETUP utility displays a list of workstation services you can install. Depending on the protocol you are using, this list will include some or all of the following workstation services. (The WINSETUP utility detects the protocol that is running on the workstation.)

Novell Client for Windows NT. This option is required; you can't deselect it.
Novell Distributed Print Services. You select this option to enable real-time communications between Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS)-compliant printers and the workstation.
Novell IP Gateway. You select this option to enable public IP access, such as Internet access, through an IP gateway server.
Novell Target Service Agent. You select this option to install a backup target service agent (TSA). The TSA enables backup products that are compliant with Novell's Storage Management Services (SMS) to remotely back up the workstation's hard drive.
Novell Workstation Manager. You select this option if you want to manage the workstation through NDS. Novell Workstation Manager, which is part of the Z.E.N.works Starter Pack, allows you to store the workstation's user and desktop configuration information in NDS. You can then use Novell's NetWare Administrator (NWADMIN) utility to manage the workstation.
Z.E.N.works Application Launcher NT Service. You select this option if you want the user to use the Z.E.N.works Application Launcher to install applications on the workstation, without requiring the user to log in to the workstation as a local administrator. In a secure environment, a user must log in to the Windows NT workstation as a local administrator in order to install applications on this workstation. However, most users don't have local administrator rights. The Z.E.N.works Application Launcher solves this problem by logging in to the Windows NT workstation as a local administrator. The Z.E.N.works Application Launcher allows you to centrally distribute, upgrade, and manage applications on workstations across the network.

After you select the workstation services options, the WINSETUP utility displays protocol options:

IP Only. You select this option if the workstation resides on a network segment that includes only NetWare 5 servers running over TCP/IP. You should select this option if you want to prevent IPX-based NDS trees and servers from seeing TCP/IP-based clients and servers. If you select this option, the WINSETUP utility offers you the option of removing IPX from the workstation.
IP With IPX Compatibility. Select this option if the workstation resides on a network segment that includes servers running NetWare 5 over TCP/IP and servers running any version of NetWare over IPX. By selecting this option, you install an IPX responder that tunnels through TCP/IP.

This option allows a TCP/IP-based client to connect to a NetWare 5 server via TCP/IP. If this client must also connect to an IPX-based device or service, such as a NetWare 4 server, the NetWare 5 server acts as a router between the TCP/IP-based client and the IPX-based device or service. (If you want the NetWare 5 server to act as a router, you must bind both TCP/IP and IPX to the server's network interface board.)

You may want to use this capability if your company has a multisite network. Suppose that one site is running TCP/IP on a local network segment hosted by a NetWare 5 server, and the other sites are running IPX on network segments hosted by NetWare 4 servers. If all clients need to access both the NetWare 5 server and the NetWare 4 servers, you could bind TCP/IP to the LAN interface board in the NetWare 5 server and IPX to the WAN interface board in this server. Clients can then see both TCP/IP- and IPX-based devices and services, without requiring IPX to run on the local network segment.
IP and IPX. Select this option if the client resides on a network segment that includes servers running NetWare 5 over TCP/IP and servers running any version of NetWare over IPX. You should also select this option if you want clients and servers on the same network segment to connect via either TCP/IP or IPX.

If you select this option, the WINSETUP utility automatically installs two sets of drivers: one for TCP/IP and one for IPX. In effect, the client then operates as two separate clients. The client can connect to a NetWare 5 server via native TCP/IP and to a server running any version of NetWare via native IPX. Unlike the IP With IPX Compatibility option, the IP and IPX option provides NCP requests over both protocols.
IPX Only. You should select this option if the client resides on a network segment that doesn't include any NetWare 5 servers or on a network segment that is running only IPX.

After you select the protocol option you need, you are prompted to specify a primary connection type: NetWare 4/5 NDS or NetWare 3.x Bindery. If you select the Novell Workstation Manager service, you are also prompted to specify the NDS tree used by the Novell Workstation Manager agents.

The WINSETUP utility then notifies you that the Custom installation portion of the installation process is completed. Click the Finish button to install the client software with the options you selected.

Before the installation process begins, the WINSETUP utility displays the license agreement. You must accept this license agreement to continue. If Microsoft's Client Services for NetWare Networks is installed on the workstation, the WINSETUP utility notifies you that this service must be removed. To remove this service, press the Y key, followed by the Enter key. Finally, the WINSETUP utility performs the installation process, and you are prompted to reboot the workstation.

After rebooting the workstation, you are prompted to press the Ctl-Alt-Del keys to initiate the login process. You can log in to the network, log in to just the workstation, cancel the login, shut down the workstation, or set advanced login options.

The first time you log in to the network with Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT, you should click the Advanced Options button. A screen with four tabs appears. Each tab offers different login options:

NDS. You can use the login options under the NDS tab to select a preferred NDS tree, context, and server.
Scripts. You can use the login options under the Scripts tab to specify whether you want to run a login script, to view the results of the login script, and to automatically close the results page after the login script runs. You can also select the login script you want to run and specify whether to pass login variables.
Windows NT. You can use the login options under the Windows NT tab to specify your local Windows NT username and the workgroup or domain from which to authenticate your Windows NT login.
Dial-up. You can use the login options under the Dial-up tab to specify whether or not you want to log in to the network by using Microsoft's dial-up networking service. You can also specify the telephone number you want to dial and the location from which you are dialing. To use Microsoft's dial-up networking service, you must enable Remote Access Services (RAS) on the workstation and configure the workstation to support dial-up networking.

Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT remembers the login options you select, including the username you enter.

MICROSOFT'S NETWORK SERVICES

Although Novell does not make this recommendation, I recommend that you install each Microsoft network service you want to use on the workstation before you install Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT. By installing Microsoft network services first, you ensure that they will not overwrite any Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT files, which could cause a communication fault with the server.

For example, you should install Microsoft's Windows NT service packs. You may also want to install other network services from the Windows NT CD-ROM. Keep in mind that when you install services from the Windows NT CD-ROM, you must run the Windows NT service packs again.

CONCLUSION

Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT is by far the most feature-rich client software that Novell has ever released for Windows NT. As we go to press, Novell Client 4.5 for Windows NT is the latest version of Novell's client software for Windows NT. However, you should check to see if Novell has released a newer version. You can find the most up-to-date information about Novell's client software at http://www.novell.com/download.

Mickey Applebaum provides technical support on the Internet for The Forums (http://theforums.com).

* 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.