How does my computer connect to a server even when I don't specify which server I want?
Articles and Tips: qna
01 Jun 1997
Q.
Dear Ab-end: am a NetWare newcomer who is using the NetWare DOS Requester (VLMs). I have two questions. First, how does my computer connect to a server even when I don't specify which server I want? Second, why do I need to change to the F:drive before logging in?
--New and Very Curious
A.
Dear Curious: Because you are using VLMs and did not specify a Novell Directory Services connection, I'll assume you are connecting to a bindery-based server from a workstation. To answer your first question, the workstation connects to a server in two ways: by attaching to the first server to answer the "Get Nearest Server" call that the workstation broadcasts to the network when it initially boots up, or by connecting to a specified "Preferred Server."
When the VLM client software is loaded, workstations send a "Get Nearest Server" (GNS) request that is broadcast to the entire network in order to find available servers. The first server that sends a "Give Nearest Server" reply to the workstation also includes the server name in that reply. The workstation then initially establishes a connection with that server to route itself to the server designated in the LOGIN process.
If you state a Preferred Server in either the NET.CFG file or in a registry entry in either Windows 95 or Windows NT workstations, the server that responds first to the "Get Nearest Server" broadcast will immediately route the connection request to the preferred server, where the workstation will take up a connection table slot in that server. The connection is dropped from the server that performed the initial connection service.
(On a technical note, the VLM client version 1.22 and the 32-bit NetWare Client dated 8/21/96 or later will wait up to one second for an answer from the actual Preferred Server. If the client receives no answer, it will use the connection table in the first server that answers the GNS in order to look up the Preferred Server and establish a connection to that server.)
Now to answer your second question. By default, drive letter F: is the first network drive. By switching to this logical drive, you switch the workstation from local resources to network resources, such as drive mappings, application access, and so on. From this drive, you can log in to a designated server to access the resources that are available to you. As you initially log in, you must first change to a drive that is mapped to a directory on the server you are attached to, usually F:\LOGIN (or F:\ if you are running VLMs for network access). The LOGIN directory contains the file LOGIN.EXE, which you then run to log in to a server. You can then access the resources on that server, such as drive mappings to data and applications, printing, CD-ROM volumes, databases, modem pools, and so on.
* Originally published in Novell AppNotes
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