Adding IP Connectivity to an IPX Network

Articles and Tips: qna

01 Dec 1999

Dear Ab-end: I'm running a 20-user NetWare 3.12 network using IPX/SPX. Two of my users are moving to another building and I'll need to connect them using TCP/IP. They already have IP addresses assigned to connect to the main network. What's the best way to add TCP/IP support to NetWare 3.12?.

—Desperate in Dayton

Dear Desperate: NetWare 3.12 does not support pure IP like NetWare 5 does, but you can set up TCP/IP as a protocol on the server. However, the TCP/IP client will not be able to access the NetWare 3.12 volumes or print queues. Here are some possible solutions:

Upgrade to NetWare 5 and NetWare Client 32. NetWare 5 supports pure IP natively, and Client 32 is IP capable as well. A NetWare 5 server can also act as a gateway for IP clients to address IPX resources.
See if your routers support Virtual Private Networking (VPN) and tunnel IPX traffic into IP packets. BorderManager can do this but it only runs on NetWare 4 and 5.
Get NetWare Services for UNIX and an NFS client like Novell's set of IP tools. The clients would then be able to access the volumes on the server as NFS mountable drive space. NetWare print queues could also be configured to be accessed as LPD printers using an LPR client. This solution requires a substantial amount of configuration at the server and at the client.

* 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.