First Steps to Troubleshooting OS/2 Clients on NetWare

(Last modified: 09Oct2002)

This document (10051720) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

goal

fact

Formerly TID 15833

fix

Provided below is a basic, step-by-step process that can be followed to begin the troubleshooting process for solving most OS/2 problems.

* Step 1. Determine the version of OS/2 and the version of the NetWare Client for OS/2 that is involved. Refer to the "version" list below to ensure that a supported configuration is being used.

It is also important to find out if other software has been installed, such as IBM Extended Services, LAN Server, and/or LAN Requester, etc., because if it has been installed, some additional configuration is required to allow the NetWare Client and the IBM software to coexist. (Refer to Chapter 8 of the NetWare 4.0 Workstation for OS/2 manual or Chapter 16 of the NetWare Client for OS/2 User Guide for more information.)

* Step 2. Determine the symptoms of the problem, including exact error messages, exactly
     when the problem occurs, and how often the problem occurs. Determine if the problem occurs in
     an OS/2 command line session, on the OS/2 "desktop", in a DOS session, or in a WINOS2
     session.

* Step 3. Use the Network Support Connection CD or website (http://support.novell.com) to find possible solutions. If the exact error message is known, the NSC will usually have several suggestions.

* Step 4. If the latest NetWare Client for OS/2 files are not being used, they should be download from http://support.novell.com. Using the latest files may solve a number of common problems.

The following is a list of the versions of OS/2 and the supported versions of the NetWare Client for OS/2. A key to remember is that the NetWare Requester for OS/2 v1.3 is compatible with OS/2 v1.3 ONLY. The NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.01 works with both OS/2 v2.0 and v2.1. The NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.1 works with OS/2 2.1 and OS/2 v2.11. Note: versions of OS/2 and the NetWare Requester for OS/2 prior to v1.3 are no longer officially supported.

Versions of OS/2 Supported Version of NetWare Client for OS/2
------------------------------------------------------------

Microsoft OS/2 1.3 NetWare Requester 1.3, limited support

IBM OS/2 1.3 NetWare Requester 1.3, supported with (Supported IBM NSD004.EXE CSD levels:applied on top of the NetWare 5050 or 5100.) Requester 1.3.

IBM OS/2 2.0 NetWare Client for OS/2 2.01 will work, but it is not an officially supported
configuration.

IBM OS/2 2.1 NetWare Client for OS/2 2.1

IBM OS/2 2.11 NetWare Client for OS/2 2.1

Information and Troubleshooting Tips:

Q: What is the NetWare Client for OS/2 (aka NetWare Requester for OS/2) and what does it do?

A: The NetWare Client for OS/2 is a group of OS/2 ODI drivers that load in the OS/2 workstation's CONFIG.SYS file and allow the OS/2 workstation to connect to a NetWare file server (NetWare v2.15c and above are officially supported with the NetWare Client for OS/2). In addition to IPX and SPX support, the NetWare Client for OS/2 also provides optional support for Novell Named Pipes and Novell NetBIOS.

Q: If the version of the NetWare Client for OS/2 is not known, how can the version be determined?

A: If the user is logged into a NetWare server and the OS/2 Utilities are installed on that server, NVER can be run. NVER will display the version of the "OS/2 Requester". If the user is unable to login, then check the file date of NWREQ.SYS in the NETWARE directory. Below is a list of some of the NWREQ.SYS files that exist:

NWREQ.SYS 2-13-91from original 1.3 Requester
NWREQ.SYS 4-09-92from NSD004.EXE
NWREQ.SYS 5-19-92from original 2.0 Requester
NWREQ.SYS 9-11-92from NSD201.EXE
NWREQ.SYS 11-5-92from NSD202.EXE
NWREQ.SYS 2-03-93from original 2.01 Requester
NWREQ.SYS 11-17-93 from R201ST.EXE (update to v2.01)
NWREQ.SYS 4-05-94from original 2.1 Requester

Q: How can the version of OS/2 be determined?

A: At an OS/2 Command line prompt, run SYSLEVEL or VER. SYSLEVEL will display the version of OS/2 as well as the current CSD Level (CSD=Corrective Services Diskette). VER will display the version of the operating system only.

Q: What are the latest released OS/2-related files and where are the files available?

A: If IBM OS/2 v1.3 is installed: The NetWare Requester for OS/2 v1.3 should be installed, and then NSD004.EXE from NOVLIB, library 5, must be installed on top of the 1.3 Requester. The original 1.3 Requester ships in "older" boxes of NetWare v3.11, and it can be downloaded from the NSD forum on Compuserve (filename is REQ13.EXE). It can also be ordered for $30 by calling 1-800-update1, option 1. Note: "Later" boxes of NetWare v3.11 contain the v2.0 Requester, which will not work with OS/2 v1.3.

If IBM OS/2 v2.0 is installed: The NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.01 will work, but it is not supported anymore. It is recommended that the user upgrade to OS/2 v2.1 or 2.11 and use the NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.1.

If IBM OS/2 v2.1 or v2.11 is installed: The NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.1, which is designed to work with both OS/2 v2.1 and OS/2 v2.11, should be installed. Currently, the latest NetWare Client for OS/2 (v2.10) is available on the NOVFILES forum, under "Client Kits"; on the NSEPro CD-ROM; and via ftp from ftp.novell.com. It can also be ordered for $99 by calling 1-800-update1, option 1, and includes a manual as well as on-line documentation. The NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.01, not v2.1, currently ships with NetWare 3.12 and 4.01. There are no released updates to the NetWare Client for OS/2 v2.1 at this time.

Updates for Novell OS/2 Utilities:

NetWare v3.11: The "latest" NetWare 3.11 OS/2 utilities come in current boxes of NetWare v3.11 and can also be downloaded from NOVLIB, library 6 -- UT1OS2.EXE and UT2OS2.EXE. Also in NOVLIB 6 is OS2UTI.EXE, which contains REMOCON.EXE, a Remote Console for OS/2 v2.x. These utilities, except for REMOCON.EXE, are not specific to the version of OS/2 and can be used by OS/2 1.3 and 2.x clients.

NetWare 3.12 and NetWare 4.01: NetWare 3.12 ships with the latest "3.x" OS/2 utilities, and NetWare 4.01 ships with the latest "4.x" OS/2 utilities (check for updates on NetWire, though).

Q: Are there any NetWare OS patches that address OS/2 issues?

A: Yes, there are OS patches for NetWare 3.11, 3.12, and 4.01 that address OS/2 issues. Refer to the documentation file in each downloadable file for information about each patch.

NetWare 3.11 OS patches:

311PTx.EXE (currently, 311PTD.EXE) on NOVFILES forum contains the following OS/2 related
patches:
EAERRFIX.NLM 1241 9-24-92 10:39a
EAINFIX.NLM 1788 5-15-92 9:33a

NetWare 3.12 OS patches:
312PTx.EXE (currently, 312PT2.EXE) on NOVLIB, library 4 contains the following OS/2 related patches:
DIRSPCFX.NLM 1212 4-26-94 9:06a
EAACCFIX.NLM 970 4-26-94 9:06a
EADATFIX.NLM 1181 4-26-94 4:33p
EAREPLFX.NLM 1182 4-26-94 9:00a

NetWare 4.01 OS patches:
401PTx.EXE (currently, 401PT2.EXE) on NOVLIB, library 14 contains the following OS/2 related
patches:
DIRSPCFX.NLM 1128 2-22-94 4:20p
EADATFIX.NLM 997 3-28-94 9:08a
EAREPLFX.NLM 1169 2-22-94 4:23p
EASCORFX.NLM1062 11-09-93 10:59a
EAUNIQFX.NLM 1147 11-09-93 11:02a

Q: What versions of OS/2 support "Dual Requesters", which allows the NetWare Client for OS/2 to coexist with NDIS applications like IBM LAN Requester, Communications Manager, or TCP/IP?

A: Only IBM OS/2 v1.3 with CSD level XR05015 ("5015") and above -- including all versions of OS/2 v2.x -- support "Dual Requesters". Versions of IBM OS/2 before CSD level 5015 and all versions of Microsoft OS/2 do NOT support "Dual Requesters". Support for "Dual Requesters" is provided by ODINSUP and LANSUP for OS/2.

Q: What are ODINSUP and LANSUP?

A: ODINSUP and LANSUP are used when it is necessary for the NetWare Client for OS/2 to share a network board with NDIS applications like IBM LAN Server and/or LAN Requester, IBM Extended Services, and IBM TCP/IP. Either ODINSUP or LANSUP may be used to allow the NetWare Client for OS/2 to share a network adapter with IBM software. The NetWare Client for OS/2 uses drivers written to the ODI specification. IBM software like Extended Services (which includes Communications Manager) and LAN Services (which includes LAN Server/LAN Requester) uses drivers written to the NDIS specification. Even though the NetWare Client for OS/2 uses a different driver specification than Extended Services and LAN Services, the NetWare Client for OS/2 can still share a network board with these products. This is possible because of ODINSUP.SYS and LANSUP.SYS.

The ODINSUP.SYS driver lets Extended Services and LAN Services use ODI network drivers like NE2000.SYS or TOKEN.SYS, for example. The LANSUP.SYS driver lets the NetWare Client for OS/2 use NDIS network drivers like ELNKII.OS2 or IBMTOK.OS2, for example. See Chapter 8 of the NetWare 4.0 Workstation for OS/2 manual or Chapter 16 of the NetWare Client for OS/2 User Guide for more information and examples.

IBM has their own solution for sharing a network adapter. Their solution uses a driver called ODI2NDI.OS2 which functions similarly to Novell's LANSUP.SYS in that it uses an NDIS driver, like IBMTOK.OS2, to control the network adapter. The "ODI2NDI" solution is installed using IBM's NTS/2 product, also known as the "LAPS" utility (LAPS = LAN Adapter and Protocol Support).

Q: What is IBM Communications Manager?

A: Communications Manager is an IBM product that comes with Extended Services v1.0 and now with Communications Manager/2 (CM/2). It allows an OS/2 client to connect to an IBM host by performing 5250 or 3270 emulation using a regular network adapter, or asynchronous communications to a host thru an SDLC adapter. We use it at Novell to connect to an AS/400, for example.

Q: Does NetWare natively support Named Pipes?

A: NetWare has never included native support for the Named Pipes protocol. Novell has no plans to include Named Pipes support into NetWare. Most OS/2 clients will use IPX/SPX to communicate with NetWare even though they may use Named Pipes to communicate amongst themselves..

document

Document Title:	First Steps to Troubleshooting OS/2 Clients on NetWare
Document ID:	10051720
Solution ID:	NOVL5796
Creation Date:	12Apr2000
Modified Date:	09Oct2002
Novell Product Class:	NetWare

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