Services for NetWare 4.0

Initially, Novell NetWare was the only networking show in town. When people thought about PC networks and servers, NetWare was the first name that came to mind. Then Microsoft's Windows NT became the new kid on the block. This kid quickly became popular, putting Novell and Microsoft at odds. Microsoft claimed that NT was better than NetWare; Novell argued that NetWare had been the people's choice for years. So Novell and Microsoft tried to distinguish themselves by making their products incompatible.

As time passed, Novell and Microsoft realized that, because they were living in the same neighborhood, they needed to get along. Their customers sometimes had mixed networks, so Novell and Microsoft realized that they had to develop utilities that integrated the two networking environments to keep these customers and gain new ones.

Novell developed integration tools, such as Novell Directory Services (NDS) for NT and the 32-bit redirector for NT. Microsoft developed integration tools, such as Client Service for NetWare (CSNW), Gateway Service for NetWare (GSNW), Migration Tool for NetWare, and Services for NetWare 4.0, the focus of this article. To learn about the other integration tools, see the sidebar "Related Articles in Windows NT Magazine" (page 212).

Built-in Services
Services for NetWare is an add-on product that provides enhanced multiprocessor support, Windows 95 remote administration tools, and other features. Before you learn about these features, you'll want to know about several capabilities built in to NT Server 4.0 and NT Workstation 4.0: NWLink IPX/SPX protocol, CSNW, GSNW, and the Migration Tool for NetWare.

NWLink IPX/SPX protocol.
NWLink is Microsoft's 32-bit implementation of the IPX/SPX protocol that NetWare servers use by default. Microsoft network clients can use NWLink to communicate with NetWare servers. Conversely, NetWare clients can connect to NT servers running NWLink to access client/server applications. Table 1 shows the protocols and services you need for interoperability between Windows and Net- Ware. All the tools that run on NT machines and that I describe here require NWLink.

CSNW.
This 32-bit NetWare redirector lets an NT workstation access file and print services on NetWare 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x file servers. CSNW supports NetWare 4.x NDS servers in NT 4.0. CSNW runs on NT workstations but not NT servers.

GSNW.
This service provides redirector capabilities (similar to those of CSNW), and it can act as a gateway to NetWare file and print services for any Server Message Block (SMB) client, such as Windows for Workgroups (WFW). GSNW runs on NT servers but not NT workstations.

When you run GSNW on an NT server, you can use NT as a gateway to NetWare 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x servers. When you run GSNW on an NT server, you get support for NetWare 4.x NDS servers. With this setup, you can browse NDS resources, get authentication by multiple NDS trees, process logon scripts, and use NDS printers.

If you have clients that require dual redirectors to connect to NT and NetWare servers (e.g., WFW clients), you can take advantage of GSNW. With this gateway service, you can access file and print services on NetWare with only one redirector. When GSNW is running on an NT server, Microsoft network clients do not need additional software on the client (i.e., the redirector) or the NWLink IPX/SPX protocol. They require a common protocol only with the NT server (e.g., TCP/IP).

Migration Tool for NetWare.
This utility lets you migrate NetWare users, groups, folders, files, and access control lists (ACLs) to an NT environment. You cannot migrate passwords because NetWare's Bindery is different from NT's Registry. However, the utility presents several options to handle passwords, making the migration easy.

You can run trial migrations with this utility. Several logs help you view the potential outcome and correct possible problems before you conduct the full-scale migration.

Services for NetWare
Before the release of NT 4.0, Microsoft offered File and Print Services for NetWare (FPNW) and Directory Service Manager for NetWare (DSMN) as separate products. Microsoft now packages the two products as Services for NetWare.

With DSMN, you need a client access license only if you are using NT Server basic network services. However, if you install FPNW, you must purchase a client access license for each NetWare client accessing an NT server running FPNW. Services for NetWare does not require a separate client access license.

FPNW.
An NT server running FPNW will look like a NetWare 3.12 server to NetWare clients. Thus, if you are running NetWare 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x (in bindery emulation), you can seamlessly integrate NT servers in your existing environment without modifying the NetWare client software. This seamless integration benefits NetWare shops in many ways. The shops can use FPNW during their migration from NetWare to NT. Or if shops want to take advantage of NT Server's features without giving up their NetWare environment, they can use FPNW to integrate NT into their existing networks. In such a network, NetWare clients can use NT Server's file and print services. They can print to a NetWare-compatible printer attached directly to the network that the NT server services, or they can print to a local printer attached to an NT server that acts as a print queue. NetWare clients can also use various NT solutions, such as Services for Macintosh, SQL Server, SNA Server, and Remote Access Service (RAS). They can even take advantage of Internet Information Server (IIS) and FrontPage for intranet solutions.

DSMN.
An NT server running DSMN lets you manage a mixed environment of NetWare and NT servers from a central location. DSMN supports NetWare servers running 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x (in bindery emulation), and you don't have to install additional software on those servers for DSMN to work.

An important feature of DSMN is single-point administration of user accounts. If you have only NetWare 2.x or 3.x servers and have not switched to NetWare 4.1 and NDS, you probably have numerous duplicate user accounts. DSMN lets you consolidate NetWare 2.x and 3.x binderies into an NT domain, so you need just one user account and password for each network user.

DSMN supports remote administration from an NT or Win95 machine. When you install Services for NetWare, the setup program installs 32-bit User Manager and Server Manager tools for remote management. You can then use an NT or Win95 remote machine on your LAN or a remote dial-up service to manage your users and group accounts. If you are using a Win95 machine, DSMN will prompt you to re-enter your password when you log on because Win95 is not as secure as NT. This extra security measure prevents unauthorized users from administering the network.

Although remote administration can be handy, it also can be problematic. If you use previously released versions of remote administration tools when working with Services for NetWare, these tools can corrupt the NetWare-compatible user accounts on your FPNW servers. Use only the updated versions on the Services for NetWare CD-ROM.