[dannyillusion]

At work we have a Novell network and I'm wondering if it's possible to connect a mac to it.
My company is all PC but I think I might have a chance to get a Mac when I get a new computer. If it can work with Novell.
I need to be able to access folders on the server.

Anyone have experience concerning this matter?

[Tennberg]

Hi,

At the compay I work for, we have a NetWare 6 server that the PCs can access easily using the Novell client for Windows. I would recommend staying away from the NetWare client from ProSoft as we have not had much luck with it.

What our NetWare admin. did was to enable Native File Access on the NetWare server and also set up simple passwords for mac users wanting to connect to the file server. He also made changes to a config file so that users do not need to enter their fully distinguished name (username.context). Rather, they just enter their username, simple password, and they are able to browse the file server, and upload/download files to it.

[TimmyDee51]

I agree. Stay away from ProSoft. We tried that here at my school with no luck. Give it time -- a real fix should be coming. Otherwise, see if they can enable AFP for the time being.

[dawho9]

Its a fairly simple process actually. Here is what a network admin needs to do:

1. Pop in the old Netware 6 CD and install Native File Access Protocol (NFAP). Select Macintosh (AFP). You also have the option for Windows and Unix.

2. Edit the ctxs.cfg file in the SYS:ETC directory. This will by default have the server context in it. You can edit it and allow other contexts.

3. Now your network admin has two options. You could be assigned a simple password - however this is a pain because it cannot be longer than 8 char and is usually different than your eDirectory password unless you sync it manually.

or

3. Edit the afpstrt.ncf file and add cleartext after afptcp.nlm, so the line would read:

afptcp.nlm cleartext

What this allows is that your eDirectory password will be passed to the server in cleartext, and hence no need for the simple password. Your initial thought is, CLEARTEXT. Isn't that a security risk? No more than your simple password that is also sent to the server in clear text.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask:

later,

dawho9, MCNE 6

[Musti]

Originally posted by dannyillusion:
At work we have a Novell network and I'm wondering if it's possible to connect a mac to it.
My company is all PC but I think I might have a chance to get a Mac when I get a new computer. If it can work with Novell.
I need to be able to access folders on the server.

Anyone have experience concerning this matter?

I came across this link yesterday. Funny, there's a need for it today...

http://www.macosxlabs.org/documentat...ell/intro.html

Hope it helps.

[noisefloor]

What's wrong with Prosoft?

I'm in a similar situation. IT keeps telling us they can't get the Macs to work, and I'm a little hesitant to tell them how to configure their network.

[MrNo]

I work as a Novell administrator and I use prosoft client. It's not that bad, and it's not hard to configure. One thing I don't like about it is that it will not run login scripts, but you can set the preferances so it automaticaly maps volumes at login. Well I don't like the price for it either

[theolein]

I administer a Novell 5.1SP5 box at work and have loaded NFA. You don't have to use apple file protocol. You can use Unix with OSX. Just remember that icons stored in resource forks will be lost.

[dawho9]

Originally posted by MrNo:
Well I don't like the price for it either

I think you answered your own question. Not many people are willing to pay for client software.

dw9

[jock]

We run a mixed environment of Win2k, Novell5.1 and OSX, all the OSX boxes use the prosoft client 1.1.2 which I must say works well. However it is very expensive $149, now for all the people that moaned like hell about Jaguar, concider this, Prosoft is just a client not a complete operating system.
Not having used NFA how does this handle expired logins, can the user change their pwd and is their a function for login scripts?
Cheers

[beb]

I would just like an OS X native Groupwise client.

[MrNo]

I hear that. I'm sick of using Groupwise on Windows machine or being forced to use the web interface, but I don't think that we will see this soon ... maybe never

Originally posted by beb:
I would just like an OS X native Groupwise client.

[noisefloor]

Actually, we've been using the Prosoft on our OS9 machines...just tried out the demo, and it doesn't see the tree, even with the exact same settings as our OS9 box. Any suggestions?


Unfortunately, our IT department is being stubborn...I assume Prosoft is the only solution if the server guys don't cooperate?

(wouldn't it make sense for apple to build in netware access to the OS?)

[someone_else]

Originally posted by noisefloor:
Actually, we've been using the Prosoft on our OS9 machines...just tried out the demo, and it doesn't see the tree, even with the exact same settings as our OS9 box. Any suggestions?


Unfortunately, our IT department is being stubborn...I assume Prosoft is the only solution if the server guys don't cooperate?

(wouldn't it make sense for apple to build in netware access to the OS?)

The Mac OS X client is IP only, the OS 9 client is IPX only. Two totally different network protocols.

Couple of things.
1. All of your servers (including the replica that holds your user info) that you want to access must be running NetWare 5 (or up) and have an IP address.

2. Since this is IP, SAP broadcasts aren't there for auto lookup. Therefore you need SLP installed on one or more of your servers. If there is no SLP server on your local subnet you will need a SA or DA since multicast won't cross subnet boundries (by default).

3. If (2) confuses the hell out of you, just type in an IP/DNS address of a server in your tree for the "Tree" field and the client will handle the rest.

HTH.

[dawho9]

First off - if number 2 above confuses you - ask some questions if you are a Novell Admin. There is nothing more important than SLP.

Second, new GroupWise client native to OSX will be out by the end of the year.

Third, I still think the best way to go is with the Native File Access. Why pay for a client, when the server has it built in. Hell, you don't have even load the Apple Protocol. Feel free to use either Windows or Unix, as they will both work with 10.2

dw9

[someone_else]

Originally posted by dawho9:
First off - if number 2 above confuses you - ask some questions if you are a Novell Admin. There is nothing more important than SLP.

Second, new GroupWise client native to OSX will be out by the end of the year.

Third, I still think the best way to go is with the Native File Access. Why pay for a client, when the server has it built in. Hell, you don't have even load the Apple Protocol. Feel free to use either Windows or Unix, as they will both work with 10.2

dw9

NFA is okay, but there are still problems with it.

1) There is currently a huge security hole that leaks info on the network. Supposedly this is being worked on for the next release.

2) There is still the issue of two separate passwords, one for NFA and one for NDS. In order to sync the two, you have to setup some kind of DirXML filter. It's a mess.

Two more points.

1) Some Novell admins are still very anti-Mac, and won't do anything to help Macs on the network. NFA still requires server side support. The Native client can be installed and look like any other Native client.

2) I know the price is high, but Prosoft is a small company, and Novell is not subsidizing the work in any way, in fact they charge Prosoft a flat fee and a per license fee. Plus, DAVE is $149 and it's the SMB equiv. of Prosoft's client.

If you have a probelm with the price, get on Novell's ass. They are the ones holding all of the cards (financial anyway).

[beb]

I used to use DAVE for my OS 9 boxes. I hated that it caused crashes whenever there was a network hangup. Otherwise it was an ok product.

At work, I use both a XP box and a MD G4. The XP box is the file server for the entire department. The mac side of the department connects to it via a simple applescript in the startup items panel. It works really well -even when I use it to play GTA 2 on it occasionally.

We may have to use Novell's iFolder thing soon. I really don't see what's so great about it. I think an OS X Server with WEBDAV shares would work a lot better.

Considering that even now that the Groupwise server has been down for two days and that a Novell tech will probably be required to stop by to fix it - I'm really disgusted that any company would put themselves at such a calcuable loss. Our supposedly fast and great Groupwise server was setup by a team of Novell techs and it still crashes with less than 700 email accounts.

This is probably the only time I'll ever agree with Microsoft in our shared view that Novell and it's products suck.

[theolein]

Novell's stuff is usually very robust. But it is as complex as hell to administer. I admin two Novell boxes at work and I'm not a certified Novell tech (in fact this is my first experience with this stuff). There might be another workaround though, and that is to have a seperate Windows Box with all the directories you need mapped to volumes in windows, and share these over the network so that the OSX can get to them via SMB.

[dawho9]

Originally posted by someone_else:
NFA is okay, but there are still problems with it.

1) There is currently a huge security hole that leaks info on the network. Supposedly this is being worked on for the next release.

2) There is still the issue of two separate passwords, one for NFA and one for NDS. In order to sync the two, you have to setup some kind of DirXML filter. It's a mess.

If you have a probelm with the price, get on Novell's ass. They are the ones holding all of the cards (financial anyway).

The security hole was with OS 10.2.2, fixed partitially in .3 and fixed completely in .4. It was with how Apple was writing stuff to the server. I'm not aware of any other issues.

Second, if you pass the password in cleartext, then you don't have to deal with the simple password garbage, or you could not use AFP and use SMB and not worry about the simple password ordeal at all.

Lastly, I don't expect Novell to ever release a Novell client for the Mac. I don't think it will take too much more time for the Windows client to go away completely. With products like Zen 4, that no longer require a Novell client, iPrint and the rest of the Novell stuff, the client is becoming less important.

dw9

[noisefloor]

Thanks for the info.

" 1. All of your servers (including the replica that holds your user info) that you want to access must be running NetWare 5 (or up) and have an IP address."

Assuming this is the case, is there any way of finding out the IP address from either a windoze or OS9 box? I can see the servers I need on these other boxes, but haven't been able to figure out a URL for them that OSX would like.

" 3. If (2) confuses the hell out of you, just type in an IP/DNS address of a server in your tree for the "Tree" field and the client will handle the rest."

Sounds like this would work...but as above, how can I find out the IP address of a server ()assuming I can see it on my other boxes)?

Thanks.

[MrNo]

From OS X open terminal and type ping <server name here>
From Windows (depending on the OS) for NT/2000/XP go to start then run and type cmd and then ping <server name> from 98/95 instead of cmd type command in run.

Originally posted by noisefloor:
Thanks for the info.

" 1. All of your servers (including the replica that holds your user info) that you want to access must be running NetWare 5 (or up) and have an IP address."

Assuming this is the case, is there any way of finding out the IP address from either a windoze or OS9 box? I can see the servers I need on these other boxes, but haven't been able to figure out a URL for them that OSX would like.

" 3. If (2) confuses the hell out of you, just type in an IP/DNS address of a server in your tree for the "Tree" field and the client will handle the rest."

Sounds like this would work...but as above, how can I find out the IP address of a server ()assuming I can see it on my other boxes)?

Thanks.

[someone_else]

Originally posted by noisefloor:
Thanks for the info.

" 1. All of your servers (including the replica that holds your user info) that you want to access must be running NetWare 5 (or up) and have an IP address."

Assuming this is the case, is there any way of finding out the IP address from either a windoze or OS9 box? I can see the servers I need on these other boxes, but haven't been able to figure out a URL for them that OSX would like.

" 3. If (2) confuses the hell out of you, just type in an IP/DNS address of a server in your tree for the "Tree" field and the client will handle the rest."

Sounds like this would work...but as above, how can I find out the IP address of a server ()assuming I can see it on my other boxes)?

Thanks.

In Windows, right click on the N in the sys tray and select "Connections" this will show you a list of active connections and what protocol they are using. Look for a server with the TCP protocol and note the name.

Now open up NWAdmin (usually in \\public\win32\nwadmin.exe) and find that server object in the tree. Look in it's Address field for an IP address.

Note: You may not have to use NWAdmin, but I can't remember if the connections dialog gives you the server address. Poke around and see if you can find it.

HTH.