I would like to make a few comments on previous replies...
There are SEVERAL options for configuring a PURE IP network. By Pure IP, I mean, without IPX in the mix. Some options are better than others.
- to BSAIDA -- While you can in fact use a host file to define the server, this requires manual configuration of each workstation. This essentially creates one more thing on the workstation that has to be managed. In large networks, this can be extremely painful. Yes, the host file can be pushed out via login script or zen, but still it's not the cleanest way to go.
- to BSAIDA again -- Furthermore, I see a lot of people that are still using a "Preferred Server" instead of logging into the tree and letting eDirectory handle things. When I configure a network, I leave the server field blank, and only configure the tree and context. This way if the main server changes or dies, you won't have to go reconfigure every client with a new preferred server. It is much more likely that the tree will remain constant, while servers will come and go.
-- A note about the "SERVER" or "Preferred Server" option on the client-- this goes way back to NetWare 3.x before NDS was around. Back then, it was necessary to put in the name of the server you wanted to login to. But now, with NDS, this is not necessary. Instead, you login to the tree and let NDS manage things. A lot of people still use the SERVER option and don't realize it's not necessary in most cases (if configured properly)
-- David - About DNS.. Well.. really, if you think about this, using DNS is merely saving a little work and eliminating the need for the HOSTS file management. However, DNS alone does not give the client the information needed to find the server. All DNS does is resolve the name to an IP address. With this, the Client would have to have the server name configured in the "Server" part of the client. See my previous note about configuring it this way. It's really not the most efficient way to do things.
-- everybody. The better way is to use SLP and/or DHCP. I'm suprised nobody mentioned it already (Where's provogeek when you need him). I say and/or because they can be used together or by themselves. There are some situations where you can't use one so you can use the other. With DHCP, if your Novell server is the DHCP server... you can actually pass out more information to the clients than just the IP address and gateway. You can send out the Tree Name, NDS Servers (and Ip addresses), SLP servers, Scope names, etc. The point is that these options can be centrally managed and picked up by the client each time they turn on their system. No configuration necessary on the workstations. If you look in the DHCP management console, you can find these options under "Other DHCP Options" when you have your subnet selected. The relevant options here are option 85, 86, and 87 which hand out the tree info. Also, options 78 and 79 are used to provide SLP info.
Some DHCP servers don't support the Novell extensions, but even so.. You can use SLP to help the clients find services on the network. Setting up SLP is a breeze on small networks where you can get away with using the default configuration. But in the case of SLP, the client sends a request out for services when it boots, and the SLP server (running on the Novell server) responds back with the necessary information to allow the clients to login to the tree correctly.
By using SLP or DHCP, you can eliminate a lot of the manual client configuration. I like to use both of them together because in a way it provides more options for the clients to locate the services they need.
-- About IPX.. The reason IPX works so well is because by design, services that are available on the network are broadcast to all nodes on a regular basis. Plus, when a client requests the "Nearest Server", The first server to get the packet will reply and provide the necessary information to login.
-- About IP and SLP.. The reason NetWare can't find things when using Pure IP, is because IP does not broadcast information about the avaliable services like IPX does.This reduces network traffic, and has nothing to do with Novell. It is something that Novell has had to deal with as more people have been moving to TCP/IP. That is why SLP came about. SLP is to TCP/IP just like RIPS & SAPS are to IPX. SLP hands out information about services when requested from the clients, and makes an IP only environment much easier to manage.
I apologize for the dissertation, but I had to set the record straight.
Marv
Marvin Huffaker MCNE, CNE
Marvin Huffaker Consulting