Network Plus 2005 In Depth

You have already learned about two popular network operating systems, or methods for managing resources on a server. In this chapter, you will learn about NetWare, another popular NOS. Novell NetWare shares many characteristics with Windows Server 2003, UNIX,

Linux, and Mac OS X Server, such as their use of a hierarchical file system, graphical interfaces for resource management, and server optimization techniques. All provide standard client/server functions, such as file and print sharing, remote access, e-mail, and Internet connectivity. In NetWare 6.5, Novell introduced several open-source components much like those found in UNIX and Linux. Subsequent NetWare releases will be based on a Linux kernel.

This chapter does not attempt to cover all of the details of installing, managing, and optimizing NetWare. For that type of knowledge, and especially if you intend to pursue CNE certification, you should invest in a book devoted to NetWare. This chapter provides an overview of the requirements, characteristics, and basic structure of Novell’s popular NOS.

Introduction to NetWare

3.1NOS of choice for many businesses. In subsequent years, Novell refined NetWare to make it run over TCP/IP (in addition to IPX/SPX) and to provide a graphical user interface for its file and resource management, plus a broad range of Internet services, fault-tolerance techniques, and seamless integration with other operating systems.

NetWare offers excellent answers to a network administrator’s questions about ease of use, performance, flexibility, interoperability, and scalability. It has been around for over 20 years and has a faithful following among network administrators. Some veteran networking professionals are more comfortable with NetWare because of its long history and its status as the first NOS designed specifically for file and print sharing. NetWare’s popularity arises from an appreciation of its traditional strengths, such as fast performance, reliable services, and strong vendor support. However, in the last decade, NetWare has lost approximately 80% of its previous market share to more popular NOSs, such as Windows Server 2003, UNIX, and Linux.

In your networking career, you may encounter several different versions of NetWare, from Netware 3.x (which includes NetWare 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2) and 4.x (which includes NetWare 4) to 6.x. If you work on legacy NetWare installations, bear in mind that NetWare versions prior to 4.11 require the IPX/SPX protocol suite. With 4.11, the version sometimes referred to as intraNetWare, NetWare began supporting TCP/IP. IntraNetWare was also the first version of NetWare to supply Internet-related services, such as Web server software, IP address management, and FTP hosting. Novell changed the look of its NOS with NetWare 4.x, which includes versions 4.0, 4.1, and 4.11, in an attempt to make this software more user-friendly, replacing

3.1vided much better support for enterprise-wide networks containing multiple servers.

In 1998, Novell released version 5.0 of NetWare, and since then has released versions 5.1 and 5.11; collectively, they are known as NetWare 5.x. NetWare 5.x was Novell’s first NOS wholly based on the IP protocol. This version also offered improved file and print management, plus a graphical interface based on the Java programming language.

With its release of NetWare 6.0 and 6.5—collectively known as the NetWare 6.x network operating systems—Novell transformed its NOS once again. NetWare 6.5’s key features include the following:

Support for multiple processors, multitasking, and symmetric multiprocessing

Flexible use of virtual and physical memory

eDirectory (formerly called NDS), a comprehensive system for organizing and managing network objects

Simple, centralized management of multiple clients, resources, and services

Multiple, integrated Web development and delivery services

Support for multiple modern protocols

Excellent integration with other NOSs and support for many different clients

Remote client services—for example, remote access and Web-based application services

Built-in clustering services

Provisions for monitoring server performance, automatic backups, and resource utilization

File system specially designed to support high-performance, large-scale storage devices that are accessible from multiple operating systems

With the release of NetWare version 6.5, Novell has made several additions and enhancements to its NOS. Noteworthy changes include the following:

iManager, a browser-based tool for managing eDirectory and its objects

DirXML, a tool for centrally managing and synchronizing NetWare directories with Windows NT domains and Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 Active Directories

Capability for continuously backing up a server as it runs

Server Consolidation Utility, a utility that makes it possible to share the same data and file information among multiple servers (for example, allowing several servers to share an application located on one server)

Popular open-source Web development tools, such as Apache and MySQL

Virtual Office, a browser-based suite of tools that simplifies the process of synchronizing local files with files on a server, printing to any network printer, and performing e-mail and collaboration tasks

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NetWare Server Hardware Requirements

3.1power than do client workstations on the network. Servers may also benefit from redundant disk drives, NICs, power supplies, or multiple processors. The more components you install on a server, the more expensive the machine. At the same time, however, the machine will likely operate more reliably and quickly with the added components.

Table 10-1 lists the minimum hardware requirements for NetWare 6.5, as outlined by Novell.

Table 10-1 Minimum hardware requirements for NetWare 6.5 servers

Many networking environments actually require servers that exceed the minimum hardware requirements suggested by the software vendor. Every situation will vary, but to determine the optimal hardware for your server, you should consider the following:

How many clients will connect to the server?

What kinds of applications will run on the server?

Which and how many optional services will the server provide?

How much storage space will each user need?

How much downtime is acceptable?

What can your organization afford?

Perhaps the most important question refers to the types of applications that the server will run. You can purchase a relatively inexpensive server that runs NetWare 6.5 but suffices only for file and print sharing. To run applications and optional services, such as remote access and clustering, you will need a more powerful machine. Every application and service has its own processor, RAM, and storage requirements. In the case of applications, consult the application’s installation guide to find out its specific requirements. In the case of optional NetWare services, consult Novell’s documentation.

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A Closer Look at the NetWare 6.5

Operating System

3.1and the NOSs described in previous chapters. Next, you’ll discover even more similarities, as well as some differences, in their operating system details.

NetWare Integrated Kernel

The core of the NetWare 6.5 operating system is the NetWare Integrated Kernel. NetWare’s kernel is responsible for overseeing all critical server processes. For example, it manages multiprocessing, multitasking, and access to the server’s interrupts, memory, and I/O functions. The kernel is started by the program server.exe, which runs from a server’s DOS partition (over the DOS operating system) when a server boots up. Each NetWare 6.5 server must have a DOS partition for this purpose.

NetWare 6.5 takes advantage of symmetric multiprocessing, in which the NetWare Integrated Kernel equally distributes tasks among the processors. In versions 4.x and higher, NetWare supports the use of as many as 32 processors on one server. As you know, multiprocessing increases a server’s performance when the server runs several operations simultaneously. For servers performing many processor-intensive activities, having multiple processors is usually worth the investment in the extra hardware. To use NetWare 6.5’s multiprocessing capabilities, you simply install multiple processors in the server. The operating system automatically detects and uses these processors, whether 1 or 32 are present, without additional configuration.

The NetWare Integrated Kernel is also responsible for loading and unloading, when necessary, NLMs (NetWare loadable modules) used by each application or service. NLMs are routines that enable the server to run a range of programs and offer a variety of services, such as protocol support and Web publishing. Each NLM consumes some of the server’s memory and processor resources (at least temporarily). For example, when you install NetWare out of the box, your server will run many critical NLMs. If you install Novell’s GroupWise e-mail and scheduler software, the server will require an additional set of NLMs. If you install Novell’s BorderManager software, the server will require still another set of NLMs, and so on. The amount of resources consumed by each NLM depends on the NLM’s size and complexity.

During NetWare installation, the appropriate NLMs are selected, based on what services the network administrator chooses for the server. Afterward, each time a server boots up, server.exe loads the critical NLMs that the kernel needs to run the NetWare operating system. In fact, after an NLM loads into memory, it is considered part of the kernel.

A network administrator can also load or unload NLMs through the server’s console. The console is the server interface, which enables the network administrator to manage disks and volumes and modify server parameters, such as protocols, bindings, system resources, and loaded

3.1mands can be accessed at the server or from another computer on the network, and you may use a text-based or graphical menu system to run console commands. The text-based menu that allows a network administrator to view and modify server parameters through console commands is called Monitor. The graphical interface that provides access to the same console commands, plus object and directory management, is called ConsoleOne. ConsoleOne, which is similar to the Windows Server 2003 MMC, can be used either at the server or from another computer connected to the same network. To run ConsoleOne from the server, choose Novell, and then choose ConsoleOne from the main menu in X Server. X Server is a NetWare 6.5 server’s graphical desktop, and it is loaded by default when the server starts. To run ConsoleOne from a client computer on the network, you must first install the ConsoleOne client program. A ConsoleOne client window is shown in Figure 10-1.

FIGURE 10-1 A ConsoleOne client window

To access console commands through a Web browser on another computer on the network, you use the Remote Manager tool. For example, suppose you are busy helping a user in one of your company’s branch offices. A colleague from your IT Department pages you and when you call back, she asks you to investigate a problem on one of your network’s servers. However, the user’s workstation doesn’t have the ConsoleOne software installed, because this program is typically only used by IT personnel. Instead, you could connect to the Remote Manager utility through a Web browser on the user’s desktop workstation. One screen you might be interested in viewing is Remote Manager’s Health Monitor window, which is shown in Figure 10-2. If you plan to specialize in NetWare administration (no matter which version of NetWare is involved), you should become very familiar with console commands and how to use them through both graphical and text-based menus.

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NET+

3.1

FIGURE 10-2 Remote Manager Health Monitor

NetWare File System

As you know, a file system is an operating system’s method of organizing, managing, and accessing its files. In NetWare 6.5, the preferred file system is called NSS (Novell Storage Services). NSS is selected by default during NetWare 6.5 installation. Although NetWare 6.5 can run older file systems (such as FAT) through its optional Traditional File Services utility, using traditional file services is less desirable because of the older file systems’ many limitations. Benefits of using NSS include the following:

A 64-bit interface, which results in fast data access

Files or directories as large as 8 Terabytes (TB)

Up to a trillion files in a single directory

File compression (enabled by default)

The ability to set user and directory space restrictions

Advanced fault-tolerance techniques

Efficient use of memory

Browser-based volume management

The ability to split volumes over multiple storage devices

A server running NetWare 6.5 and using NSS may have up to four partitions, and one of these must be a DOS partition. The DOS partition is the primary boot partition, from which the

3.1present to hold the NetWare program and data files. On each NetWare 6.5 partition, you may create an unlimited number of volumes.

Like Windows NOSs, NetWare uses volumes as the basis for organizing files and directories on the server. NetWare’s installation program automatically creates a volume called SYS. You may choose to create additional volumes such as DATA (for user data) or APPS (for shared applications). (Volume names are best kept short, simple, and descriptive.) Design a volume structure to suit your network’s performance, security, growth, and data sharing needs. For example, assigning all user data to its own volume called DATA, separate from the SYS volume that contains system files, can help streamline network management tasks such as backing up files and setting access permissions.

NOTE

Plan carefully before establishing a server’s volume and directory structures—after being established, they are very difficult to change. When installing a NetWare network from scratch, you should consult Novell’s NetWare documentation, which can guide you through the process of planning the volume and directory structure for your network.

One unique feature of NSS is the ability to combine free storage space from multiple hard disks (or other storage devices, such as CDs) into a storage pool. During installation, NetWare 6.5 creates a default pool, which, like the default volume, is also called SYS and which shares the SYS volume’s size. Later, a network administrator can change the characteristics of that pool or create new pools. The primary advantage to using pools is flexibility. For example, if your network grows quickly and you discover that your NetWare 6.5 server is running out of space to store critical system files, you could attach a new server to the network and add its hard disk to the SYS pool. Alternatively, you could add an external hard disk (for example, one attached through a USB port) to increase the size of the pool. This allows you to quickly add storage space without causing downtime and disrupting users. Figure 10-3 illustrates how a pool can

FIGURE 10-3 A storage pool in Novell Storage Services

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3.1from another server, plus an externally attached CD-ROM drive form a single pool.

In NetWare 6.5, storage devices such as hard disks are considered objects. To manage NSS objects—for instance, to add a new hard disk to an existing pool or create a new pool—a network administrator uses a browser-based tool called iManager. In fact, iManager is the primary GUI tool used to manage all objects in NetWare 6.5. Later in this chapter, you will learn how to add users and groups through iManager.

Now that you have been introduced to the NetWare file system, you are ready to learn how NetWare 6.5 organizes its objects.

eDirectory

eDirectory is NetWare 6.5’s directory database—its system for organizing and managing multiple servers and their resources, including storage devices, users, volumes, groups, printers, and so on. (In earlier NetWare versions, NetWare Directory Services, or NDS, contained this information.) The eDirectory model is similar to Active Directory in Windows Server 2003. Both Active Directory and eDirectory treat every networked resource as a separate object with distinct attributes, or properties. Objects belong to certain classes—for example, users or printers. Each object contained in an eDirectory database can be centrally managed from the iManager tool. Figure 10- 4 shows a list of some types of objects that are available in eDirectory, as viewed through iManager. eDirectory can store and manage millions of objects.

FIGURE 10-4 eDirectory objects

Like Active Directory, eDirectory information is stored in a database that supports LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), which makes it compatible with other NOS and Internet directories. Conceptually, eDirectory is not directly associated with one server’s hard disk. For example, a server does not store a database file called “eDirectory.DB” containing all of the tree and object information for the network. In fact, NetWare keeps eDirectory information in hidden storage areas, which are usually distributed across multiple servers. For fault tolerance, eDirectory, like Active Directory, can be replicated on (or copied to) multiple servers on a network. This means that if the one server containing eDirectory data fails, clients can still log on to the network and obtain access to resources via a different server.

NET+ Schema

3.1In eDirectory, as in Active Directory, the word “schema” is used to refer to a defined set of object classes (such as a user or printer) and their properties. In NetWare 6.5, the simplest schema is installed by default with eDirectory, and is called the base schema. A base schema consists of the object classes and properties a network typically requires. However, the network administrator can add classes or properties to the schema. After a change is made to the base schema, the new schema is known as an extended schema. For example, you may want to add a user’s employee number as an optional property for the user object. After doing so, all user objects in your eDirectory database would contain fields in which you could enter employee numbers.

NOTE

Notice that Novell uses the word “properties,” whereas Microsoft uses the term “attributes” to refer to the set of characteristics associated with an object.

Trees and OUs (Organizational Units)

When you install the first server in a NetWare 6.5 network, an eDirectory database is created. Later, when adding servers or other resources to the network, you build on this original eDirectory in a hierarchical fashion. Novell uses the analogy of a tree to describe this hierarchical layout. The eDirectory tree is the logical representation of objects in eDirectory. As with Active Directory’s domain tree, the eDirectory tree is generally portrayed upside down (compared to a live tree) with a single root at the top and multiple branches at the bottom, as shown in Figure 10-5.

The eDirectory tree can have only one root. In Novell terminology, this root is called the tree object, and it bears the name of the tree. For instance, suppose you are establishing a network at your employer, Sutkin Manufacturing. When you install NetWare 6.5 on the server, you might choose to name the tree object “Sutkin.”

FIGURE 10-5 A simple eDirectory tree