Coexistence

[Jeff Benedict]

We are looking to find the easiest way to run Novell and
Microsoft in a coexistencing world. We use Groupwise for
email and have a couple Netware specific apps, and
currently use Novell for File and Print sharing. We are
looking to implement a Winodws Active Directory Services
w/ Win2K Server, WINS and DHCP. Our primary login will
move from Novell to Windows, but how do I map drives to
the Novell Servers from a Windows machine with out having
to load the client from Novell.? Please reply via email.

 

[Steve Duff [MVP]]

I haven't done this in some time, but it is entirely workable to
run both the MS and Novell clients on the same workstation,
and I have found this to be the most satisfactory in terms of
the "Q" (quirkiness) factor.

If you keep the accounts (username/passwords) in sync between
NDS and AD, and use the MS client to authenticate you
shouldn't have too much trouble once you iron out a
workable config. I'd confine Novell to IPX and MS to IP, and
don't do any protocol overlap if you can help it. Users should only
see the normal MS login GINA and from the user point of
view it shouldn't be any trouble.

There is a Novell gateway product for Win2K Server, and if you
are migrating a big user base it is useful, but I don't think
its by any means essential, though it doesn't cost much
the last time I checked.

The alternatives -- using either the MS NW client, or using
NW32 to access through the Win2K has never proved to
be satisfactory in my experience. It works on the surface,
but there are too many network tweaks in each client
that aren't faithfully carried across or that are buggy.

The important thing with this is to build out a test
workstation with the clients and client settings you plan to
use and then test the applications, file sharing, etc. under
a few different user logins.

Steve Duff, MCSE
Ergodic Systems, Inc.