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Connecting to NetWare 5.x Server via TCP/IP & SLP with DOS boot disk

Novell Cool Solutions: Trench
By Denny Hopkins

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Posted: 21 Jan 2003 		 

We needed to create a boot disk that would allow our support team to re-image machines from images stored on our NetWare 5.1 servers over TCP/IP & SLP.

I was finally able to create a boot disk that would allow login to our NetWare 5.1 server via SLP. I created this boot disk to allow our operations team to re-image PC's.

Here is how I did it:

1. Create bootable DOS 6.22 floppy.

2. Strip all files except

  • Command.com
  • Himem.sys
  • IO.sys
  • MSDOS.sys

3. Create the following Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, & Net.cfg files

******************START OF AUTOEXEC.BAT 
@echo off
path=A:\;a:\Novell;a:\Lan
SET NWLANGUAGE=ENGLISH
PROMPT $P$G

:STARTNETWORKLOAD

NIOS.EXE 
LOAD NBIC32.NLM
LOAD LSLC32.NLM
LOAD CMSM.NLM
LOAD ETHERTSM.NLM

cls

echo Workstation Network Install Menu 2003-01-10
echo ???????????????????????????????????????????
echo. 
echo Note: This boot disk only works with the new
echo       Tree.  It connects via SLP over TCP/IP.
echo.
echo ???????????????????????????????????????????
echo.
echo     1. IBM NetVista
echo     2. IBM 300GL
echo     3. EXIT
echo.

choice /c:123 /n Enter a choice: 
if errorlevel 3 goto EXIT
if errorlevel 2 goto 300GL
if errorlevel 1 goto NETVISTA

:NETVISTA
CLS
LOAD CE100B32.LAN FRAME=ETHERNET_II
goto FINISHNETWORKLOAD

:300GL
CLS
LOAD 3C90X.LAN FRAME=ETHERNET_II
goto FINISHNETWORKLOAD


:FINISHNETWORKLOAD

LOAD TCPIP.NLM
LOAD TRANNTA.NLM
LOAD SRVLOC.NLM
LOAD CLIENT32.NLM

:LOGON

F:
LOGIN /NS
if errorlevel 1 goto BADLOGON

MAP Z:=SYS:\PUBLIC
Z:

goto EXIT

:BADLOGON
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo The NetWare Login failed. Please ensure that the 
echo correct username and context is entered.
echo eg: firstname_lastname.xxx.xxx
echo.
choice /c:yn /n Try logging in again (Y or N)?  
if errorlevel 2 goto EXIT
goto LOGON


:EXIT
************* END OF AUTOEXEC.BAT 

************* START OF CONFIG.SYS device=a:\himem.sys
files=40
buffers=40
lastdrive=z
STACKS=9,256
************* END OF CONFIG.SYS 

************* START OF NET.CFG 
NetWare DOS Requester
	FIRST NETWORK DRIVE F
	NETWARE PROTOCOL NDS BIND
	;PREFERRED SERVER = servername
	;PREFERRED SERVER = xx.xx.xx.xx
	;PREFERRED TREE = treename
	;NAME CONTEXT = "OU=xxx.O=xxx"

Protocol TCPIP
	; Use for DHCP
	IF_CONFIGURATION DHCP LAN_NET
	PATH TCP_CFG A:\Novell

	; Use for STATIC addressing
	;IF_CONFIGURATION STATIC LAN_NET
	;IP_ADDRESS xx.xx.xx.xx
	;IP_ROUTER xx.xx.xx.xx
	;IP_NETMASK xx.xxx.xx.xx
	;PATH TCP_CFG A:\Novell

Link Driver CE1000
	FRAME Ethernet_II

Link Driver 3C90X
	FRAME Ethernet_II

SRVLOC
	Static Directory Agents = TRUE
	Active Discovery = FALSE
	DHCP = FALSE
	TIME-6-QUIT-DA-WAIT = 3
	TIME-10-WAIT-REG-DA-PASSIVE = 3
	Directory Agent = xx.xx.xx.xx
	Directory Agent = xx.xx.xx.xx
	;Static Scopes = TRUE
	;Scope = xx
	;Scope = xx


************* END OF NET.CFG

The following is a list of the NetWare files I used. This was the only combination of files that I found would load without either locking on CMSM, CLIENT32 or the SLP Directory agent not being found properly.

This is a combination of files from the following:

Novell 2.71 Client (http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tools/1066.html)

TITLE: Novell Client 3.21 for Windows 95/98 Updates
TID #: 2957880
README FOR: 95321PT5.EXE

TITLE: Novell Client Service Pack 2
TID #: 2954141
README FOR: 9531sp2.exe

NOTE: Don't compare the file sizes, only the date. I compressed a number of the NLM's using the NLMPACKR utility.

************* START OF LIST **********************

09/22/98  12:24p       35,713 CMSM.NLM
01/08/03  01:52p       548 DHCPXXX.000
09/22/98  12:37p       9,971 ETHERTSM.NLM
09/22/98  12:12p       9,730 LSLC32.NLM
10/07/98  03:49p       29,450 NBIC32.NLM
01/08/03  01:13p       78 NBIHW.CFG
06/16/98  05:54p       239,942 NIOS.EXE
12/10/98  12:19p       277,577 CLIENT32.NLM
07/08/99  04:12p       79,468 SRVLOC.NLM
11/05/98  01:39p       114,390 TCPIP.NLM
05/11/99  09:49a       37,834 TRANNTA.NLM


************* END OF LIST **********************

More Info

I found the following articles to be helpful while I was creating the disk:

If you have any questions you may contact Denny at Denny_Hopkins@Transcanada.com


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