Each NetWare 3.x server maintains a bindery database. One server cannot coordinate its bindery data with other servers on the network. For NetWare 3.11, the bindery consists of three files:
Bindery files are hidden in the SYS:SYSTEM directory.
Bindery allows applications to open and close the bindery so that these files can be archived, but an application must have supervisor equivalence to open and close the bindery. When the files are closed, many server operations become disabled so take precautions. In NetWare 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x, the bindery, which is a bindery emulation service, cannot be opened or closed.
Bindery makes no attempt to coordinate activities among multiple stations that concurrently read or write data to a single property. One workstation might read a partially updated property and get inconsistent data if the data of the property extends across multiple segments. Coordination on Reads and Writes must be handled by application programs. Logical record locks can be used to coordinate activities among applications.