Use SERVER (SERVER.EXE) to boot NetWare on your file server. SERVER is a DOS-executable file that boots the NetWare operating system. As part of the boot process, SERVER performs the following tasks. (For complete information, see Chapter 2, "Install the File Server Software," in Installation and Upgrade.)
SERVER [parameter]
Replace parameter with one of the following: Include this parameter when you want to use an alternate to the STARTUP.NCF file. You can include a drive letter and/or the directory path with the filename. If you do not specify a drive or directory path, the operating system will look for the file in the current boot directory. Include this parameter when you do not want to execute the AUTOEXEC.NCF file that you created in INSTALL. This parameter is useful if you are changing drivers or other commands in your AUTOEXEC.NCF file. Include this parameter when you do not want to execute the STARTUP.NCF and AUTOEXEC.NCF files created in INSTALL. This parameter is useful if you want to change the boot process. Include this parameter if you want to change the block size of the cache buffer. Valid block sizes are 4 KB, 8 KB, or 16 KB. Default: 4 KB IMPORTANT: Do not use a cache buffer size larger than the block allocation size (for example, do not specify an 8 KB cache buffer with a 4 KB block allocation). The server will not mount any volume whose block allocation size is smaller than the cache buffer size.
If you are using block allocation sizes larger than 4 KB, you can improve performance in some situations by increasing the cache buffer size. At the DOS prompt, type SERVER <Enter> SERVER executes the STARTUP.NCF and AUTOEXEC.NCF files, if they exist. If you have not created the .NCF files, you have to load all necessary disk and LAN drivers. See Edit the AUTOEXEC.NCF File. You can use an alternate STARTUP file to boot the file server. For example, if you have a file server with both an internal hard disk and a disk subsystem, you may want to boot the file server to function only from the internal disk (perhaps to do maintenance on the disk subsystem). The contents of the alternate STARTUP file would be similar to the following: To boot the file server using a file called ALTDISK.NCF, type SERVER -S ALTDISK.NCF <Enter> You can boot the file server without a STARTUP.NCF file. For example, if you are doing maintenance or troubleshooting on the hard disks in the file server and you add a new disk subsystem, you might want to test the subsystem before you load the drivers for the internal disks. To boot the file server without a STARTUP.NCF file, type SERVER -NS <Enter> You can boot the file server without executing an AUTOEXEC.NCF file. For example, when you are doing maintenance or troubleshooting on the volumes or the LAN drivers, you might want to manually load the LAN drivers or mount the volumes. If you add a new cabling system to your file server, you might want to test communication just on the new cabling. If you execute SERVER without the AUTOEXEC.NCF file, you can load only the LAN drivers and loadable modules needed for the test. To boot the file server without executing an AUTOEXEC.NCF file, type SERVER -NA <Enter> If you have a file server that contains mainly large files (8 KB or larger), you might increase access speed to the files by specifying a larger cache buffer size. The larger cache size allows a larger portion of the file to be read into memory with only one request. IMPORTANT: Do not use a cache buffer size larger than the smallest block allocation size (for example, do not use an 8 KB cache buffer with a 4 KB block allocation). The server will not mount any volume whose block allocation size is smaller than the cache buffer size.
To boot the file server with an 8 KB block cache buffer, type SERVER -C8KB <Enter> Add the following line to the STARTUP.NCF file so that the file server automatically boots with the larger cache buffer size: SET CACHE BUFFER SIZE = 8192Command Format
Command Parameters
-S [path]filename
-NA
-NS
-C cache_buffer_number
Boot the File Server
Boot with an Alternate STARTUP File
load ISADISK port=1F0 int=EBoot without a STARTUP.NCF File
Boot without an AUTOEXEC.NCF File
Boot with a Different Cache Buffer Size