A partition is a part of the total Directory and contains one or more containers and its associated leaf objects.
When a partition is subordinate to another in the Directory tree, it is referred to as a child partition. The partition above it is referred to as the parent partition.
You can make copies of a partition, called replicas, and store them on different servers in your network. Distributing replicas reduces network traffic by making information accessible locally and enabling users to utilize the network services even when a particular server is down.
Replicas also provide fault tolerance by ensuring that more than one copy of the partition information is available. For example, if a replica of the partition becomes unavailable, you can use a different replica to re-create it.
NOTE: Partitions contain only NDS database information, not file and directory information.
By default, the installation utility adds a replica of the partition that contains the server's context only if the total of existing replicas is less than three.
However, if the server is not a NetWare® 4 server and contains bindery files (SYS:SYSTEM\NET$*.SYS) a replica will be added, regardless of the number of replicas.
These default settings ensure that bindery services will work correctly for networks running both NetWare 3TM and 4 software.
For more information about bindery services, see Maintaining Bindery Services in a NetWare 4 Environment and Bindery services in Concepts.
You can create additional partitions and replicas using the NDS Manager graphical utility or the PARTMGR text utility.
For more information on Directory partitions and replicas, see Determining a Partition and Replication Strategy in Guide to NetWare 4 Networks and Novell Directory partition in Concepts.
NDS Manager can be run as a standalone executable program from the SYS:PUBLIC directory.
You can also configure NDS Manager to run as a tool under the Tools menu in NetWare Administrator.
You can configure NDS Manager to run as a tool that can be accessed from NetWare Administrator's Tools menu. If you have not used NetWare Administrator yet, you need to open and close NetWare Administrator and then edit the NWADMN3X.INI file in the WINDOWS directory.
Add the following line to the [Snapin Object DLLs WIN 3X] section:
NDSMGR = NMSNAP16.DLL
To configure NDS Manager to run as a tool that can be accessed from NetWare Administrator's Tools menu, you must edit your system registry.
Launch the Windows 95/98 NetWare Administrator and from the Options menu, choose Save Settings on Exit.
Close NetWare Administrator.
Run REGEDIT.EXE (the Windows 95/98 editor).
Choose the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NetWare\Parameters\NetWare Administrator
With Snapin Object DLLs WIN 95 (or 98) highlighted, from the Edit menu, choose New and then choose String Value.
Type NDSMGR and press <Enter>.
With NDSMGR highlighted, from the Edit menu, choose Modify.
Type NMSNAP32.DLL in the Value Data field and choose OK.
The next time you launch NetWare Administrator, you should see NDS Manager as an option under the Tools menu.
If you are running Windows 3.1, you can control access to NDS Manager by restricting access to NDSMGR16.EXE and NMSNAP16.DLL.
If you are running Windows 95/98 or Windows NT, you can control access to NDS Manager by restricting access to NDSMGR32.EXE and NMSNAP.DLL.
A partition can consist of one or more container objects and their associated leaf objects. A partition cannot contain only leaf objects. The container that is the first object in the partition is called the root of the partition.
When you create a new partition, you split the parent partition and end up with two partitions. The new partition becomes a child partition.
For example, if you select an Organizational Unit and choose to create it as a new partition, you are choosing to split the Organizational Unit from its parent partition ([Root], for example, which is always a partition). The Organizational Unit you selected becomes the partition root of a new partition.
The replicas of the parent partition will remain on the same servers, and information for the new partition will migrate from the parent partition's replicas to the new partition's replicas.
The master replica of the new partition will be stored on the same server as the master replica of the parent partition.
Creating a partition may take some time, since all of the replicas need to be synchronized with the new partition information.
When you create a new partition, the utility you use will inform you that the partition is created successfully, but the actual creating is still completing on the servers. You will need to wait a while before being able to perform another partition operation.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Select the container object to partition.
To create the new partition, choose Yes.
The new partition is created when the process is completed on the servers. To see the partition icon that signifies that a container is a partition, you need to refresh the screen by choosing the up arrow and then expanding the parent container again.
A master replica is stored on the server where the parent partition's master replica resides. An icon appears next to the Organization (O) or Organizational Unit (OU) to show that the container is the root of a partition.
To see where the master replica is stored, select the Organization (O) or Organizational Unit (OU) that you just partitioned, and then choose View/Edit Replicas. The server name appears in the Replicas Stored on Server column, and Master appears next to it in the Type column.
If you want to make additional replicas of this partition, see Creating a Replica.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR inUtilities Reference |
You might want to merge two partitions if the Directory information in the two partitions is closely related.
In other words, you would merge a partition with its parent partition when you want to delete the partition without deleting the objects in the partition.
Consider keeping partitions separate if the partitions are large, because large partitions slow down response time.
The partition is merged when the process is completed on the servers. To see that the icon of the partition you merged is gone (which signifies that the merge is complete), you need to refresh the screen by choosing the up arrow and then expanding the container again.
Merging a partition with its parent partition might take some time, since the replicas need to be deleted and the parent replicas updated with the merging partition information.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Select the partition to merge.
Choose Merge with the Parent Partition.
To merge the selected partition with its parent partition, choose Yes.
The partition is merged when the process is completed on the servers. To see the that the icon of the partition you merged is gone (which signifies that the merge is complete), you need to refresh the screen by choosing the up arrow and then expanding the container again.
Merging a partition with its parent partition might take some time, since the replicas need to be deleted and the parent replicas updated with the merging partition information.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
You can move a container object only if it is the root of a Directory partition that has no subordinate partitions. So, moving a container is really moving a partition.
When you move a container object, Novell Directory Services (NDS) changes all references to the container. Although the object's common name remains unchanged, the context name of the container (and of all its subordinates) changes.
When you move a partition, create an alias object that points to the partition you're moving. Doing so allows users to continue logging into the network and finding objects in their original Directory location.
NOTE: If you move a partition and do not create an alias, users who are unaware of the partition's new location will not easily find objects in the Directory tree, since they will look for them in their original Directory location.
This might also cause client workstations to fail at login if the NAME CONTEXT parameter in the NET.CFG file is set to the original location in the Directory tree.
Because the context of an object changes when you move it, users whose name context in their configuration file (NET.CFG file) references the moved object need to update their NET.CFG so that it references the object's new name.
To automatically update users' NET.CFG file with a new name context after moving an object, use the NCUPDATE utility. For instructions, see NCUPDATE in Utilities Reference.
At the DOS prompt, type
NETADMIN <Enter>
For information on moving around in NETADMIN and selecting objects, press <F1> after starting the utility. To see which container objects in the Directory tree are partitions, exit NETADMIN and type PARTMGR at the command line. Then browse the tree.
From the NETADMIN options menu, choose Manage Objects.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the object that you want to move.
From the Actions menu, choose Move.
You can move a container object only if it is the root of a Directory partition, and only if it contains no subordinate partitions.
In NETADMIN, when you select a container object that is a partition, the context-sensitive help at the bottom of the screen reads This is a partition. Also, an asterisk (*) is displayed in front of the object name.
If the container you want to move is not a partition, you must first use a partition management utility (PARTMGR or NetWare Administrator) and create the container as a new partition.
Use the Down-arrow key and highlight the New Context field.
Assign a new context to the object you want to move.
To accept the new context as the destination container, press <Enter>.
To confirm that you want to move the object listed in the Old Context field to the container listed in the New Context field, press <F10>.
To create an alias in place of the moved container, choose Yes.
The alias object will point to the partition's new location, and the selected object is moved to the destination container.
NOTE: If you move an object do not create an alias, users who are unaware of the object's new location will not easily find objects in the Directory tree, since they will look for them in their original Directory location.
This might also cause client workstations to fail at login if the NAME CONTEXT parameter in the NET.CFG file is set to the original location in the Directory tree.
Because the context of an object changes when you move it, users whose name context in their configuration file (NET.CFG file) references the moved object need to update their NET.CFG so that it references the object's new name.
To automatically update users' NET.CFG file with a new name context after moving an object, use the NCUPDATE utility. For instructions, see NCUPDATE in Utilities Reference.
NOTE: You will need to wait for processes throughout the Directory to be complete before you can perform a partition operation with this object again.
Unless you want the partition you just moved to remain a partition, you should merge it with its parent partition to avoid having an unnecessary partition in the Directory tree. See Merging Partitions.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Objects |
Object in Concepts |
Rights |
Rights in Concepts |
Directory tree |
Directory tree in Concepts |
Using the NETADMIN utility |
NETADMIN in Utilities Reference |
If you have begun the process of creating, merging, or moving a partition, or changing a replica type, you can still abort the process since partition operations take time. You can abort a partition operation only before the operation is in its final stages.
You would want to use this feature if you begin a partition operation and find that your database will not synchronize.
If Novell Directory Services (NDS) cannot synchronize replica information in your database because it is corrupted, or because a server in your Directory tree is down, you probably want to abort any partition operation in progress.
If you choose to abort a partition operation when there is no operation in progress, no partitions will be affected.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the parent partition that is involved in a partition operation.
Choose Abort Partition Operation.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type and state are also displayed.
As long as at least one of the replicas has not yet finished the operation you had begun, you can still abort the operation. If the state of the replica is On, all operations are complete and cannot be aborted.
To abort the partition operation, press <F10> and choose Yes.
The partition operation is aborted, and any replicas that began to be merged or created (depending on the operation you had begun) are returned to their previous state.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
When you create a partition, a master replica is automatically created and stored on the server where the parent partition's master replica resides. You can create additional replicas of the partition, within these guidelines:
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition to replicate.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type is also displayed.
To add a replica to the server, press <Insert>.
Enter the replica information.
At the Replica Type field, press <Enter>.
Choose the type of replica you want to create from the Replica Type menu at the top of the screen.
At the Store on Server field, press <Enter>.
Type the name of the server you want to add the replica to, or press <Insert> to select a server from the browser.
To create the replica, press <Esc> or <F10> and choose Yes.
The new replica appears on the list of replicas for the server.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
When you delete replicas, keep the following guidelines in mind:
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition that has a replica you want to delete.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type is also displayed.
Select the replica to delete and press <Delete>.
You cannot delete a master replica. If the replica you want to delete is a master, go to a server with another replica of the master and make it the new master replica. This automatically changes the old master replica to a read/write replica, which you can then delete.
For instructions, see Viewing a List of Partitions in a Directory Tree.
To delete the replica, choose Yes.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
Although Novell Directory Services automatically synchronizes the directory data of replicas (so that each replica contains the most recently updated data), you can manually start the process to synchronize (update) the directory data of replicas, if necessary.
You should use the DSREPAIR utility to discover if the data in some replicas is out of sync with the master replica or not. If the data is out of sync, you would want to manually send updates to those replicas. The data in the other replicas would be updated and the directory data of each replica would be synchronized.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition whose replicas you want to update.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type is also displayed.
Select the replica you want to send updates from and press <F10>.
Choose Send Updates to Other Replicas.
To send updates to all the other replicas, choose Yes.
The replica information is sent to all other replicas of the partition (including the master replica).
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
Although Novell Directory Services (NDS) automatically synchronizes the directory data of replicas (so that each replica contains the most recently updated data) you can manually synchronize (update) the directory data of replicas if they ever get out of sync.
You should use the DSREPAIR utility to discover if the data in some replicas is out of sync with the master replica or not. If the data is out of sync, you would want to manually receive updates from the Master replica.
You cannot choose Receive Updates From Other Replicas from a master replica. The master is assumed to be the most current and accurate copy of the partition. If it's not, you should assign one of the other replicas to be the master using the PARTMGR utilityReplica.
If you choose Receive Updates From Other Replica from any replica, that replica will receive NDS information from the master.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition whose replicas you want to update.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type is also displayed.
Select the replica you want to update and press <F10>.
Choose Receive Updates from Other Replicas.
To receive updates from all the other replicas, choose Yes.
The selected replica receives NDS information from the master replica.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
When you view a list of partitions stored on a NetWare server, you are seeing all the partitions that have a replica stored on the selected server and the type of each replica.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the server whose partitions you want to list.
A list of partitions stored on the server appears.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
You can see a list of a partition's replicas, the servers where the replicas are stored, and whether a replica is a master, read/write, read-only, or subordinate reference replica type.
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition whose replicas you want to list.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
The Replicas Stored on Server screen appears, which lists the replicas of the selected partition, the server they reside on, and the type of each replica.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |
You can see a list of all partitions to which you have Browse rights in a Novell Directory Services (NDS) tree using the NDS Manager utility. For instructions or help, see the online help in NDS Manager.
You can change replica types according to the following guidelines:
At the DOS prompt, type
PARTMGR <Enter>
From the Partition Administration menu, choose Manage Partitions.
Your current context appears in the upper-left corner.
Select the partition whose replica you want to change.
Choose View/Edit Replicas.
A list of the replicas of the selected partition appears. Each replica's type is also displayed.
Select the replica you want to change and press <F10>.
Choose Change Replica Type.
Press <Enter> and choose the replica type you want the replica to become.
To save the replica as the new type, press <F10>.
The new replica type appears on the list. The new replica type appears on the Partition Replicas screen.
If you changed a replica type to a master and a master replica already existed, the replica you just changed to master is now the master replica and the old master replica has been changed automatically to a read/write replica.
| For more information about | See |
|---|---|
Partitions |
Novell Directory partition, Partition management, and Replica in Concepts |
Using the PARTMGR utility |
PARTMGR in Utilities Reference |