1.3 Meet Hardware and Software Requirements

OES for NetWare runs on server hardware that has been approved by the manufacturer for running the NetWare 6.5 operating system. For more information on system specifications, contact the hardware manufacturer.

1.3.1 Meeting System Requirements

OES NetWare runs on the minimum system requirements listed below. For optimal performance, the computer should meet the recommended requirements.

Minimum System Requirements

OES NetWare has the following minimum system requirements:

  • A server-class PC with a Pentium* II or AMD* K7 processor
  • 512 MB of RAM
  • A Super VGA display adapter
  • A DOS partition of at least 200 MB and 200 MB available space
  • 1 GB of available, unpartitioned disk space outside the DOS partition for volume sys:
  • One network board
  • A bootable CD drive that supports the El Torito specification

Recommended System Requirements

For optimal performance, OES NetWare has the following recommended system requirements:

  • A server-class PC with two-way Pentium III, Pentium III Xeon*, Pentium 4, or Intel* Xeon 700 MHz or higher processors
  • 1 GB of RAM

    Some OES NetWare installation options (patterned deployments) have specific processor and RAM requirements. See Section 2.6, Choosing a Server Pattern for individual pattern requirements.

  • A VESA 1.2-compliant, high resolution display adapter
  • A boot partition with 1 GB of available space

    To determine the optimal size of a boot partition, add the amount of server memory to the minimum amount of the available disk space. The minimum amount of available space is 200 MB, so a server with 1024 MB RAM has an optimal boot partition of 1224 MB (1024 MB + 200 MB = 1224 MB). This size allows you to do a core dump to the disk drive if required.

  • 4 GB of available, unpartitioned disk space outside the boot partition for volume sys:
  • One or more network boards
  • A bootable CD drive that supports the El Torito specification
  • A USB or PS/2* mouse

1.3.2 Preparing the NetWare Installation Software

The installation and upgrade procedures described in this manual assume you are installing or upgrading to OES NetWare, which is the same product as NetWare 6.5 SP6.

You should download the NetWare 6.5 SP6 Operating System and Products CD overlay ISO images and burn them to CDs for use when installing or upgrading to OES NetWare.

For instructions on how to obtain the ISO images, see Getting and Preparing OES Software in the Novell OES SP2 Planning and Implementation Guide.

Use third-party CD burning software to create CDs from the ISO images you download.

Label your NetWare installation CDs as shown in Table 1-2.

Table 1-2 OES NetWare Installation CD Labels

ISO Image

Label

oessp2nw65ossp6.iso

NetWare 6.5 SP6 CD 1 (Operating System)

oessp2nw65prodsp6.iso

NetWare 6.5 SP6 CD 2 (Products)

1.3.3 Other Software You Might Need

If you want to run the NetWare installation program from a source NetWare server running IP, you need the IP Server Connection Utility. See TID 10074248 for information about downloading the srvinst2.exe file.

The IP Server Connection Utility lets you log in to the source NetWare server from DOS on the machine you have prepared for OES NetWare. It provides a basic IP connection to complete an across-the-wire installation. Instructions are included with the download.