Understanding the NetWare/IP Client

The NetWare/IP client software extends NetWare capabilities to DOS and Windows workstations on TCP/IP networks. With NetWare/IP, NetWare services and applications run the same as they run in IPX-based NetWare environments.

The NetWare/IP client discussed in the following sections refers to a version of the NetWare DOS Requester client, a 16-bit, VLM-based NetWare client, that has been enhanced to include software modules required to access NetWare/IP networks.

In addition to the 16-bit, VLM-based NetWare/IP client discussed in this section, the following NetWare clients can access a NetWare/IP network when properly configured:

NetWare Client 32 for Windows 95
NetWare Client 32 for DOS and Windows
NetWare Client 32 for Windows NT
NetWare Client for Mac OS

Client Software

To provide seamless connectivity in a TCP/IP environment, the NetWare/IP client uses the same Link Support Layer^TM (LSL^TM ) driver, Open Data-Link Interface^TM (ODI^TM ) driver, and NetWare DOS Requester^TM as an IPX-based NetWare client. However, to provide the TCP/IP transport, the IPX driver is replaced by the following software modules in NetWare/IP:

TCPIP.EXE, which provides the TCP/IP protocol stack
NWIP.EXE, which provides the NetWare/IP driver

Figure 4-5 compares the NetWare/IP client with the IPX-based client modules.

Figure 4-5.
NetWare/
IP Client NetWare Client Comparison

Client Configuration

A NetWare/IP client uses values assigned to both local and global configuration parameters to run.

Local Parameters

Some local configuration parameters are required, and some are optional.

Required Parameters

The NetWare/IP client requires the following local parameter values at startup. All of these required parameters must be configured during installation, unless you are using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server:

IP address, which specifies the IP address of the client system
Subnetwork mask, which specifies the subnetwork mask for the TCP/IP network
Default router, which specifies the IP address of the default router, if any, for this subnetwork
DNS domain, which specifies the default DNS domain name
Default DNS name servers, which specifies the IP addresses of up to three DNS name servers for the DNS domain
NetWare/IP domain, which specifies the NetWare/IP domain to which this client belongs

Optional Parameters

The NetWare/IP client may optionally use values for the following parameters to optimize performance:

Initial DSS contact retries, which specifies the number of times the client will attempt to communicate with a given DSS server at startup. The default is one retry in a range of 0 to 50.
Retry interval, which specifies the time interval in seconds between attempts to retry communicating with a given DSS server at startup. The default is 10 seconds in a range of 5 to 100 seconds.
Preferred DSS servers, which specifies the hostnames, IP addresses, or subnetwork IP addresses of up to five DSS servers that are closest to this client.
Nearest server, which specifies the hostname, IP address, or subnetwork IP address of the NetWare/IP server closest to this client.
NSQ broadcast, which specifies whether this client will use Nearest Server Query (NSQ) broadcasts to locate the nearest server. By default, NSQ broadcast is set to on.
NetWare/IP 1.1 compatibility, which specifies whether this client can access NetWare/IP 1.1 servers. By default, NetWare/IP 1.1 compatibility is set to off.

Obtaining Local Parameter Values

A NetWare/IP client obtains its local configuration from configuration files or from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

Configuration Files

The NetWare/IP client configuration is stored in the following two files:

NET.CFG, which contains TCP/IP and NetWare/IP configuration information
RESOLV.CFG, which contains DNS client (resolver) configuration information

You can edit the configuration information stored in these files using any text editor.

DHCP Servers

A DHCP server contains a database of client configuration information. If the NetWare/IP client cannot find its local configuration in its NET.CFG file, it queries the DHCP server. The location of the client configuration information is determined at installation. If a DHCP server is not used, you must manually configure the client at installation.

For more information on using a DHCP server, see Configuring a DHCP Server

Global Parameters

In addition to the local parameters, the NetWare/IP client also obtains network-wide configuration information from DSS, such as the virtual IPX network number, UDP port numbers for NetWare/IP service, and DSS-NetWare/IP synchronization interval.

To start up the first time, a NetWare/IP client must obtain global configuration parameters from a DSS or NetWare/IP server. The client then saves the parameters to a local file. The next time the client starts up, it again looks for a DSS or NetWare/IP server to obtain the current configuration. However, if it cannot find a server, it defaults to the configuration it used the last time it was running.

Client Startup Process

The NetWare/IP client requires that TCP/IP be loaded and ready before NetWare/IP can run. When TCP/IP is ready, the NetWare/IP client starts up as follows:

The client obtains its local configuration parameters using one of the following methods:
- It reads the local NET.CFG and RESOLV.CFG files.
- It contacts a DHCP server.
The client obtains network-wide parameters from a NetWare/IP or DSS server. The client locates a NetWare/IP or DSS server using one of the following methods:
- It contacts the nearest NetWare/IP or DSS server listed in its local configuration files.
- It sends a UDP broadcast to contact the nearest NetWare/IP server. This requires that the NSQ_BROADCAST statement in the NET.CFG file is set to ON (as it is by default).
- It queries the DNS service.

Limitations on Client Access

Currently, NetWare/IP imposes the following limitations on client access to NetWare services:

NetWare/IP clients can access NetWare (IPX) printers only if there is a forwarding gateway between the IPX segment on which the printer is located and the IP backbone.
NetWare/IP supports IPX NetBIOS only on local subnetworks: IPX NetBIOS broadcasts do not carry across IP routers. If you need NetBIOS capability over TCP/IP, you can substitute the RFCNBIOS program provided with the NetWare/IP software.