In order to make IP run on NetWare, the public protocols of IP had to be incorporated into, and replace, the proprietary protocols in NetWare. Since Novell® eDirectoryTM is the heart of NetWare, it was used to bring all the Internet Protocols together in NetWare 6. This makes it possible to configure and maintain the protocols using ConsoleOne.
Previous versions of NetWare used Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), a proprietary protocol developed by Novell®, for network communications. NetWare 6 uses TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), IPX, or a combination of both IP and IPX.
With increasing access to worldwide data exchange through the Internet, IP has become so popular that many companies'networks now require it. But IPX and IP are two separate protocols. If you run both, you must maintain both. Administering routers, bridges, switches and other hardware components required for multiprotocol network communications can prove prohibitive.
Compatibility Mode (CM) maintains backward compatibility with IPX NetWare systems. You can install a server or client using one of three methods: IP (with compatibility mode), IPX, or both IP and IPX. CM provides translation between IP and IPX by recognizing IPX packets and then determining how to forward them. A Migration Agent (MA) on the server uses CM to bridge IP and IPX networks while maintaining protocol purity on each of the respective networks.
Potentially, migrating from IPX to IP could prove costly, and there are some important considerations. Attempting to move a large number of servers and clients to NetWare 6 simultaneously won't generally be practical. It might be neccessary to introduce IP components over time, depending on the size and complexity of your network. You might choose to upgrade only servers as a preliminary phase, and later upgrade clients. To understand your migration options, see Planning Migration .
IP is best suited for IP-based networks attached to the Internet, to WAN links, or where IP is the exclusively required protocol. If you don't require IP for any of these reasons, and you can use a pure IPX network, you might find IPX implementation easier to administer.