Chapter 9: Novell NetWare Operating System

1. Chapter 9: Novell NetWare Operating System

2. History of NetWare 1983: NetWare X and NetWare S 1985: NetWare 2.0 1987: NetWare 2.11 1991: NetWare 3.11 (Final Bindery-based operating system) 1993: NetWare 4.0. Introduction of the LDAP-based Novell Directory Services. Allowed management of an organization’s network across WAN links. Novell had 85% of the LAN market. 1998: Netware 5.0. Market share had declined steadily since the release of Windows NT 4 in 1995. NetWare shifted from IPX/SPX to TCP/IP as primary LAN protocol. 2004: Current version: NetWare 6.5 Future: With acquisition of SUSE Linux, NetWare 7.0 will be very tightly integrated with Linux.

3. NDS/eDirectory • Novell Directory Services is now known as eDirectory. • Users authenticate to the network. Once authenticated, user can be granted rights to access any resource on the network. • A directory tree is a graphical representation in eDirectory of the organization of network resources. • Generally, resources are grouped by location. • Security can be applied to each grouping separately. • Database can be partitioned for multiple locations. • eDirectory can run on Windows, Linux, and Solaris.

4. NetWare Client • NetWare client software runs on the operating system, allowing the computer to access the Novell network as though it were a physical extension of the computer itself. • The client automatically locates network services, having them appear transparently to the user of the operating system. • Client software can be configured to use a particular server for authentication and particular service locations.

5. BorderManager • Protects the LAN from intrusion from unauthorized external hosts. • Allows administrator to monitor users Internet usage. • Border Manager includes: • Network Address Translation Server. Allows clients on LAN to share single public IP address. • Proxy Server. Reduces web traffic costs by caching regularly accessed sites. • Virtual Private Networking. Allows remote clients to connect to LAN over encrypted tunnel. • Content Filtering Server. Allows content to be filtered, restricting LAN users from accessing dangerous of forbidden information.

6. GroupWise • GroupWise is collaboration software that allows users to send and receive e-mail, schedule meetings, define tasks, manage To Do lists, and store/retrieve documents. • GroupWise is a competitor of Microsoft Exchange Server and has somewhat similar functionality.

7. ZenWorks • ZenWorks gives the administrator the ability to control the look and feel of desktop computers through the use of policies. • Policies are sets of rules that can be applied to user accounts, group accounts, or computers. • ZenWorks can provide remote control services, similar to Remote Desktop on Windows. • ZenWorks can be used to deploy applications over the network and image hard disks. • ZenWorks can perform hardware and or software inventory of all computers on the LAN.

8. Remote Administration Tools • iManager is a Web-based administration tool that can perform day-to-day tasks such as adding users, changing passwords, managing DHCP, and DNS servers. • To perform a task using iManager, a user must be a member of a pre-defined administrative group that is responsible for performing that task. • iManager can be used on any standards compliant Web browser. • ConsoleOne is a Java-based utility. As it is written in Java, it can run on any of the platforms that support NetWare. • Snap-ins can be used to manage ZenWorks or GroupWise using ConsoleOne. • ConsoleOne can not be used to administer printers, DHCP, and DNS servers.

9. Sharing Files and Printers • A benefit of NetWare is that it provides a simple and consistent interface for file sharing across multiple operating systems, such as Linux, Macintosh, and Windows. • NetWare handles all of the messy differences in the way permissions are allocated, so that files and folders can be easily shared across the LAN. • There are two types of shared printers in NetWare 6.5, controlled access printers and iPrint. • Controlled access printers are objects within eDirectory. Access to these can be restricted on the basis of user and group accounts. • iPrint uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) standard. This allows printing across any TCP/IP-based network, including the Internet.

10. Summary • Novell NetWare is a popular network operating system that once held approximately 85% of the LAN market. • Novell NetWare uses eDirectory, an LDAP-based directory service, to store information about the network. • Objects in eDirectory are usually sorted on the basis of location. • BorderManager is an add-on to NetWare that can be used to provide firewall, NAT, content filtering, and proxy services. • ZenWorks is an add-on to NetWare that can be used to manage network clients. • iManager is a Web-based administration tool that can be used to perform any NetWare administrative task. • ConsoleOne is a Java-based administrative tool that can perform most, but not all NetWare administrative tasks.

11. Discussion Questions • What are the advantages to configuring file shares in NetWare over other network operating systems? • Which BorderManager functionality would you use to stop users accessing inappropriate Web content? • Discuss the features of ZenWorks and why administrators would find these useful. • Discuss reasons for partitioning eDirectory on the basis of location. • Why is it important to be able to perform a software and hardware inventory using ZenWorks?