Using a Novell Network with OS X?
Hey guys- I started my internship today and I wanted to use my computer and not the crappy dell they had. So I asked the IS people to help me set it up.
It turns out they're using a Novell Network which I don't really know anything about....and they don't know anything about OS X....
I finally figured out how to log into the network using the Novell Client by Prosoft or whatever. I'm still not liking this thing. I hate the you have to have client software installed to log into the network and there isn't anything built into OS X for access to the network drives on the server....
Can you of you recommend a better way of doing this? What about groupwise access? Is there support in apple's mail or address book for these things?
Any help and tips would be appreciated!
-taco
It turns out they're using a Novell Network which I don't really know anything about....and they don't know anything about OS X....
I finally figured out how to log into the network using the Novell Client by Prosoft or whatever. I'm still not liking this thing. I hate the you have to have client software installed to log into the network and there isn't anything built into OS X for access to the network drives on the server....
Can you of you recommend a better way of doing this? What about groupwise access? Is there support in apple's mail or address book for these things?
Any help and tips would be appreciated!
-taco
Comments
you just need to go to connect, then type in the name of the share you want to access.
ex: users.umn.edu
iirc, they need to change some of the password requirements on their end to get it to work with OSX, but i'm not sure what exactly off hand, i didn't set them up.
it can be done though.
back in the old days a prosoft client was the only way to connect to a netware server on a mac. but now you can do it with the connect command in OS X.
panther is far more stable at holding a connection than jag. jag used to 'drop' the connection at random time intervals, whereas panther seems more solid.
at the server end the netware machine needs the AFP module installed and running. then you can just connect as you would any other shared/network drive.
though i've had horrific problems in the past with users
(logged into X as a user 'foo' , then log into netware server as user 'bar'. then watch as files and folders get assigned to the mac username and not the netware one...)
I've been part of Novel Groupwise beta testing (its now an "open" beta if you really really want to give it a try) and they have a Java client.
FYI... here is a part of the FAQ they spit back and forth:
1. Make sure you are using the latest GW Client. As of this writing,
it was Friday, Feb 27. Go to:
http://beta.novell.com, click on Public, and fill out the appropriate
information.
2. Once downloaded, make sure that extract it using Stuffit Expander
8.02 or 6.5, NOT 8.0. Go to:
http://www.stuffit.com/mac/expander/updates.html
to download the latest updates.
3. Do not copy and past the extracted application into your
Applications folder, but move it in there by dragging it.
4. If the client fails with an "Uncaught Exceptions in Main Method" or
"JavaApplicationsStub" error, suspect a font problem (this was the
situation in 3 different cases), especially if you see reference to
something about fonts in the error logs, found here:
/private/var/tmp/console.log
~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/JavaApplicationStub.crash.log (where ~
refers to username)
a) Make sure that fonts are enabled. Some applications, such as Adobe
Creative Suite, require fonts to be disabled in order to installed.
b) Remove all the fonts but the main systems fonts, and try to start
the client. In one case, the "Minimum Symbol Set" font found in OS 9's
font folder was the problem. You'll have to add fonts in systematically
to identify the font(s) causing the problem. There can easily be 5 font
folders. See:
http://www.apple.com/pro/archive/cre...sx_l25032b.pdf
for some in-depth information.
5. Try clearing the JAR cache via the Java plugin in the
Applications\\Utilities folder.
6. Is the Application being launched by a user with reduced privs?
7. Have you run a "repair privs" from the Disk Utility?
8. Are any other Java applications working?
9. Is the App running from within the "Applications" folder or,
another location?
I once attached my old iBook (10.2.8 at the time) onto the Network here and it worked fine.
Groupwise is the most HORRIBLE email client ever... but... *sigh*... it works..
Any thoughts on this, as i shall be setting up a linux file server soon and i'd rather use NFS than SMB.
Originally posted by cybermonkey
going slightly off topic, But isn't there a slight problem with panther connecting to NFS? I read briefly somewhere that a linux machine needs it's kernel patched to be able to connect via panther's finder.
Any thoughts on this, as i shall be setting up a linux file server soon and i'd rather use NFS than SMB.
You need to add the insecure option to /etc/exports and restart nfs on the Linux machine.
The worst thing, though, was that we were told there is a "back-end" fix that will allow Macs to log onto a Novell network but our System Admin chose not to implement it!
Additionally, we were also told that Novell 6 has OS X support built in. Our school was using Novell 5 (or a version number thereof) and it would be a while before they updated.
I'm by no means an expert in Sys Admin stuff, but this closed-mindedness on the part of our System Administrator to purposefully not allow Macs to log in really got under my skin! ****head!
These days I choose to work there as an itinerant and have no interest in trying to connect to the network anymore. However, I have a colleague who recently went the way of the Mac (after ribbing me about mine for years - hypocrite!) and he says he has access to the school network now - but he has to do it using VPC.
I'm not affiliated with this school, but it gives you an idea of what they're saying to connect to their Novell network.
I'm investigating the same issue before I take the plunge to buy a PB 17". I have to be able to log onto our Novell network.
Somebody told me I might need this, but I really don't see why? click here
I still have questions, but very few answers.
Of course our Novell system is so slow that the higher ups just keep all their files on the c: drive (not backed up) for faster access.
Unfortunately, most Netware installs out there are ancient because IT managers won't pay for the upgrades (Keep what you have or migrate to Windows servers).
I want a new job...
Screed
Originally posted by sCreeD
If they run Netware 6 or later they might have NFAP (Native File A-something P-something). This allows non-Windows PCs to connect to the volume as if they were... well native.
Unfortunately, most Netware installs out there are ancient because IT managers won't pay for the upgrades (Keep what you have or migrate to Windows servers).
...[snip]...
Yeah, that's what I was trying to say:
Originally posted by Mac+
Additionally, we were also told that Novell 6 has OS X support built in. Our school was using Novell 5 (or a version number thereof) and it would be a while before they updated.
PS - what job are you in that you want to leave sCreeD?