Chapter Two

Defining Network Objects

Chapter Objectives • Describe how a workstation communicates with the network,

and list the software components required to connect a workstation to the network

• Install and configure Novell NetWare client software

• Describe the function and purpose of NDS, including leaf and container objects

• Use NetWare Administrator to browse the directory tree, view object information, and create new objects

• Describe replicas and partitions

• Use NDS Manager to view and create partitions and replicas

Software Components• Card driver

– Controls the Network Interface Card (NIC)

• Communication protocol (Protocol stack)

– Formats data within a network

– Routes packets to other networks

• Requester

– Provides access to the server from the local operating system

Early NetWare Client Software• NETX Clients

• Virtual Loadable Module (VLM) Clients

Current NetWare Client Software

• Microsoft NetWare Client

• Novell Client for DOS/Windows 3.x

• Novell Client for Windows 95/98

Novell Client for DOS/Windows

Activities - Client Installations

• The following activities are designed to remove the NetWare client in order to simulate a new workstation environment. These activities are optional because if something goes wrong your client may not be able to communicate with the network.– In the first activity you remove the NetWare client from the control

panel.– In the second activity you remove the NetWare client using Novell’s

Uninstall program.– In the third activity you will install the Microsoft NetWare client.

This will enable your workstation to access the NetWare server in order to install the Novell NetWare Client.

Activity - Install the NetWare Client

• This is an optional activity in which you will install (or re-install) the Novell NetWare Client. This activity is optional since problems can affect your access to the classroom network.

Novell Directory Services (NDS)

• Replaced the Bindery beginning with the release of NetWare 3.

• Created to eliminate redundancy and time required to manage duplicate user accounts on multiple servers.

Novell Directory Services (NDS)

• NDS is a global database and is based on industry-standard naming system x.500.

• Also supports Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

NDS Components

• Root objects

• Container objects

• Leaf objects

Root Objects

• The Root Object represents the beginning of the NDS tree.

• Each NDS tree can have only one root object.

Container Objects

• Country (C=)

• Organization (O=)

• Organizational Unit (OU=)

Leaf Objects

• Abbreviated CN=, for “common name”

• Represent network entities such as users, groups, printers, and servers

The NDS Tree

• The location of an object within the NDS tree is called its context.– Distinguished name– Typeful context specification– Typeless context specification– Current context– Relative name

Sample NDS Tree

Initial NDS Tree

NDS Context and Naming

• The CX Command– View and change your current context– View the entire NDS tree structure– Enter relative or distinguished names

Activities - Working with NDS Context

• In the first activity you learn how to use the CX command to display the current context of your workstation as well as list all objects in a container.

• In the second activity you gain experience using relative and distinguished names to change the current context of your workstation, login, and redirect output to a network print queue.

Designing an NDS Tree Structure

• Define and document all users and other objects

• Determine what containers will be needed– Keep design simple

• Place containers within a hierarchical tree structure

Single Container NDS Design

UAS Tree Design

Using NetWare Administrator

• Creating a NetWare Administrator shortcut

• Customizing NetWare Administrator Buttons

• Browsing the NDS Tree

• Viewing Object Properties

Using NetWare Administrator

• Creating NDS Objects– Alias and Volume Objects– Organizational Units– Creating Initial Users

Activities - Accessing NWADMIN

• In the first activity you will create a shortcut on your desktop to launch NetWare Administrator.

• In the second activity you will learn how to customize NetWare Administrator’s toolbar and status bar.

Browse Windows

• NetWare Administrator allows the operator to open multiple browse windows in order to view objects in different areas of the NDS tree.

Activity - Browsing the NDS Tree

• In this activity you will learn how to open browse windows, browse to a desired container, and view information on objects in the tree.

Activity - Viewing Object Properties

• In this activity you will learn how to use NetWare Administrator to view detailed property information on container objects, printers, users, and groups.

Creating NDS Objects

• Alias Objects– Pointer to the real object located in another context.

– Used to make access to objects in other containers easier.

• Volume Objects– Connection between NDS and the file system.

– Used to access and assign rights to directories and files.

Activity - Creating Alias and Volumes

• In this activity you will use NetWare Administrator to create the following objects in your ##UAS container:– an Alias object that

points to the classroom server.

– Volume objects that access the SYS and CORP volumes.

Activities - Creating Users

• In the first activity you will create an organizational unit for the Engineering department and then create volume objects in the new container.

• In the second activity you will create user objects in your ##UAS container for yourself and Kellie Thiele.

NDS Partitioning and Replicating

• NDS Replicas– Master Replica– Read/Write Replica– Read/Only Replica– Subordinate Replica

NDS Partitioning and Replicating

• NDS Partitions– Reduce communication time by allowing only a

part of the NDS tree to be replicated– Begins with the Root Partition– The start of subsequent partitions are called

Partition Roots

Partitioning NDS

Working w/ Partitions & Replicas

• Starting NDS Manager

• Viewing Partitions and Replicas

• Creating a Partition

Activities - Starting NDS Manager

• In the first activity you will create a shortcut on your desktop to launch NDS Manager.

• In the second activity you will use NDS Manager to view the partitions in the tree. Note the icon used to show that each student’s organization is a separate partition.

Creating New Partitions

• It is advisable to create new partitions for the following reasons:– Split a very large NDS tree (5000 objects) into smaller

files for better efficiency.• Each partition is a separate file. Splitting a NDS tree into multiple

partitions reduces the number of objects in each file.

– Split a NDS tree into geographical locations to prevent excess synchronization traffic across a wide area network.

• All severs that contain copies (replicas) of a partition must frequently send information to each other to keep their files

synchronized.

Adding a Replica• After a partition is created

its master replica is stored on the same server as the parent. Creating replicas on other servers helps to provide fault tolerance if a server is down.– Right-click the new

partition and select Add Replica.

– Browse to the server and click OK.

Activity - Creating Partitions

• In this activity you will learn how to use NDS Manager to create new partitions within your ##UAS organization. Note how highlighting the server object in the Class container will show all partition replicas stored on the server.

Chapter Summary

• After installing the server, NetWare must be installed on client computers

• Clients must have card driver software, a protocol stack, and a requester

• NetWare 3 introduced ODI drivers, which allow multiple protocols on clients

Chapter Summary

• Novell Client for Windows 95/98 allows clients on a NetWare network to take full advantage of the 32-bit OS environment

• Novell Directory Services (NDS) is a global database which allows all servers to share access to a common set of network objects.

Chapter Summary

• NDS organizes network objects into a hierarchical tree structure

• NDS Objects are classified as wither Container or Leaf Objects

• Container Objects are used to organize other objects, including Root, Country, Organization, and Organizational Unit

Chapter Summary

• Leaf Objects represent actual network entities, such as users, printers, groups, servers, and volumes.

• The location of an object within the NDS tree is called its Context.

• You can identify an object by specifying its name along with its complete context path, known as its Distinguished Name.

Chapter Summary

• NetWare Administrator is a graphical Windows-based utility available with NetWare 4.1 and NetWare 5.

• NetWare Administrator can be used to browse the NDS tree structure, view information about objects, and create Leaf and Organizational Unit Objects, among other things.

Chapter Summary

• Replicas are copies of the NDS database.

• Replicas provide fault tolerance, and and allow faster access to network resources.

• Partitions can increase network performance by breaking the database into smaller segments.