Don't give up

[iolair]

I just got back from a meeting of System Admins in Tennessee. There are a LOT of people still using Netware, and have no plans to dump it. It seems like all we're hearing is Windows this, Windows that, but, most of the guys I talked to are still relying HEAVILY on Netware to run their networks.

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[goombawaho]

But aren't they really switching from the Netware kernel to the Linux-based OES platform??? The true Netware is nearly dead from what I can see.

 

[marvhuffaker]

We have lots of clients running NetWare. In fact, when OES1 was released, and we found out it sucked really bad, we kept our customers on NetWare rather than having them upgrade.

Now that OES2 is out and it is FAR Superior to both OES1 AND NetWare, we are starting to migrate people in that direction.

Novell themselves are killing the NetWare kernel. It's dead. ZENworks doesn't support it anymore (ZCM 10), OES2 virtualizes NetWare but really you don't need it since all the services run better on SLES anyway, and the version of GroupWise after GroupWise 8 (to be released Mid 2008) is said that it probably won't run on NetWare.

Hardware vendors that support NetWare are fewer and farther between.

It only makes sense to move towards Linux and OES2. It does everything that NetWare did, and more.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[iolair]

Hey, Marvin,
When you set up Windows clients to use OES, is there a Novell client you use, or can you run the MS client like we do on Netware now? I use the Novell Client on my Admin machine for Console One, NWAdmin, etc., but I keep the users on the MS client for speed and compatibility. I'm just wondering how it all works with OES.

I find it kind of interesting the similarities between Netware and Unix.

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[marvhuffaker]

Most of our customers still use the Novell client. It allows you to connect to an OES server just like a NetWare server, using NCP connections. In fact, when we do migrations from NetWare to OES2 Linux, people don't even know there has been a major infrastructure change on the back end.

The reason I prefer the Novell client, vs not using the Novell client, is that you get extra control and management from login script processing as well as eDirectory things. Granted, many things now run independent of the client, but I still prefer the client. It makes your drive mappings much more functional, and you get numerous features that are extremely lacking in any Microsoft client.



Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[marvhuffaker]

OH, and that reminds me.. when people think of Migrations -- whether it's NetWare to Windows, or Windows to Linux, or even NetWare to linux.... Or email changes like GroupWise to Exchange or Exchange to Lotus, whatever... they immediately assume that a significant change is required not only on the Backend infrastructure, but on the end user Workstations..

Well this is true if you go NetWare to Windows or NetWare to Linux without OES. Or even Windows to Linux.

But if you go NetWare to OES2 Linux, there is virtually no change required on the workstations. So the overall project costs much less, and the impact on end users is practically Nothing.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[iolair]

Thanks, Marvin. I'm thinking of installing the Novell Client on all workstations, so that we can go pure IP.

Probably not the best place to do this, but, you are always so helpful. I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Prosperous, and Happy New Year.

Thanks.

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[marvhuffaker]

Thanks! The same to you! =- Marvin

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com