Netware 5 Mirror? 1

[tylan]

I came across a client that is still running Netware 5. They are planning to eliminate the NW server ASAP. In the meantime, I need to make sure that this server is stable. I've found that the SYS vol was not mirrored. The old RAID card would not allow me to add a mirror to disk #1. So, I used NWConfig to mirror the sys vol. That is working fine.

However, I cannot figure out how to mirror the second partition on that disk... It's a NSS partition. Is this possible?

 

[iolair]

Yes, it's possible. But if they're abandoning Netware ASAP, why bother? Do they have good backup tapes? If so, I think you'd be wasting your time doing this, given that they have decided to go elsewhere.

For what it's worth, I'm "still" running Netware 5 and have no plans to "eliminate" it anytime soon, as it works flawlessly and is rock solid stable.

Good luck. I believe you can mirror NSS using NWConfig OR Console One, but hopefully you'll get a better answer from someone else.

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[marvhuffaker]

NSS on NetWare 5 is very difficult if not impossible to manage it. Based on your questions, I'm assuming that your experience with NetWare is limited. That said, I wouldn't touch the partitions because you could easily wipe out the system if you make the wrong move.

We also have eliminated NetWare 5 from most of our clients environments. It's 10 years old, hasn't been supported for years, and doesn't provide the rich services that NetWare 6.5 and OES2 servers can provide. We get people off of NetWare 5 as fast as we can and get them running on OES2, since it is State of the Art, and way ahead of any other Windows or other vendor OS solution. It's only logical.

 

[pagy]

marvhuffaker,
Is that the Linux OES2 or what I see is referred to virtualized netware that you install??

tylan,

I'm with marv here, NSS on 5 was a pain, in fact I steered well clear of it on 5.



Paul
MCSE


"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
Albert Einstein

 

[marvhuffaker]

OES2 and Virtualized NetWare really don't have anything to do with each other. Yes, Novell tells you that NetWare is virtualized with OES2, but it's more of a marketing spin. If you WANT Netware still, you can run it virtualized, but it's completely unnecessary.

When it comes to virtualization, NetWare 6.5 can be virtualized on many hypervisors. Older versions of NetWare can also be virtualized. You don't have to use OES2 to virtualize NetWare, in fact, it's not OES2 that does the virualization, it's actually SLES 10 SP1 that gives you the hypervisor. So you can virtualize NetWare on VMWare, SLES 10 SP1 (XEN), Virtual Iron, etc.

Additionally, running OES2 does not mean you are running NetWare, native or virtualized. You certainly do NOT need to run NetWare when you have OES2. OES2 is a package of services that run on SLES 10, and provide similar, but advanced services as what NetWare did: File system (NSS), Printing (IPRINT), DHCP/DNS (Integrated into eDirectory), iFolder, and more. In fact, you could migrate from NetWare to OES2 (full linux), and it can be done transparently to the end users with no disruption to network services, and no changes to the end users workstations. It's nothing like you would expect from a typical OS Migration. Try doing the same thing going from NetWare to Windows, or NetWare to Linux by itself, or Windows to Linux. You're going to be in for a bumpy ride.

We migrate people all the time and in most cases, nobody realizes that a change has been made, until they start seeing some of the new services they didn't have before.

One other thing to understand about the difference between NetWare and OES2.. While they do provide the same services, Many of the newer functions are only being developed for OES2 (running on Linux kernel). So you are actually holding yourself back by staying on NetWare. You cannot get iFolder 3 on NetWare, only on Linux. That's only one example, but theres changes in iPrint and other stuff too.

If you use ZENWorks, the new version ZCM 10, it doesn't even run on NetWare. You need either Linux or Windows to run it. That's the direction Novell is heading.

Hope that helps.

 

[pagy]

Indeed it does help. I've been away from Netware and Novell in general for a while now (I get loads of overtime looking after Windows boxes ) so it's nice to catch up with what's going on in Novell's world.

Paul
MCSE


"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
Albert Einstein

 

[tylan]

Thanks for all your replies.

I'm guessing that the consensus here is to not try to mirror the NSS volume. I'll just hope that nothing happens to that standalone NSS volume before they replace the server!

We have a good nightly backup, but it still sucks to have a server w/o RAID. I certainly don't want to try to re-load a Novell Netware 5 server. This client probably couldn't locate a single install disk. The client has had 3 Network Administrators in the past 7 or 8 years. The last two guys were lacking organization... So, you can see my concern.

 

[marvhuffaker]

You can typically download any NetWare version from Novell's site. Only problem is you're going to have to dig up your licenses unless you can replicate NDS to another server so you have a copy and won't lose it if the one server crashes.

 

[terry712]

software raid to me is a waste of time anyway.
hardware or nothing

nss was crap on 5 anyway. i think it was a bit of great idea but a wee bit more testing please