VLM and dos login problem, please help !

[hellbeach]

Hi everyone !
I´m having an strange problem, at least it seems strange to me since I´m quite new to novell. Here it goes:

I have a test-machine at work, on which I was trying to get a dos -> novell login to work. It worked just fine so I decided to bring this machine with me home and try it with my recently installed nw5 server.

When I got home and I first booted the machine to win2k just to check if it could log into the novell network and that worked fine. But when I put put the boot disk in it it didn´t log into the novell network like it did at work. Then I ran the files one-by-one (lsl, 3c90x.com,odipkt 0 96, ipxodi, winpkt 0x60, vlm) in dos I saw that when I had loaded the vlm.com file it seemed to load fine but it didn´t report that it had logged in to a server even though I had specified this in the net.cfg file. When I check this at work, it reported to have logged in to a server after I ran the vlm.com.

Do I have to make any special adjustments on my nw5 server for it to recognize a dos login, or does anyone else know of a solution for this problem ?

/Daniel

 

[lerdalt]

Try running the vlm line with a /ps=servername switch. In a single server environment, it should find it. You may want to double check the net.cfg file for any references to your work server that might be holding you up.

 

[hellbeach]

I have tried with /PS=servername, and also with /PT=treename... I have also checked net.cfg and changed "preffered server" to my home server name...

 

[lerdalt]

It's been awhile since I've done much with the dos boot diskettes as far as configuring them. Are you setting up the disk to use IPX? Make certain it is running on your server and that the frame types match up.

 

[hellbeach]

ah, good point !
How can I check if ipx is running on my server and if it´s not, how can I make it run ?

 

[lerdalt]

Without going into a lot of detail, at the server load inetcfg. Under the protocols enable IPX. Then under bindings, add it to your network card. After all that, select reinitialize system, that should activate all of the changes.

 

[TheLad]

Don't know if it was a typo above, but it is PREFERRED not PREFFERED as in preferred server (i.e. one F and two R's).

To check IPX is running on your server, either check via INETCFG as suggested above, or type CONFIG at the console, or check in MONITOR under LAN/WAN etc....

Also, what network infrastructure are you using at home?

-----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
-----------------------------------------------------

 

[hellbeach]

I´m still having problems (
I tried everything you told me. I enabled IPX on the server with frametype Ethernet_II (I also tried Ethernet_802.2 and Ethernet_802.3) but every time I ran vlm.com from dos it justed acted as described in my first post.

In case some one has any ideas left I´m listing my autoexec.bat, startnet.bat and net.cfg which are located on the diskette with which I´m trying to boot:

AUTOEXEC.BAT
--
CALL a:\NET\STARTNET.BAT
KEYB SV,,A:\KEYBOARD.SYS
cls

f:
login tgy1/install
--

STARTNET.BAT
--
@echo off
cls
a:
cd net
lsl
3c90x.com
odipkt13 0 96
ipxodi
winpkt 0x60
vlm

NET.CFG
--
LINK DRIVER 3C90x
PORT 300
INT 10
Frame Ethernet_II
Frame Ethernet_802.3
Protocol IPX 0 Ethernet_802.3
Protocol IP 800 Ethernet_II
Protocol ARP 806 Ethernet_II
Protocol RARP 8035 Ethernet_II

NetWare DOS Requester
FIRST NETWORK DRIVE = F
PREFFERED SERVER = HELLAS

 

[LawnBoy]

You've misspelled 'preferred' again... Better check your actual net.cfg for spelling.

 

[hellbeach]

I changed it to preferred.. no change..

 

[hellbeach]

which frame type should I set on the IPX setting in nw5 ? considering my net.cfg looks like below. Should I use Ethernet_II or Ethernet_802.3 ?

LINK DRIVER 3C90x
PORT 300
INT 10
Frame Ethernet_II
Frame Ethernet_802.3
Protocol IPX 0 Ethernet_802.3
Protocol IP 800 Ethernet_II
Protocol ARP 806 Ethernet_II
Protocol RARP 8035 Ethernet_II

NetWare DOS Requester
FIRST NETWORK DRIVE = F
PREFFERED SERVER = HELLAS

 

[hellbeach]

ok, preferred
Feels like I´m talking to myself now
I noticed another strange thing when I enabled IPX: The server froze for a few seconds every five seconds, then I removed the bindings to IPX and disabled the protocol and the freezings stopped, strange.
I´m seriously considering scraping ipx and go with IP instead.

This leads me to my next dilema, can someone direct me to a howto on making bootable floppy for IP, so I can login to a novell network from dos.

 

[TheLad]

Download:

http://www.aa012a0053.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ipboot.zip

from my website. It's one I use and it works well. It uses LAN and NLM drivers rather than EXE drivers so just replace my netword card driver with yours and see how you get on. The disk is configured for DHCP.

-----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
-----------------------------------------------------

 

[hellbeach]

I followed the tutorial on "

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/docid/1999082310354425"

and I also tried downloading TheLads´ ipboot disk but I got the same result both times: When Client32.nlm has finished loading it reports: "A file server could not be found, check the network cabling and the servers status before continuing"

Everything on the bootdisk loads fine, the NIC is found and initialized and bound to an IP, but still I get this error message (

Any new ideas ?

 

[hellbeach]

Could it have something to do with the way the server is connected to the network ?
This is how it´s connected now:

Cable modem
|
(Router/switch)
| |
Switch Other computer
|
-------------
| |
computer NW5 server
(which is
trying to
connect to
NW5 server)