Anyone still using Netware/OES?

[Asha'man X]

Hey guys

Is anyone out these still making use of Novell Netware or the later OES server? I started a new job a month ago at a new school, and the servers there are running Netware 6.5 on top of OES. It seems that it was a thing for many schools in the Western Cape to run Netware, along with the Mercury mail server and Pegasus Mail.

One server is basically the heart of the network, running on a very decent HP server. Next to it is a low end P4 server running Netware plus Border Manager and Surf Control, for web filtering.

Both of these servers have been very unstable since I and my partner started, but we've managed to slowly increase uptime and stability. However, we still get random abends, which we can't understand why they happen. Some of it appears to be related to HPGATE, the module that connects the HP printers into controlled printing and control etc...

We are going to be migrating to either Windows 2008 or a Linux platform end of the year, depending how I and my partner sell our proposals. In the meantime, we would like to keep things going, so any hints or tips would be helpful.

 

[BigChop]

Oh, how I miss the good old Netware days.

 

[Asha'man X]

Oh, how I miss the good old Netware days.

Wish I could say the same. We've been having endless hassles lately with the platform, and out support company has no real clue of what is causing it. Luckily today the decision was made about where we migrating to.

As much as I liked Netware back in the day, now I totally understand why it died off the way it did. Novell really took their eyes off the ball.

 

[blackguyza]

I am most likely to be offered the responsibility of a network administrator at school where I work and I am a novice when it comes to the network administration.

I recall the Novel Network at Varsity where each user was allocated a space on the server harddrive and can login in to his/her files from any computer on the network. We are currently running Windows 2003 Server at school. I do not think we are utilizing the capability of the server because our learners only use the shared users folder on the sever to copy and submit their work. Each learner has created a windows user account on one of the computers in the computer center and can only work from that computer through out the year, which makes it difficult if such a computer become broken.

I am hoping to use one of the softwares available through the link: http://www.theteacher.co.za/article/computing-made-more-accessible
and have asked my principal to request those software so I can improve our network.

Please advise me.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

I worked with Novell Netware 3.12 back in the days - was the best.

4.x was sort of ok, but thereafter... nein danke.

At the moment, the Linux distro coming closest to Novell Netware 3.12 is SME Server.

You have a lot of mods and add-ons which you can install on top of SME Server - which can be viewed here.

A Novell server abending for no reason surely is a pain in the behind... and is not fun.

Good luck with your proposals!


PS : Pmail was the best back then

 

[Asha'man X]

I am most likely to be offered the responsibility of a network administrator at school where I work and I am a novice when it comes to the network administration.

I recall the Novel Network at Varsity where each user was allocated a space on the server harddrive and can login in to his/her files from any computer on the network. We are currently running Windows 2003 Server at school. I do not think we are utilizing the capability of the server because our learners only use the shared users folder on the sever to copy and submit their work. Each learner has created a windows user account on one of the computers in the computer center and can only work from that computer through out the year, which makes it difficult if such a computer become broken.

I am hoping to use one of the softwares available through the link: http://www.theteacher.co.za/article/computing-made-more-accessible
and have asked my principal to request those software so I can improve our network.

Please advise me.

Your best bet is to go on a course to learn some of the fundamentals concerning Active Directory and other Windows tools. Once you have that, a lot of other knowledge comes via trial and error as well as experience.

Given some time, you can do amazing things with Server 2003, Active Directory and Group Policy.

As for that package, the school I work at got most of that earlier this year. We will be using most of the software when we migrate at the end of this year. If you have to value what is being offered, it is worth a couple hundred grand...

I worked with Novell Netware 3.12 back in the days - was the best.

4.x was sort of ok, but thereafter... nein danke.

At the moment, the Linux distro coming closest to Novell Netware 3.12 is SME Server.

You have a lot of mods and add-ons which you can install on top of SME Server - which can be viewed here.

A Novell server abending for no reason surely is a pain in the behind... and is not fun.

Good luck with your proposals!


PS : Pmail was the best back then

Hey Libs

The choice was made to run Windows on everything except the firewall. We still have to come up with a full action plan though. Luckily end of the year is getting close. Our Netware servers are acting more and more weird lately.

As for Pmail, let me just say that a 95MB attachment is no fun to open. Freezes the whole computer while network activity goes through the roof....

 

[The_Unbeliever]

As for Pmail, let me just say that a 95MB attachment is no fun to open. Freezes the whole computer while network activity goes through the roof....

Back in the days we didn't had any 95Mb pmail attachments then...

Doesn't Novell enforce a limit on email attachments in pmail? Exchange enforces a 5Mb limit, although you can change it to fit.

 

[blackguyza]

You mean I must go to school Asha'man X? Will do that. Thanks.