Installing NetWare Client 4.91 SP5 IR2 on Windows XP Professional
This is the final release of the NetWare client for Windows XP and also the final NetWare client to support IPX. Subsequent clients (for Vista and up) require Native IP (NetWare 5+) and are really targeted at OES rather than NetWare. This client also supports Windows (server?) 2003 and should look and work pretty identically there. Its also pretty much identical to 4.91SP5 on Windows 2000.
Contents
Tools
To follow along you'll need a VM with:
- Windows XP Professional. I'm using the RTM version.
- Bridged networking (IPX won't get through NAT)
Installing
We're starting off with a clean install of the retail release of Windows XP Professional. It wouldn't activate for me (activation servers down?) so we've got the little activation keys in the system tray. I've also isntalled the VirtualBox Guest Additions in order to get acceptable video performance.
First up, download the client
Its available from http://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/novell/clients/nt_4.91/
Novell Client 4.91 SP5 for Windows IR2.exe is the one you want. The other one will work to but its not as up-to-date.
You can just click open and let IE put it somewhere temporary.
Click unzip.
Unzipping...
Done! The installer should run next.
Click Yes.
Choose custom - the Typical install probably won't install IPX support.
The defaults here are fine unless you need Distributed Print Support (I think this was made available for NetWare 4.11 but certainly isn't available on 3.x)
I'm pretty sure NMAS isn't supported on NetWare 4 and older but I'm not 100% sure so I'm going to let it be installed. It won't do any harm but you're probably safe to untick it if you want to save a few megs of disk.
The default here is IP only which won't be much good for NetWare 4.x and older. IPX or IP and IPX are fine choices.
Choose eDirectory for NetWare 4.x and newer, Bindery for NetWare 3.x and older.
Click finish to install!
Installing...
Then click reboot!
Things have changed already!
Starting up...
The NetWare client on Windows XP! Its probably been 15 years since I last saw this. Actually probably I've never seen it - I think I probably used 4.91 (no support packs) or 4.90 back then so the banner at the top was a little different.
More Screenshots
The shutdown button gives the usual options.
Advanced options: eDirectory
Trees button lets you pick an NDS/eDirectory Tree.
Contexts button lets you pick a context within your selected tree
Servers button lets you pick a specific server.
If you've not chosen a tree and context you'll get a list of all available NetWare servers (including pre-NDS servers). NetWare 3 is still supported!
Script tab has some login script options
You can provide some extra variables for the script too
Which windows account to login to
Dial-in to a remote server
Not really sure what NMAS is. I think it needs a newer version of NetWare (6.x or perhaps 5.x)
Login script runs (very quickly)
Logged in!
Network drives are mapped
Network drive context menu
Map network drive: unchanged from prior versions.
Browse for resource to map
NetWare Copy
Network drive properties: General
Network drive properties: Novell Volume Information
Network drive properties: Novell Volume Statistics
Network drive properties: NetWare Info
Network drive properties: NetWare Rights
Inherited Rights and Filters
SYS:\PUBLIC. Windows XP shows the compressed files in blue!
File context menu
File properties
File properties: NetWare Info
File properties: Version and Copyright Information and Check Sum
File properties: NetWare Rights. Not sure why this is empty (it wasn't on Win2k). Probably the client is a little glitchy because I've not applied any of the (probably mandatory) patches to the server yet
File properties: Inherited Rights and Filters
Context menu for a folder
Salvage network files (an undelete/recycle bin kind of thing I guess)
Purge files
My Network Places context menu
We can login some more!
NetWare Connections
Capture Printer Port
Browse for a printer
My Network Places
Novell Connections
Server context menu
WhoAmI
User Administration menu
User Administration: Personal Information
User Administration: Work Information
User Administration: Mailing Information
User Administration: Edit eDirectory Login Script
User Administration: Login Account Information
User Administration: Novell Password Administration
User Administration: Group Memberships
Send a message...
Send message results
Receive a message!
You can reply to the message too.
Server properties
Tree context menu
Tree properties
In the tree is a context!
Context context menu
Context properties
Inside the context is.. everything!
Printer queue context menu
Printer queue properties: NetWare Printer
Printer queue properties: Setup Point and Print
Inside a server is the things on that server.
Enterire network has a NetWare Services icon. I'm not really sure how the correct way to get here is on Windows XP - there isnt an Entire Network icon anymore. Going up from a server lands you here though.
NetWare Services icon lets you see servers and trees
Under NetWare Servers you can see.... all NetWare Servers.
VNW32 is a NetWare 3.2 server so logging into NDS didn't log me in here which is why a bunch of the menu options are greyed out..
If you pick login you'll get a login dialog with most of the tabs gone (the script tab is the same as normal)
NetWare 3.2 server properties
Novell Directory Services just contains all the visible trees. We've already seen the tree.
There is a Novell program group. We've already seen everything there.
And an N icon in the system tray with a contex menu.
The Object Properites thing just lets you pick an object...
to view its properties.
User administration: seen it (except for the Challenge/Response thing - I think thats NMAS related).
Browse to...
Configure tray icon
Novell Client Properties: Client
Novell Client Properties: Support Pack Files
Novell Client Properties: Location Profiles
Novell Client Properties: Advanced Login
Novell Client Properties: Service Location
Novell Client Properties: Service Location: Filters
Novell Client Properties: Advanced Settings
Novell Client Properties: Advanced Menu Settings
Novell Client Properties: Default Capture
Novell Client Properties: Protocol Preferences
Novell Client Properties: LDAP Contextless Login
Novell Client Properties: Single Sign-on
Novell Client Properties: DHCP Settings
Novell Client Properties: DSCAT Contextless Login
Novell Client Properties: Update Agent. This won't ever do anything (no updates beyond SP5)
And thats the latest NetWare client for Windows XP and the last NetWare client supporting IPX.
Disclaimer & Comments
I'm not a netware expert, don't have any of those fancy novell certifications and have never administred a netware network; I've just played with it at home occasionally since 2004 or so. Email me if you've got any suggestsions or corrections for this page or any extra information you think is worth including here. My address is david at this websites domain name (without the www bit of course).