Screenshots: NetWare Client for OS/2 version 2.12 on OS/2 2.1
I've got NetWare 4.11 running in a VM (excessive screenshots). Now I'm installing version 2.12 the OS/2 client provided on the IntraNetWare 4.11 CD.
This is the final OS/2 client release and it seems to support OS/2 versions 2.1 up to Warp 4 (though I couldn't find any documentation clearly stating it supports OS/2 2.1 - not sure why I didn't pick Warp 4 for these screenshots...)
Contents
Tools
Things you'll need to follow along:
- A VM with:
- OS/2 2.1 installed. Any later version of OS/2 should work fine but will obviously look different.
- A working CD-ROM driver (or some other way of getting the client installer into the VM
- Bridged networking (IPX won't get through NAT)
- The IntraNetWare 4.11 CD-ROM. You can also grab this version (2.12) from the OS/2 Netware Clients page.
Creating the VM and installing OS/2 are out of scope for this document. Primarily because when I tried to create a VM I couldn't get the second stage of the installer to boot - so I grabbed a pre-made VM with CD-ROM support from this website (I do have an OS/2 2.1 license).
I know very little about OS/2 and even less about the NetWare Client for OS/2. I found the install process non-obvious and the client itself a bit unintuitive. I actually had to install the Netware 4.11 documentation CD in a Windows 3.11 VM and read the OS/2 client manual to figure out how to install the thing and login! So its entirely possible there are errors or easier ways of doing things than what I've documented here.
Installing the Client
We're starting from a clean install of OS/2 2.1 with the NetWare 4.11 CD in the drive. Lets find the client setup program!
Drive D is the CD
Products...
OS2...
IBM_6 obviously...
install.exe...
English sounds good. I can read that.
First hurdle: realising this isn't a text editor but the main user interface for an install program. Is this normal for OS/2 installers or is the NetWare client just weird? (This is the first time I've ever installed something on OS/2 before)
Use this menu item to install the client. The process is not nearly as automatic as Client32 for Windows.
Defaults look fine.
The default option is the one we want. I'm sure there must be a valid use case for the options but I can't imagine what that might be. It must be pretty common to warrant asking the user rather than leaving them to do these things themselves.
Time to pick a LAN driver.
The manual must include a table that tells you which SYS file goes with which NIC. Surely. At any rate, PCNTNW.SYS is obviously the driver we want for the AMD PCNET III VirtualBox is emulating.
Onwards!
Good thing there is a help button! Choosing Private means DOS and Windows sessions have their own NetWare logins while OS/2 sessions share another login. Global means all DOS, Windows and OS/2 sessions share a single NetWare Login. Global sounds like a good choice.
The defaults seem fine
no thanks.
This message had me digging through both the OS/2 manual (trying to figure out how to set DOS_LASTDRIVE) and the NetWare OS/2 Client manual (to figure out why I'd want to set it). I'm still not entirely sure how you set it, what you set it to or why. The client seems to work ok if you just ignore this message but I'm sure something important must be broken somewhere...
Defaults look fine but if you need these features check the boxes.
sure, changes to config.sys go in config.sys
I guess this is giving us an opportunity to cancel before it starts copying things.
Copying files.... (in the status bar for the window in the background where the white box shouldn't be)
Yeah, just copy the driver we asked for. Don't need all of them.
Done! We don't need to do any further configuration but if you want to you can edit NET.CFG from the Configuration menu (the "This Workstation..." menu item).
Last thing we've got to do (besides exiting the installer) is reboot the VM
Booting...
Client starting before the GUI...
All done! Notice the new Network and Novell icons on the desktop!
There is an update available for this client, OS2PT2.EXE available from the OS/2 Clients Page. I don't have screeenshots of the install process on OS/2 2.1x but it should be identical to installing the update on OS/2 Warp 3.
How to Login
Because this isn't very obvious.
The best way seems to be to open an OS/2 window
And run the login command
Which looks a lot like the Client32 for DOS login screen
Done! You can now close the terminal. You should be logged in everywhere now!
Win/OS2 File Manager shows network drives
DOS too...
Alternative GUI Login
The other way you can do it is is via NetWare Tools which lives in the Novell folder on the desktop. Note that this method does not run login scripts. If you're using login scripts and you want to run them you must login from an OS/2 window as documented above.
Here it is!
And this is what Netware Tools looks like!
To login, select Directory Tree from the Tools menu.
Then choose Log in... from the Tree menu
And we get a graphical login screen! If it refuses to let you login you might have to navigate into your NDS Tree in the Directory Tree window (as in the screenshot) before opening the login window.
Logged in!
But no mapped network drives because no login script was run!
If you want network drives you'll need to map them via NetWare Tools.
You can save your settings so you don't have to re-map them every time. I guess this kind of provides an alternative to relying on a login script.
More Screenshots
Client Manual Icon
And the client manual itself!
Selected OS/2 Utilities Manual Icon
And the Selected OS/2 Utilities Manual
Install icon...
brings up the installation utiltiy. For making config changes I guess.
Network Printer...
is NPrinter. I don't have any network printers setup in NetWare so its a little empty.
NetWare TSA
Opens the Novell Storage Management Services (SMS) Target Service Agent (TSA) for OS/2. I think this is to allow SBACKUP to backup the workstations hard disk to the server.
NetWare Tools
Lastly, NetWare Tools. We've already seen a little bit of this. Lets have a closer look...
I'm already logged in here.
To map a network drive double click on the disk drive and fill in the boxes...
Printer Ports. Double click one to setup a network printer...
Network printer setup
Servers window. Double-clicking on the server asks if you want to detach. I guess this is intended for NetWare 2.x and 3.x servers.
Directory Tree window
Network Icon
Looks like you can browse the network from the desktop!
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).