Can a Novell Server be made to run Stand Alone?? Calling all Novell Verterns out there!

[Santa]

I am not a Novell guy myself but there is a branch office which still ties into our old companies Novell NDS tree. We are going to be migrating them to 2000 Domain eventually but the hurdle is that we are changing WAN connections here soon and do not want to route IPX if not need be. We want to keep the server up and running to authenticate just for file and print sharing locally but nothing else. Eventually we will move the files and printers off of Novell and placing them on a Windows 2000 Server.

Can this branch office server be made to run solo ??

If so how would I do it and will I need to make any changes to the clients when I do so.

 

[ScottMac]

You should be able to partition the tree and send the applicable chunk of the NDS (partition) to that server, or a complete copy of the NDS tree...if it's not too big.

I don't remember the details, but aside from the bandwidth needed to send it across, my recollection is that it's a fairly trivial/easy process.

I think you can bring up a tree/partition on the remote server, and just sync it to the master. Once the partition / tree have synchronized, I believe you can reconfigure the (new) partition / tree on the remote server as a stand-alone entity.

I haven't done any "real" Novell work since about version 4.something, and my memory of the process is shakey enough I don't want to give you the wrong information. I'm 99% sure you can split or replicate the tree to the remote box, I just don't remember enough of how to do it.

If there's noone else in your place that knows how, call in a Platinum or Gold VAR/consultant (or even Novell has some field folks) that can do the work for you.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Santa]

oh fun..

*sigh* routing IPX over WAN is not fun...

 

[bozo1]

Having done this a number of times before (and don't ask how, it's been 2-3 years!), I'd highly suggest coughing up the money to have someone experienced in the procedure do it or in the least, pay the couple hundred $ and have Novell's support work with you on it. They'll be able to send you to documents on how to do it as well as help you if you have problems.
You are going to need to place a replica of your entire tree on their server and once synced, designate it as the Master, merge all of your partitions, remove your old replicas, etc. NDS gets very unhappy if it can't talk to other servers and replicas.

 

[jweiner]

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I still support a rather large number of Novell servers. No wait! Thats not true. Novell is a ton more stable than anything Microsux has to offer. It just goes to show you how far a sh*tload of marketing and an armfull of monopoly power can force a "non-better mousetrap" into everyones homes. But enough about that...

If your not going to pass IPX/SPX across the WAN, the easiest way is to move a copy of the entire NDS tree over to the stand-alone server, upgrade the replica to a master, set the server as a reference time server, and turn off IPX/SPX at the router.

As bozo1 mentioned, NDS does get cranky if you don't clean up the tree afterwards. As we have sold off plants over the last year, I have done this several times. Just be sure never to turn IPX/SPX back on over that WAN link or all hell will break loose with any existing NDS structure for that tree.

 

[jweiner]

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I still support a rather large number of Novell servers. No wait! Thats not true. Novell is a ton more stable than anything Microsux has to offer. It just goes to show you how far a sh*tload of marketing and an armfull of monopoly power can force a "non-better mousetrap" into everyones homes. But enough about that...

If your not going to pass IPX/SPX across the WAN, the easiest way is to move a copy of the entire NDS tree over to the stand-alone server, upgrade the replica to a master, set the server as a reference time server, and turn off IPX/SPX at the router.

As bozo1 mentioned, NDS does get cranky if you don't clean up the tree afterwards. As we have sold off plants over the last year, I have done this several times. Just be sure never to turn IPX/SPX back on over that WAN link or all hell will break loose with any existing NDS structure for that tree.