With Novell client installed, mapping to a Windows server is slow

Note that EE has a NetWare-specific TA --> http://www.experts-exchange.com/Networking/Netware/

It would be helpful if you mentioned the VERSION of the Novell Client 32, the VERSION of the Windoze workstation, and the VERSION of NetWare on that side of the network. We are Experts, not midreaders, so you need to help us help you.

As Rindi mentioned, modern (v5.x and later) NetWare doesn't need IPX - hasn't needed it since 1999. So if your NetWare environment is using a version of NetWare from 1999 or later, then it may be configured to use TCP/IP exclusively, or in addition to IPX (I know of at least one NetWare v6.5 network that runs IPX on one server to support old HP JetDirect technology - one of those "We'll kill IPX as soon as this old HP printer dies" things; given the lifespan of those old HP printers, it could be quite a wait).

Anyway, when you install the Novell Client 32, select the Custom install, and install it to use the proper protocol for your NetWare environment. Select just one protocol - TCP/IP or IPX, not both. Also, do not install any Client 32 components that your environment doesn't use - for example, if you have not implemented NMAS, then don't install it (uncheck that box during the Custom install).

Ok, here are the specifics:

Server version: Netware 6.5
Novell Client: 4.90 SP2
Workstations: XP Pro
Protocals: TCP/IP only (absolutely no IPX)

We do not install NMAS or any additional component except for NICI.  Any ideas?

Cool...modern NetWare and a reasonable Client 32 version.

Have you tried Client 32 v4.91? Or the "D" update to v4.90SP2?

As for specific ideas....right-click on the red N in the System Tray and select Novell Client Properties.

Select the Advanced Settings tab. Make sure "File Caching" is "Off", "File Commit" is "On". Try turning "UNC Path Filter" to "On" if it is not already on.

On the Protocol Preferences tab, make sure the Preferred Protocol is IP.

I updated my client to v4.91 now.  We do have File Caching set to off.  I thought if File Commit is set to on, it will ensure data integrity but lesson performance.  Anyway, l set File Commit to on and UNC Path Filter to On and, if anything, it seemed slower.  PsiCop, try this on your workstation... type in \\servername\share(of a Windows server) in windows explorer and see how long it takes to pop up the username/password box.  It now takes almost 2 minutes for the box to pop up asking me to log into the server.  I thought it was about 30 seconds before I update the client to 4.91.

Any other ideas?

We don't have a Windoze Domain, and don't load the M$ client, so I'm not able to replicate your situation.

If File Commit and UNC Path Filter being turned on made the issue worse, by all means, turn them back off. UNC Path Filter, in particular, is supposed to help performance, but apparently not in your case.

This TID (http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10052031.htm) also suggests what I think the problem is - the request gets sent to the wrong place, and you have to wait for the timeout before the "right" place is checked. Changing the Network Access Order in the Windoze Network Properties page may be the fix.

You might also try turning just UNC Path Filter back on. But do that separate from changing the Access Order.

>>Changing the Network Access Order in the Windoze Network Properties page may be the fix.

I think you have the right idea, but I'm not sure what you are talking about in the statement I pasted above.

Yeah, as usual, Redmond went and monkeyed with it and moved it elsewhere.

On 2K, right-click on "My Network Places" on the desktop. Select Properties.

Find the active Local Area Connection, single-click on it.

On the toolbar at the top of the window, click on Advanced. Choose Advanced Settings.

Click on the Provider Order tab and re-arrange the Network Providers as per the TID.

You know, I think it was probably around the time Novell came out with the 4.9 client that I started noticing some problems(or maybe it was when I went from 2K to XP).  I noticed that when I would open a drive that had already been mapped to a windows server, it was slow showing the files and folders(maybe 15 to 20 seconds).

Now that I have switched the order so that Microsoft Networks is higher, now when I open a drive that is mapped to a windows server, it is fast.  However, if I open a drive that is already mapped to a Novell server, it opens slowly.  It's like the problem has now flipped.  Can't Novell and Microsoft get along? :(

It is still slow when I try to browse with \\servername\share, but this is not important to me... I just want the drives to map quickly and be able to open the mapped drive immediately.

The good news is that it fixes my slow mapping problem when mapping to a windows server.  The bad news is that if I implement this, everyone's home directory will open slowly because it is on a Novell server.  I tried entering the multi string "BadServer" key, but that did not help.  I wasn't sure how to enter the names and addresses... I put them in this way:

server1
192.168.0.2
server2
192.168.0.3

and I tried it this way:
server1 192.168.0.2
server2 192.168.0.3

I think maybe if I could get the BadServer registry entry to work, it would solve my problem

"Can't Novell and Microsoft get along?"

Which one of those two do you think is the one *deliberately* breaking the other one's stuff? I'll give you three guesses. :-)

There is nothing wrong in backrevving to the v4.83 client, BTW. If the v4.9 client doesn't offer a functionality that you need, then don't run it. Use the v4.83 client.

Note that you put ONLY the Windoze server in BadServer registry entry, NOT any NetWare servers. I'm afraid I dunno the exact format of the entries.

Yes, I only put in the Windows servers because the TID said to put in the MS server names and MS server IPs so the client does not try to talk to them as if they are Novell devices.

At one point we had some issue that required us to move to the 4.9 client.  I believe it had something to do with XP and NAL... maybe nal icons not showing up or not going away, but I don't remember.  I could roll back the client and see what happens.  I think I will try to get the BadServer entry to work first.

Putting the Windows servers into the "BadServer" registry entry did work.  You must be sure that "Bad Server Name Cache Enabled" is set to on in the advance settings of the Novell client(which is on by default).  We had a mapping issue where we had to turn this off, but the mapping problems only happened on Netware 6 servers and now our servers are all 6.5.  The mapping problems that we had were to NetWare servers so I'm not sure why turning this option off fixed the problem.  Anyway, this doesn't seem to be a problem now that all our servers are on 6.5 so I set this option back to on.

When putting in the servers, you can put in the server names, the ip addresses or both.  If you are referencing them by name, make sure you put in the name... if you are referencing them by ip, put in the ip.  I followed the TID that PsiCop posted... I will paste it below.  Make sure the BadServer key is a multi string value.

http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10090785.htm