Netware 4.11 login issues

Hi ShineOn,

Here are the answers

1)  Are you using the Novell Client32 on the Windows server, and is it a recent enough version to support Server 2003?

Yes, it's the most recent patched client install

2)  When you install the Novell Client32 are you installing it Custom, selecting only IPX, NDS, and deselecting all optional settings especially NMAS, and if the client has it, all ZEN features and iPrint/NDPS?

No, this was installed as a default install


3)  Are the messages you're experiencing, that you posted, from the login script window?

Yes, they are

3a)  Are you using container login scripts or a profile login script?

Not sure, how do I check.......we have a default login script for the organisation that sits at the top of NWADMIN

3b)  In the login script that's running, do you have "NO_DEFAULT" or not?

Nope

3c)  In the login script that's running, at the top (after NO_DEFAULT" add:
MAP DISPLAY ON
MAP ERRORS ON


Can't seem to do that.....it says that "an attempt to open a file to save the login script failed"

No other machine has it open........any ideas ?

4)  Is the login happening initially to Server4 or is there an ATTACH command in the login script?  If there's an ATTACH command, then it's destroying the NDS connection and reverting it to Bindery which will make for unpredictable results (other than the predictability of there being problems.)  With NetWare 4.x shouldn't ATTACH to another server unless it's actually in another tree.  Just having mappings to the other server(s) will attach your already-authenticated session to them - taking up a license on those servers of course, because of the lousy per-connection licensing model Novell used with 3.x, 4.x and 5.x.  

There's no Attach command in the login script

5)  If it's hanging because it can't get resources on server4 (after initially logging in to the other server) then you should see errors displaying to that effect, once you add the two settings to the login script from 3c).  Post those back and we can diagnose the cause.

Error I did  see was that it could not set the workstation date and time.

ShineOn, again, thanks for your help
Si

Then maybe it's not hanging.  Maybe the login script window just isn't closing.  

Can you close the window with the "close" button?  If so, then it's just  staying open because there's an error.

The Novell client can't set the time on a Windows 2003 server.  You have to find a different method to keep NetWare and Windows in sync.  With modern NetWare it's not too difficult because NW 6 and later use NTP protocol, so if you're getting your timesync time  from a trusted source like a stratum 2 server, you could either set up your Windows server(s) to also use the same time source or, if NW6 or later, set up your Windows server(s) to use the NetWare single or reference timesync server as the NTP time source for the Windows server(s).  

Regardless, the server won't take the set workstation date/time directive from the Novell client / login script, so it will post an error, that can be otherwise ignored.

Hi ShineOn,

I can't close the message box.....nor does it finish booting in to Windows.....I have to use Ctrl-Alt-Del and bring up task manager then run explorer.exe from within that to get into windows.

Time is not an issue as i have the 4.11 servers running SNTPTIME  that takes the time from the Windows server in question and then distributes it around for the workstations.

I can't seem to disable the client on the server from getting the time syn instruction from the NW client when it logs on........

First off, I suggest you reinstall the client Custom (not Typical) and select IPX only and deselect all sorts of nifty stuff, especially the aforementioned NMAS.

Be sure to use add/remove programs to remove the client AND NMAS and NICI before you reinstall Custom.

Second, in the Client32 Properties, make a few changes:

On the Advanced Login tab:

1)  Set "Copy NetWare Username to Windows"  Off.  That way you can choose to log in to Windows with your domain/forest Administrator account while using a totally different account to log in to NetWare.  
2)  If you don't want to have to log in to NetWare just to boot your Windows server, set "Initial Novell Login" to Off.  This way, to access NetWare resources you have to log in separately via the "N" menu or through the login executable, or force a login box to appear by persistent-mapping a drive to NetWare in Explorer or (preferred) via the Novell Map Network Drive feature of the "N" menu.
3)  Set NMAS authentication to Off.
4) Set "Remember Workstation Only" to Off. (just for kicks.)

On the Advanced Settings tab:

1) Set "File Caching" to Off and "File Commit" to On.  This disables client-side Opportunistic Locking which can be quite problematic on NetWare 4.x (or other flavors for that matter.)
2) Set "Set Station Time" to Off.  <<==== THIS IS YOUR TIME FIX.

On the Protocol Preferences tab:

Make sure only IPX shows, in the preferred box,  and in the protocol box.  The protocol component (naming) settings should be NDS and SAP.  If Bindery is there, deselect it so only NDS and SAP are highlighted.  

Save the changes, which (being Windows) will probably require a reboot.

Found out the clients were using the wrong IPX address, they had set the IPX network address as the same address as the Servers which was causing conflicts.

set them all to Feff0306 and now it works luverly !

Cheers
Si