Reviewed
by: Jim
Huddle, MCNE MCSE CBS ES-RC P+
Published
by: QUE
Publishing, Novell
Press
Requires: Intermediate
to advanced knowledge of network operating systems
MSRP: $49.95
I've
always been a big fan of NetWare. I got started with
3.11 and loved it. The best thing about the 4.x series
was the introduction and maturation of Novell Directory
Services (NDS). With the 5.x Network Operating System
(NOS), Novell finally took the IP protocol seriously
and updated printing and other services. With the
6.x series, especially 6.5, Novell has at long last
got the remnants of the Frankenberg era fully behind
them and have moved the world's most secure NOS into
the future.
(Ed.
Note: Jim's referring to Bob Frankenberg, former
CEO of Novell, former VP at Hewlett-Packard. Frankenberg
has been accused of selling off most of Novell's
strengths in favor of vaguely competitive, non-confrontational
co-existence with Microsoft. Of course Frankenberg
also sold off that huge pig that is WordPerfect
- the software that Corel now develops very, very
carefully because it contains so much brittle programming
code that it's rumored to fall apart if a developer
so much as sneezes near his computer. But Frankenberg
was also reviled by many Novell devotees because
it was alleged that the Novell board hired him
primarily to liquidate the company in the wake
of predecessor Ray Nourda's disastrous buying spree.
When you're busy selling things off, most of your
product planning and development usually gets scant
attention.) |
|
If
you are considering updating your Novell network from a
previous version or moving away from the much less secure
and troublesome offering from Redmond, then you should
take a gander at this book.
While
the book is marketed through Novell Press it was published
by QUE and the style definitely shows it. One of my biggest
complaints with Novell's documentation is that while
they have always been outstanding on theory and networking
concepts they have also always been lousy at providing
procedural methods for setting up the NOS and its various
components. Maybe it's the relationship with QUE and
maybe it's the ongoing integration with Linux, likely
both, but this is the first official Novell Press tome
I've ever read that actually clearly shows you how to
do things. While QUE lists the reader level at Intermediate
to Advanced it appears to me that anyone who has done
any networking at all could use it to set up a NetWare
server and implement the various features of the NOS.
The
book weighs in at 728 pages including appendices and
has another 46 pages of index. There's no basic networking
information so if you are short in this area don't expect
to learn it here. What the book does is concentrate on
installing and using NetWare 6.5. It covers all the services
that come with NetWare, including user management, eDirectory
(what NDS is called now), file and print services, web
services, multiprocessor and clustering support.
Details
on setting up and using the various components provided
with the operating system are clear and well written.
Each major service gets its own chapter and most chapters
have an Instant Access section at the beginning, pointing
you to what to use and where to go to quickly implement
or manage the chapter's subject material. One of the
things that continue to irritate long-time NetWare Admins
is Novell's flip flopping on what utility to use to manage
the server. Is it NWadmin, Console One, or now, iManager?
The Instant Access sections help nail that down. While
it currently appears that Novell's long term strategy
is now web based administration, there are still things
that are better done with Console One. If you would like
to try the NOS, go here.
The files are in .iso format and you can burn them to
CDs. CD1 is auto booting. Have fun.
My
organization migrated to NetWare 6.5 late last year.
While it went well, it would have been very nice to have
this book available at the time. Many of the questions
I had before and during the migration are answered here.
Recommended.
