Hi All

From the land of the strange, I bring you another network intrigue.

I go on holidays. While I am away we have a server crash. When I come back my AREV dev app will not work. I get errors like FS466 Open revboot media failed.

My AREV test app was working fine, once I remembered the user id and password for it.

Last time we had a server crash like this, I had to go round all the machines that use revelation tech stuff and force the network settings for the IPX 32 bit protocol to use ETHERNET_802.2 in the frame types.

This time I found that the AREV dev app was using IPX/Advanced Netware in the LANPACK bit, while the AREV test app was using Novell Netware in the lanpack bit. They both used to work and I don't remember mucking round with this stuff. (Can't remember doesn't mean I didn't though). So I changed Dev to use the Novell Netware and this fixed the FS466 problem.

In the meantime I thought I'd better check on the OI app. This is working fine with Netdrv.exe set to use IPX/Netware Multiuser V1.14. When I checked for the NLM being active, we have FFFFFF's in the table definitions which should be good. Except, and it has always been like this, if I use the revparam files the OI app dies (with the boot media failed error, I think).

Does anyone know why server crashes re-arrange what network settings work?

Does anyone know why revparam files only work sometimes?

Does anyone know if we would have to upgrade the NLM if we go to Novell 5.x?

PC is windows 95

Network is Novell 4.11 (I think)

Scott, LMS

Flat tyres in corners on dirt roads make LandCruisers roll - ouch, ouch, ouch.

Scott

1. You need to be using the IPX driver to properly communicate with the NLM driver.

2. I remember a site that was using the old Novell NetWare driver and even with Revparam ServerOnly=True setting if they manually stopped the NLM they could get in which the NLM shouldn't allow. At the time I put it down to a very old version of the Novell Netware arev client and correctly installed the IPX 1.5 driver.

3. If you persist with the older Novell NetWare driver and the NLM you are asking for trouble and possibly GFEs as it is only the IPX 1.5 driver alongside the NLM that will prevent this.

4. We have several customer sites who moved from Novell 3/4 to Novell 5 and still use the 1.5 NLM. They simple reinstalled it on the new server. It may be that the NLM 5 gives better performance but not that I have noticed.

Tony

Hi Tony

Hmm, I am using the IPX client in windows, and on the OI app, and the NLM, but strangely, the AREV stuff (Lanpack) has to be set to Novell Netware or the AREV won't work. This doesn't make any sense to me but it must be logical to our computers. This didn't happen before the server crashed (somebody turned the power off without warning). We could probably use a new server (among other things), but we are in a spending freeze.

From my discussions with various Rev Tech people, the NLM 5 (5 to go with Novell 5) shows improvement when you are using windows 2000 on the client PC and Novell 5 on the Server. I have recorded a profound slowness using Windows 2000 client, NLM 1.14 and Novell 4.11 compared to Windows 95 client and same network stuff.

My main client is moving to windows 2000 client PCs and may be able to co-ordinate this with a move to Novell 5 and the NLM 5, but I think a glacier moves quicker.

Scott, LMS

Very odd. Do you have RevParam ServerOnly=1 in the AREV directory? If so what happens when you stop the NLM can you still get in?

Also does locking work correctly between say and OI/IPX driver and an AREV/Netware driver session?

Maybe you should try re-installing the IPX driver into Arev.

We've noticed the slowdown with any NT/2000 client and the NLM but only in OpenInsight- which I gather is being fixed I think in the next Works release. The AREV applications seem fine.

Tony

Very odd.

Yes odd. Computer systems can be very mysterious, but then most of them are built and programmed by people.

Do you have RevParam ServerOnly=1 in the AREV directory? If so what happens when you stop the NLM can you still get in?

I don't have revparam files set up for my dev OI. My main OI client does have revparam with serveronly=1 in it, and their app won't work without it. But my (test) copy of their data back here, won't work/start with it. Although my test copy shows FFFFFFs in the SYSTABLE records. Which is supposed to mean it works. This client doesn't have major locking problems except when things crash.

My main AREV client has revparam files with the following:

Readonly=False

Serveronly=True

Which presumably works. The only locking problems they seem to get are from crashes and from some bad program design (before my time on this app).

My AREV test app here has revparam, this is the one that had Novell Netware (instead of the IPX/Advanced Netware). It contains the following

Readonly=False

Serveronly=False

But there are no FFFFFF's in the systable records. Hmm.

My AREV dev app does not have revpram. This is the one that broke. It had the IPX/Advanced Netware driver.

Also does locking work correctly between say and OI/IPX driver and an AREV/Netware driver session?

I haven't tried this yet. Most of my clients are using either all OI or all AREV.

Maybe you should try re-installing the IPX driver into Arev.

Hmm, I thought the NLM stuff got installed on the server not the application. You are probably right about this since the test databases are mostly copies of client live apps, which would have newer better brighter NLM stuff which doesn't match the NLM 1.14 on our server. Ok as soon as I figure out what you mean by "re-installing the IPX driver into AREV" and find the install disk, I will have a go at this.

We've noticed the slowdown with any NT/2000 client and the NLM but only in OpenInsight

You are right. It was the OI app that had most of the problem, I didn't notice much difference with the AREV app.

which I gather is being fixed I think in the next Works release.

Bags and Cats. I thought that the OI problem with Windows 2000 and Novell was fixed if you buy the NLM 5 and upgrade the LAN to Novell 5. I wasn't sure that changes to OI itself was going to make a difference but maybe this is why some of the Sprezz team have started speaking Assembler again. If it were not for funding freezes, I'd get back on the works program and be able to keep up with this stuff properly. (insert rude words about lack of funding here).

Scott, LMS

Scott

]]Ok as soon as I figure out what you mean by "re-installing the IPX driver into AREV«

The NLM install disk(s) allows you to install the server and workstation component. AREV INSTALL /XM4096 from DOS and then don't install the Server part (as it is already there) but do install the workstation side which re-installs the IPX driver. Then use AREV LANPACK /XM4096 to change to that driver.

Tony

Hi Tony

Thanks

Disk hunt in progress…

Scott

I prove every day that I don't know everything.

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