NetWare server setup for Macintosh access

How Does It Work

NetWare 6.0 fileservers have disk volumes that can hold data for Windows and Macintosh clients. For all users a specific set of NetWare Client software has to be loaded on their workstation to connect them to the server. Client32 is used for Windows machines, but Novell has not released client software for Macintosh. Prosoft sell a NetWare client for Macintosh, but this does not work on all Macintosh machines.

Novell have addressed the Macintosh access requirement by providing a product called Native File Access. This is server based and allows unmodified Macintosh workstations to see the Volumes on the server via the IP protocol.

Rights to Read and Modify

The folders the users can see and the files they can see and/or modify depend on group memberships. These rights are managed by faculty IT support staff using the MDS tool for NetWare 6 Groups. IT Support staff should use their Authcate login details to access this tool.

Simple Passwords

The simple password uses a reversible encryption known to Macintosh OSes. To set the initial password for the user requires that the IT support staff run ConsoleOne or JRBPASS on a Windows workstation that has had NICI installed.

An alternate methods of setting the password is available via JRB Utilities. For command line scripts, run Z:\SETPWORD.EXE with the /S parameter. For Windows GUI environment, run Z:\JRBPASS.EXE.

Put the desired users authcate account code in the User name field and click on search. This will find the full context of the user. Make sure only the Simple password is being set in the environment tick boxes. Put in the new password to both new and verify fields and click on the change button.

The simple password has to be handled differently to the NDS password. The NDS password never actually passes across the wire in a decrypt-able form. The server only ever recalls an encrypted hash of the NDS password. This means the original NDS password can not be reconstructed to be re-encrypted into the simple password.

Simple passwords will also be synchronised when a password transaction occurs using the general user passwords webpage.