Phase I: Choosing the Correct NetWare 6 Settings

Test Objective Covered:

5. Install NetWare 6.

In Phase I, you will get things started by executing the INSTALL.BAT file, accepting the license agreements, and loading the core NetWare operating system. Then, you will select a plethora of general NetWare 6 settings, including installation type, server address settings, regional parameters, the mouse type, and video mode.

Step 1: Begin the Installation

To begin the NetWare 6 installation process, insert the NetWare 6 Operating System CD into the CD drive (or log into the network if you have stored the NetWare 6 installation files on an existing server), and enter the following command at the prompt:

 INSTALL 

REAL WORLD

The INSTALL.BAT file is located in the root directory of the NetWare 6 Operating System CD. If you have a bootable CD, you can boot off the CD to load the installation program automatically rather than manually executing the INSTALL.BAT program as indicated.

You'll notice that the installation program displays the initial screens in text mode. Autodetected and/or default settings appear on each screen. You can either accept the autodetected and default settings or you can modify them to meet your requirements. To navigate a text screen, use the arrow keys on your keyboard. To select a menu choice, highlight the desired option and press Enter. To toggle between predetermined values in a field, highlight the field and then press Enter to toggle to the next value. See the bottom of each screen for further information.

TIP

The NetWare 6 installation program is available in several languages. If you have an international version of the program, a NetWare Installation screen eventually appears, giving you the opportunity to select the language to be used during installation. Later in the installation process, you will be given the opportunity to install other language options, such as the language for the operating system and for the Admin user. Also note that whichever language the Admin user selects becomes the default language for all the objects he or she creates.

Step 2: Accept the License Agreement

At the beginning of the installation process, you are asked to agree to the terms and conditions contained in the NetWare 6 Novell Software License Agreement. Press F10 or select Accept License Agreement, as appropriate, to indicate that you have read the agreement and accept its terms and conditions. (The appropriate choice will depend on the method you used to start the installation program.)

The installation program then checks the server's first hard disk to verify that it has a valid boot partition and adequate disk space. When a screen appears indicating that a valid boot partition has been found, select Continue with Existing Partition.

When the JReport Runtime License Agreement screen appears, press F10 to indicate that you have read the agreement and accept its terms and conditions.

TIP

NetWare 6 contains two license agreements: the NetWare 6 Novell Software License Agreement and the JReport Runtime License Agreement. The first agreement is a binding contract between you and Novell for use of the NetWare 6 operating system. The second agreement gives you permission to use the following two Java components with NetWare 6: JReport Engine Bean and JReport Result Viewer Bean.

Step 3: Select the Installation Type and Method

When the Welcome to the NetWare Server Installation screen appears (see Figure 1.4), you are given the opportunity to select the installation type (Express or Custom) and the installation method (New Server, Upgrade, or Pre-Migration). The default installation type is Express and the default installation method is Upgrade. Let's take a closer look at each of these options.

Figure 1.4. Step 3: Selecting the installation type and method.

Understanding Installation Types

The Express installation option autodetects drivers, uses default settings, and installs default software programs, including:

• SYS Volume Size: 4GB (any remaining disk space is left as free space)

• LAN and Disk Drivers: autodiscovered and loaded

• Default Products Installed:

  • Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS)

  • NetWare Administration Server

  • Novell Advanced Audit Services

• Country Code: 1

• Codepage: 437

• Video Mode: VGA Plug and Play

• Keyboard: United States

• Mouse: autodiscovered and loaded

The Custom installation option enables you to select advanced configuration parameters. This option can be used to install NetWare 6 on a new computer (which is the method described in this chapter) or to upgrade an existing computer running NetWare 4 or NetWare 5 (which is described in Chapter 2.)

Understanding Installation Methods

The NetWare 6 installation methods shown in Figure 1.4 include

• New Server Installs a new server from scratch. Creates a new NetWare partition for the SYS: volume but does not delete system partitions or other partitions (such as DOS, Unix, or Windows). If you select the Express Installation option, you can skip to "Step 10: Name the Server."

• Upgrade Upgrades a NetWare 4 or NetWare 5 server to NetWare 6. This option retains all original server data such as partitions, volumes, directory structures, and files. (See Chapter 2.)

• Pre-Migration Prepares the destination NetWare 6 server for migration from an older source server at a later date. (See Chapter 2 for more details.)

Review the values listed on this screen and modify them as necessary. At the end of this chapter, we will perform a NetWare 6 custom installation from scratch.

Step 4: Specify the Server Settings

The Server Settings screen appears next, listing the following default values:

• Server ID Number: (random number up to 8 hexadecimal digits)

• Load Server at Reboot: Yes

• Server Set Parameters: Edit

Some of the information that you may want to keep in mind regarding these options includes

• Server ID Number This is a unique number that identifies the server on the network. It functions like an internal IPX number and can be up to eight hexadecimal digits in length. You may want to replace this randomly generated number with a specific one in either of the following situations:

  • Filtered Environment In a filtered environment, you may find it convenient to assign each server an easily recognizable server ID number. In such an environment, routers between network segments are configured to forward only data that is originated by certain computer addresses. Data sent from other computer addresses is not forwarded to other segments.

  • Numbering Scheme You may find it useful to develop a numbering scheme that identifies servers by location, organization, or other characteristic. For example, you might want to designate that all servers in building A begin with 0101, all servers in building B begin with 0102, and so on. Keep in mind that the hexadecimal Server ID number supports alpha characters from A through F, so you may want to create word schemes in addition to numbering schemes.

  TIP

  Later in the NetWare 6 installation process, you will be given the opportunity to select which protocol(s) to install. If you select IP but not IPX, the SERVER ID reference is removed from the AUTOEXEC.NCF file and is not used. If you want to add IPX at a later date, you will need to add the SERVERID 8_digit_number command after the SERVERNAME command in the server's AUTOEXEC.NCF file.

  
  

• Load Server at Reboot If you select Yes (the default), the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are copied and renamed with a .00x extension. The original AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are then updated so the NetWare operating system automatically loads when the server boots. If you select No, the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are not updated.

• Server SET Parameters SET parameters may need to be modified for device drivers such as network boards or storage devices in order to complete the installation. SET parameters are saved in the server's STARTUP.NCF file.

REAL WORLD

If you attempt to access the NetWare 6 installation files from a server on a different network segment, you may discover that you are unable to reconnect to the server to complete the installation until you specify an unfiltered server ID number.

Step 5: Select the Regional Settings

The Regional Settings screen appears next, as shown in Figure 1.5. Regional settings are used to customize server language and keyboard settings. If you are located in the United States, the default values are as follows:

• Country: 001 (USA)

• Code Page: 437 (United States English)

• Keyboard: United States

Figure 1.5. Step 5: Selecting regional settings.

Step 6: Select the Mouse Type and Video Mode

During the next few steps, the Installation Wizard attempts to automatically detect certain types of hardware devices and to load the appropriate drivers. Other drivers must be selected manually.

Figure 1.6 shows the first of three consecutive driver screens. This first screen lists the server's autodetected mouse type and video mode parameters. Following is a brief description of each:

• Mouse Type Although the installation program supports USB, PS/2, and serial mouse types, a mouse is not required (although it is recom mended). Optionally, you can use the keyboard's arrow keys to control pointer movement. The default is Auto (autodiscovered and loaded).

• Video Mode The installation program is optimized to work with video display hardware that is VESA 2 compliant. Because the installation program does not attempt to autodetect the video mode, you will need to select the appropriate setting manually. The default is VGA Plug N Play.

Figure 1.6. Step 6: Selecting mouse type and video mode.

Review the values listed on this screen and modify them as necessary.

The Installation program then copies a number of server boot files from the CD to the C:\NWSERVER startup directory. These include files such as SERVER.EXE, disk drivers, NWCONFIG.NLM, NWSNUT.NLM, VREPAIR.NLM, and other NetWare Loadable Modules (NLMs).

This completes the first six steps of NetWare 6 installation, and Phase I. Now, we move on to platform support and NetWare storage.