Phase I: Choosing the Correct NetWare 6 Settings

In Phase I, you will prepare the server, execute the INSTALL.BAT file, accept the license agreements, and load the core NetWare operating system. Then, you will select a plethora of general NetWare 6 settings, including upgrade type, server settings, and regional settings.

Let's get started.

Step 1: Prepare the Server

Before you do anything, you must back up all the data from your source upgrade computer to an offline storage media. Also, make sure that you install the latest NetWare service pack. Refer to the "Before You Begin" section earlier for more information.

NetWare 6 can be upgraded from the server's local CD drive or from upgrade files located elsewhere on the network. To access the NetWare 6 upgrade files, perform these steps:

1. Install the DOS CD driver for the computer's CD drive onto the DOS partition. (The DOS CD driver should be obtained from the CD drive manufacturer.) After you install the driver, verify that the logical filename of the CD drive specified in the computer's CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files is not CDROM or CDINST.

2. Verify that the CONFIG.SYS file contains the following parameters: FILES=50 and BUFFERS=30.

3. (Conditional) If you plan to upgrade NetWare 6 from upgrade files located on a network, install the Novell Client for DOS and Windows 3.1x or IP Server Connection utility located on the NetWare 6 Novell Client CD, as appropriate.

4. (Conditional) If you plan to upgrade NetWare 6 from upgrade files located on a network, don't forget to copy the files to the desired server. Also, verify that you have the appropriate security rights to access them.

Step 2: Begin the Upgrade

To begin the NetWare 6 upgrade process, insert the NetWare 6 Operating System CD into the CD drive (or log into the network if you have stored the NetWare 6 upgrade 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 drive that meets the El Torito specification, you can boot off the CD to load the upgrade program automatically rather than manually executing the INSTALL.BAT program as indicated above.

Notice that the upgrade 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 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.

At the beginning of the upgrade 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 upgrade program.)

The upgrade 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.

Step 3: Select the Upgrade Type

When the "Welcome to the NetWare Server Installation" screen appears, 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.

The NetWare 6 installation methods available on the screen 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). See Chapter 1 for more details.

• 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.

• Pre-Migration Uses the Migration Wizard to migrate data from an existing (source) server to a new (destination) NetWare 6 server.

Review the values listed on this screen and modify them as necessary. In Lab Exercise 2.1, you will perform a NetWare 6 custom upgrade.

Step 4: Specify the Server Settings

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

• Load Server at Reboot: Yes

• Server Set Parameters: Edit

• Backup Startup Directory (Optional): C:\NWSERVER.OLD

Some information you might want to keep in mind regarding these options includes

• Load Server at Reboot If you select Yes (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 that 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 might 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.

• Backup Startup Directory (Optional): C:\NWSERVER.OLD Location to save old C:\NWSERVER startup files.

REAL WORLD

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

Step 5: Select the Regional Settings

The Regional Settings screen appears next, as shown in Figure 2.11. 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 2.11. Selecting regional settings during NetWare 6 upgrade.

The upgrade 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 five steps of NetWare 6 upgrade, and Phase I. Now, we will continue with platform support and NetWare storage.