SLPv2 Configuration

While SLPv2 employs a sophisticated and complex architecture, its configuration in NetWare 6 is quite simple.

By default, NetWare 6 enables SLP in a "small network" configuration. As shown in Figure 4.22 earlier, the default SLP configuration does not include Directory Agents. Instead, it relies on distributed Service Agents to respond to UA service location queries.

However, if you are installing NetWare 6 in a large network, you may consider manually configuring SLPv2 on the following three components:

• SLP DA Configuration

• SLP Client Configuration

• SLP Server Configuration

SLP DA Configuration

In a medium- to large-sized network, SLP Directory Agents provide scaling and remote WAN support. When you configure SLP, all SLP eDirectory objects are created in the same container as the host server. This is fine for small- or medium-sized networks but it causes significant remote traffic delays across WAN links in large networks. As a result, you should consider creating local DAs within each remote site.

In this instance, each remote DA should host its own SLP scope so that local UAs use it for service discovery. In ACME, for example, we will create a unique Directory Agent and SLP scope for each geographically separated Organizational object, including NORAD, Sydney, Tokyo, Rio, and Camelot.

Follow these short steps to configure one or more SLP DAs on your network:

1. Type SLPDA at the NetWare 6 server console and press Enter.

2. When prompted, continue with the default configuration by selecting Yes. At this point, NetWare 6 creates an SLP scope container and the all-encompassing DEFAULT scope.

3. To customize multiple scope names, simply navigate to the appropriate scope object in ConsoleOne and choose Rename. Give each scope a unique and descriptive name and click OK to finish the process. Then, you will need to configure the DA with the name and context of the Scope object.

After your Directory Agents are enabled, it's time to configure User Agents to access them.

SLP Client Configuration

The goal of SLP client configuration is to point each of your client's UAs to the appropriate DA for service requests. This step is trivial (and unnecessary) if you only have one DA on the network, because all clients point at the default DA. However, if you have enabled multiple DAs on the network, you must tell each client where to go for network services.

You can configure Novell clients for SLP in one of two ways:

• Static Configuration Within the Novell Client Properties dialog box of Windows 95/98/2000

• Dynamic Configuration By using DHCP Services

SLP Static Client Configuration

The Novell Client Properties dialog box within Windows 95/98/2000 includes a Service Location tab for manually configuring SLP client data. Follow along with Figure 4.24 as we manually configure these three options:

• Scope List Scopes in this field force the UA to communicate only with DAs and SAs within the same scope.

• Static If you check the Static box in Figure 4.24, the UA only uses scope names in the scope list. If this box is not marked, the UA uses statically configured scopes and any scopes it discovers on its own.

• Directory Agent List This option enables you to precisely identify the Directory Agent IP address or DNS name you want the client UA to use.

Figure 4.24. SLP static client configuration with Novell Client Properties.

SLP Dynamic Client Configuration

As we learned earlier, DHCP allows you to pass a variety of TCP/IP client configuration data to each network workstation. In this case, we can use it to deliver SLP parameters. Follow along with Figure 4.25 as we use DHCP to dynamically pass SLP configurations to Novell clients:

1. Activate the DNS/DHCP Management Console from your administrative workstation and select the DHCP Services tab.

2. Next, select a Subnet object and choose the Other DHCP Options tab.

3. Create a DA option containing the IP address of this client's DA and the name of its Scope object. Click OK to save the changes and to exit DNS/DHCP Management Console.

4. Unload and reload DHCPSRVR.NLM at the server console to enable the new changes.

Figure 4.25. SLP dynamic client configuration with DHCP.

After you have completed the SLP client configuration, there's only one component left the SLP server.

SLP Server Configuration

Just as you statically configure which DA and scope a client uses, you can configure which DA and scope each server uses. This enables you to limit the amount of SLP traffic on your network by creating a DA/scope hierarchy.

In ACME, for example, we want each of the NORAD servers to access the NORAD DA within the NORAD scope for service location data.

To configure NetWare 6 servers to use specific SLP DAs and scopes, use these two commands at the server console:

• SLP Server DA To configure a server to point to a specific DA, enter the following command at the bottom of these servers' SYS:\ETC\SLP.CFG configuration file:

   DA {network protocol},{DA IP address} 

  Then restart your server for the changes to take effect.

• SLP Server Scope Configuration To configure a server to operate within a specific SLP scope, enter the following SET command at the server console:

   SET SLP SCOPE LIST={scope name} 

  Then restart your server for the changes to take effect.

Let's review. So far, we have learned how to manage the network via NetWare 6's cool new Web tools: Remote Manager, iMonitor, and iManager. Then we configured the pavement of the information superhighway using DNS/DHCP. In this lesson, we explored SLPv2 as an electronic GPS system for network service discovery and name resolution.

So what's next? In the final NetWare 6 advanced administration lesson, we will learn how to achieve optimal performance by configuring three high-performance features: multitasking, multithreading, and multiprocessing.