Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pdn!gumby!dixon
From: dixon@gumby.paradyne.com (0000-Tom Dixon(0000))
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Multiple Novell Servers on on eEthernet
Keywords: LANS, NOVELL
Message-ID: <7415@pdn.paradyne.com>
Date: 21 Feb 90 06:03:00 GMT
References: <539@opus.NMSU.EDU>
Sender: usenet@pdn.paradyne.com
Reply-To: dixon@gumby.paradyne.com (0000-Tom Dixon)
Organization: AT&T Paradyne, Largo, Florida
Lines: 83

In article <539@opus.NMSU.EDU> rocks@nmsu.edu (Dave Rocks) writes:
>	We have several Novell networks spread about on campus. They
>	currently use ELS II, ver 2.12, and have 4 to 8 stations. We
>	recently connected one of these office lans to the campus ethernet,
>	using NCSA Telnet and Packet Driver support to connect the stations
>	to our IBM mainframe databases. Everything works fine and now other
>	offices wish to put their Lans on the campus net. But their are
>	problems putting multiple Novell servers on the same wire. As soon
>	as the second system is fired up, both systems get ROUTER errors and
>	they both hang up. 


We have a similar setup.  Allow me to deed you with knowledge I wish I had
learned before I got it all setup.  

TOPOLOGY:

You have a couple of things to consider before making your topology decision.
First, how much interserver use will there actually be?  If that number is low,
you might want to follow the "typical configuration" as some yahoo vendor 
described it.


  Backbone Ethernet -----+----------------+-----------. . . . 
			 |                |
                      SERVER A         SERVER B        . . . 
			 |                |
       ------------------+                +-----------
      Server A's local Net.              Server B's Local Net.


And so forth.  This buys you one inportant thing.  Your default server is
always your local server.  Other then being about to connect to other
servers, nothing about novell changes.  This cuts your learning curve for
your users. 

OR ----

If you are low on interrrupts or feel like being an idiot like me, you can put
your servers all on one net.  This also saves you the processing load on the 
servers of having to do the bridging, which might be important to you.  It has 
the drawback of losing control over which server connects to you when you run 
netx.  This is minor, but it can confuse users.

Topology Follows:
  
  Backbone Ethernet -----+----------------+-----------. . . . 
			 |                |
                      SERVER A         SERVER B        . . . 


You place the workstations right on the main net.  

RULES OF NOVELL ADDRESSING:  Or... How to prevent router config error...

When you address each server with a network number, youmust can careful.  
If you pick the first topology, you assign a unique number for the local 
networks, and one common number for the backbone.  If you pick the second
option, you simply pick one number for all servers and rock and roll.

Why?  Novell, unlike tcp/ip addresses the network and not the node 
(* sort of... see * below for details) and you must be sure that all 
servers talking to a network agree on that networks network number.  
When a server hears another server advertising on a net with a different 
network error.... ROUTER CONFIG ERROR....  The error includes the ethernet 
address of the offending server and the number the other server thought 
this net was.  It actually is pretty easy to debug, if you know the number
of your network cards in your servers.

* I may be way off but I believe that the nodes actual novell address is 
  something like networknumber.ethernetaddress.  You set the network number
  in the server config and the clients pick it up by listening to the net.
  The servers all babble about what services they offer including router
  configuration (like RIP, but novell).  They don't play nice if they
  don't agree on the network number.....


Hope all this helps.  Flames to me email, I love to learn if you know 
something I missed or trashed.


Tom Dixon
dixon@pdn.paradyne.com