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NetWare Configuration Chapter 4

4.3Configuring the NIC in Novell

Directory Services

Novell Directory Services (NDS) offers a different, more advanced
approach to network management than previous NetWare versions.
Generally, it stores and tracks all network objects. As a rule, all 4.x
servers must have NDS loaded in order to function. In this way, every
NetWare 4.x server is a Directory server, because it services named
Directory objects such as printers, print servers and print queues. With
the appropriate privileges, you can create a print server object, which,
once configured in its context (or location) on the network, eliminates
the cumbersome setup of print servers on every network server. NDS
provides true enterprise networking based on a shared network
database rather than a individually defined physical sites. The result is
greatly improved print server setup and management.
The Directory Information Base (DIB) is used to store information
about servers and services, users, printers, gateways, etc. It is a
distributed database, allowing access to data anywhere on the network
wherever it is stored. Pre-4.x NetWare versions provide the same data
found in the DIB but the data is stored in the NetWare Bindery. The
DIB was designed with more flexible access, more specific security,
and, since it is distributed, it was designed to be partitioned. The
Directory uses an object-oriented structure rather than the flat-file
structure of the Bindery, and offers network-oriented access, rather
than server-oriented access found in the Bindery.
The Directory is backward-compatible with the NetWare Bindery
through Bindery emulation mode. Section 4.2 describes Print Server
Operation with a 4.x NetWare system in bindery emulation mode.
When Bindery emulation is enabled, Directory Services will accept
Bindery requests and respond just as if a Bindery existed on the
NetWare server being accessed. Be aware that information obtained
from the Bindery query may not be stored in the server since the
Directory is a partitioned and distributed database. Even though the
NetWare 4.x server is not operating from a Bindery, the applications
making Bindery requests will not know the difference.
4.3 Configuring the NIC in NetWare
Directory Services
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