This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Basic Installation Steps
Regardless of whether you are performing a new server installation, an upgrade, or a premigration server installation, in either express or custom mode, the installation is started the same way. As mentioned earlier, booting from the Operating System CD runs INSTALL.BAT to launch the installation process.
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the prompts and requirements for installation depend on the type of installation selected. This section assumes that a new computer is being installed as the first NetWare 6 server in an existing tree. To fully cover the installation process, this section describes the custom installation/new server combination:
The first prompt presented after bootup asks you to select whether to load support for IDE CD-ROMs, SCSI CD-ROMs, or both. Press I, S, or B, as appropriate for your server configuration. If you do not select an option in 10 seconds, both drivers are loaded automatically. On the next screen, select the appropriate language for the installation and press Enter. By default, you can install NetWare in either U.S. English or another language (Spanish, French, or Portuguese are standard options). Make the appropriate selection and press Enter.
The next screen gives you the opportunity to review the terms and conditions of the NetWare 6 license agreement. Press Enter to read the agreement, or select Accept License Agreement and press Enter to continue.
Because the server has not yet been configured with an operating system, no bootable partitions were found on the system's hard drive. Select Create a New Boot Partition and press Enter. By default, the boot partition size is set to 200MB. However, based on the information developed in the planning stages of the installation, it is likely that you will want to change this option. Select Modify, change the new DOS partition size to the appropriate setting, and press Enter. Note that the amount of free space left on the disk has changed. Select Continue and press Enter. When you are asked to confirm the creation of the new partition, select Continue and press Enter again. Before you can use the new partition, the system must be rebooted. Press any key to reboot. The new partition is formatted, and a basic set of operating files is copied to it; these files are used to start the server in installation mode.
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When the installation starts, you are presented with the JReport Runtime license agreement, as shown in Figure 3.5. Use the arrow, Page Up, and Page Down keys to navigate through the license agreement. After you review the agreement, if you accept the agreement, press F10.
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Figure
3.5 You need to accept the JReport license agreement to continue the installation.
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The Welcome to the NetWare server installation screen is next. This is where you specify the installation type. To change from express to custom, press Enter. Also specify New Server, Upgrade, or Pre-Migration system. After you make the desired selections, select Continue and press Enter.
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Next, you are given the opportunity to specify the first set of a series of server settings. In this set, you can specify the server ID number, whether to load the server at reboot, and whether to add lines to the STARTUP.NCF file when it is created. The server ID is used on Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) networks with legacy applications to uniquely identify the server on the network. It is a hexadecimal ID of up to eight characters that is automatically generated during a new installation. You can change this number, as long as the new number does not conflict with the number of another server on the network. There may be instances in which you would not want to load SERVER.EXE each time the machine starts. For example, you might have a test server on which several different configurations are loaded. If you choose not to load SERVER.EXE automatically, you can choose the configuration you want to start. But generally you'll want to load SERVER.EXE each time the system starts. If the server hardware documentation indicates that specialized SET parameters are required, select Edit to produce a configuration window. Include the lines to be added to the STARTUP.NCF file, and then press Esc and then Enter to save changes. Select Continue in the Options box and press Enter.
NOTE
When you perform an upgrade, you are not given the opportunity to change the server ID number. However, there is an option that is not presented during a new server installation: the location for the backup startup directory. This option allows you to retain the configuration settings from the previous NetWare installation, so that you can use them as a reference if necessary. When you are confident that the configuration is stable, you can delete the backup startup directory from the partition.
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Regional settings are used to specify the server's configuration for things such as keyboard layout. The defaults are loaded based on the language specified at the beginning of the installation. Accept the default regional settings (shown in Figure 3.6) and press Enter to continue. Next, specify the mouse type and video mode for the server. By default, the mouse selection is set to Auto and the video mode to Super VGA Plug N Play. Although a mouse is not required, it is recommended for the server. NetWare 6 supports universal serial bus (USB), PS/2, and serial mice. If the mouse selection is set to Auto, the server attempts to locate a mouse during the graphical interface load. It cannot, however, detect the video mode, so it is important that you choose the correct configuration for your hardware. Aside from the default, the installation program supports Super VGA at 800x600 and Super VGA at 640x480. To adjust either of these settings, highlight it and press Enter. After the server is installed, these settings can be changed, but an incorrect setting at this point could make the remainder of the installation more difficult. Select Continue and press Enter. The system begins copying files to the DOS partition.
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Figure
3.6 Regional settings default to U.S. settings.
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When the file copy is complete, the NetWare installation process scans for system devices, after which it displays a list of three device categories (Platform Support Module, HotPlug Support Module, and Storage Adapters) and the devices discovered. Every server must include at least one storage adapter module listing, most often IDEDATA. If multiple controllers are installed in the server, the storage adapter driver may be listed more than once. For example, most computers today have two IDE controllers on the motherboard, which means that the IDEDATA driver should be listed twice on these systems. Verify that the device listing is correct for your hardware configuration. If the system scan did not discover a storage adapter, select Modify and follow the steps to add an adapter. Otherwise, select Continue and press Enter.
NOTE
The results of the system device scan might be different for every NetWare installation; not all systems, for example, require Platform Support Modules (PSMs) or HotPlug Support Modules. A multiprocessor system, for example, uses the MPS14 PSM. When you install NetWare 6 on multiprocessor systems, the PSM list should display the MPS14 module.
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The installation program loads the drivers for the devices listed and then performs another scan to identify specific devices, such as hard drives, CD-ROMs, and network boards. Verify that all installed storage devices were correctly discovered by the installation program. Also verify that the network board installed in your server was identified correctly. If the answer is no in either of these cases, select Modify, highlight the device category, and press Enter. Press Ins to add a device to the list displayed. It might be necessary for you to provide the driver if the system did not discover the device automatically. When the driver list is configured correctly, select Return to Driver Summary and then click Continue. The system loads the storage drivers that are specified and scans the hardware for partitions and available space.
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The default SYS: volume configuration is presented (4GB size, NSS file system, and file compression turned off), as shown in Figure 3.7. You can change the size of the partition or change its compression setting before you create the volume from this screen. To put the SYS: volume on a partition on a different drive, select the device at the top of the screen and change its partition settings as necessary. Save any changes by pressing F10 and then select Continue. SYS: is created, and the installation process copies installation and system files to the server. This might take a while, depending on the speed of the server and its components. When this phase is complete, the graphical user interface (GUI) launches automatically.
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Figure
3.7 You need to identify the partition for the SYS: volume.
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The first configuration option in GUI mode is specifying the name for the server. Enter the desired name and click Next. When prompted, insert the License/Cryptography disk and click Next to continue. Cryptography is an essential component of NetWare 6, and you must provide a valid License/Cryptography disk at this point in the installation. If the files are located somewhere other than A:\License, click the Browse button to locate them on the server. When their path is correctly identified, click Next to continue.
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The next screen displays the server's file system configuration, as shown in Figure 3.8. From this screen you are able to modify the SYS: volume configuration and create new volumes by using available free space. These settings are also available through ConsoleOne after the server has been installed. Make any changes desired and click Next to continue.
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Figure
3.8 You need to review the existing volume configuration.
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The next step in the configuration process is to establish the protocol settings for the network adapters identified in step 9. Unlike many earlier versions of NetWare, NetWare 6 does not require IPX for communication. By default, IP is used as the transport protocol on NetWare 6 networks. Select IP and enter the server's IP address, subnet mask, and router address. If IPX is in use, select the check box next to the protocol. The configurations that are established on this screen can be changed after the server installation has completed. Click Next to continue with the installation process.
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Although Domain Name System (DNS) is not required for server operation, you are able to set the server's DNS configuration on the next screen presented. If desired, enter the host for the server and your network's domain name. Also identify the name servers that the new server should use to resolve its DNS queries. Selecting Verify the DNS information means that the server will query the specified DNS servers to validate that the IP address and hostname specified are correct. When the configuration is complete, click Next to specify the time zone settings for the server. Select the correct time zone from the list, indicate whether the system should be adjusted for Daylight Saving Time, and click Next.
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The next step installs NDS on the new server. You need to specify whether the server will be installed in a new tree or in existing NDS tree. If you select New NDS Tree and click Next, you are asked to provide a username for a user who will be assigned the Supervisor right to the tree (the default is Admin), the context for the new server, and a password for the user. If you choose to add the server to an existing NDS tree, you are asked to log in to the tree and provide the context, username, and password for the user with Supervisor rights to the server container. Because the server license files are identified along with the cryptography information, you might not have to provide any additional information on the screen shown in Figure 3.9. However, if you have additional license files to install on the server, identify the path to the files here. When you are done, click Next to continue.
NOTE
There are two types of license files: server and user. The installation process only takes into consideration server licenses, to ensure the server itself can operate legally. User license files are added after the installation to allow connections to the server.
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Figure
3.9 You need to verify the current configuration and install any additional
license files that are needed.
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The next screen allows you to choose which NetWare 6 components to install. As indicated earlier in this chapter, if an upgrade is being performed, the installation process automatically upgrades the currently installed components. If it is a new server installation, the Novell Native File Access Pack (NFAP) and Novell Advanced Audit Service components are selected. If you want to install additional components, select them at this time. When all desired components are selected, click Next to continue. Depending on the components chosen and the current network configuration, additional setting options may be required for the networking components chosen. After you choose any needed options, you are asked to identify the organizational CA object. Verify that the information is correct and click Next.
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On the LDAP Configuration screen, shown in Figure 3.10, you can configure the server to allow clear-text passwords between clients and the eDirectory server. Selecting this setting is not recommended. Make sure the Allow Clear Text Passwords option is not selected and click Next.
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Figure
3.10 It is not recommended that clear-text passwords be allowed to be used
on the network.
TIP
In a secure environment, NetWare components use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption to prevent passwords that are sent over the network from being read by other systems. Clear-text passwords, on the other hand, are transmitted across the network exactly as the user enters them—as readable text. Anyone capturing network traffic would be able to see the password as it is sent across the network. Because the security risk in this situation is so high, it is not recommended that you allow clear-text passwords on a network.
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The next few configuration screens displayed depend on the selected components to be installed. If NFAP was selected, for example, you are asked for the settings for the NFAP components. After the NetWare 6 components are configured, you are presented with the final list of products to be installed. Click Finish to begin copying files and perform the installation. When all files have been copied and the server is ready to run, you are prompted to restart the computer. Click Yes to proceed.