Installing Client32 v2.71 on Windows 3.11
This page covers installing and exploring the final released NetWare client for 16bit Windows.
Contents
Tools
To follow along you'll need a VM with:
- DOS 6.22 and Windows for Worgroups 3.11
- Bridged networking (IPX won't get through NAT)
- A NIC thats setup in Windows (I'm using PCnet-PCI II)
Installing
We're starting from a clean install of MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
I downloaded v2.71 (dw271e.exe) from here and used the VirtualBox virtual CD-ROM feature to get it into Windows 3.11. On real hardware you'd make floppy disks or perhaps floppy-boot the VLM client and copy the Client32 installer onto the machine over the network.
I've created a new directory, cli, on C drive
And copied dw271e.exe over into it
When you run dw271e.exe you get a full screen license thing. Type y and hit enter to extract the client installer.
Files are extracted...
And back at file manager if you hit F5 a bunch of files will appear! Run install.exe.
And this is where we find out that Novell forgot to include the Windows-based installer! If you hit enter to exit install.exe and have a look around in the extracted files there is no setup.exe to be found!
So we've got to exit windows and go run install.exe from DOS
CD into the cli directory and run install.exe...
More terms and conditions! Hit enter.
These are the default options. Hit F10 to continue with the install.
We're not doing any of these things today - hit F10 again to continue
There is a 32bit driver for the AMD PCnet NIC so we'll go with that.
This one should do for VirtualBox
It took a bit of trial and error to figure out what these parameters should be - the defaults give annoying errors on startup. If you get an error like this note how you can see the driver loaded in the background ("AMD PCNTNW v4.10"). It gives an important piece of information: "Slot = 2". For whatever reason this value has to be supplied to the driver when loading it (add SLOT=2 to each line in startnet.bat that loads the driver).
Scroll down to the Slot parameter and hit Enter
For the VirtualBox NIC the correct slot number is 2 so type that in and hit enter.
Then hit F10 to continue.
This all looks good. Hit F10 to continue.
Files copying...
Install complete! Hit Reboot the computer!
Success! We're attached to the server via IPX! Lets move on to windows...
A splash screen!
Some new netware stuff. Lets login...
The login screen! Doesn't work though. No errors - just an hourglass and constant network traffic. Perhaps if I left it long enough it would eventually error.
If I switch to DOS, login and logout there, then come back to windows it works fine. Note how there is now a tree name next to the tree label.
So the problem seems to be the windows client not finding my NDS tree for some unknown reason reason. The DOS client can find the tree and once the DOS client has found it the windows client does too. Installing the latest support pack on NetWare 4.11 didn't fix this so it seems the solution is to edit net.cfg:
Then in the NetWare DOS Requester section add a new PREFERRED TREE = line and specify your NDS tree. Save the file, reboot the computer and head back into windows
Looking good now...
And logging in works!
Drives are mapped fine! Installation done!
More Screenshots
Now that its installed and working, lets have a look around the final NetWare client released for DOS and Windows 3.x.
Netware User Tools
Drive Connections
Printer Connections
NetWare Connections
Send Messages
That NetWare Info... button
NetWare Settings (NetWare User Tools)
This is the fourth button from the right with the key
User Tools
NetWare tab
Startup tab. Looks like this is where we'd make the login screen come up when we start windows (Launch on Startup). The Login if Authenticated checkbox looks like it makes you login on startup even if you already logged in from DOS.
Login tab
I send a broadcast message from the server console: send Hello, World! and this is the result:
This menu item in File Manager opens NetWare User Tools
File properties window has a NetWare button if the file is on a NetWare volume
The NetWare button brings up additional NetWare properties for the file.
Disclaimer & Comments
I'm not a netware expert, don't have any of those fancy novell certifications and have never administred a netware network; I've just played with it at home occasionally since 2004 or so. Email me if you've got any suggestions or corrections for this page or any extra information you think is worth including here. My address is david at this websites domain name (without the www bit of course).