›› Client Service for NetWare

Client Service for NetWare allows computers running Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Home and Professional Editions to use network resources on Novell NetWare networks and servers that are running Novell Directory Services (NDS) or bindery security. This service now allows a Windows machine to interact directly with a Novell NetWare server and not need Novell Client for NetWare to be installed.

Perhaps some further clarification is in order here. Novell, the software company, makes a network operating system (NOS) called NetWare that any server can install. Since NetWare is a network operating system, this means that any server that has Novell NetWare installed can provide network services to the network. For example, a Novell NetWare server can provide print and file services to other computers on the network.

Let's say that you have a computer that operates under Windows. You also just installed the network operating system, NetWare, on a server to provide print and file services to your Windows computer. You now need a way to access the print and file services that will be available to your Windows computer from the NetWare server. However, you have two different computers with two different operating systems and you need to provide a way for them to communicate with each other.

In the past, if you had this problem, you would obtain something called Novell Client for NetWare . Novell Client for NetWare would allow your Windows computer and your Novell NetWare server to speak to one another through certain protocols, thus allowing your Windows computer access to the network resources provided by the Novell NetWare server. Beginning with Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, Microsoft decided to come up with their own version of the Novell Client for NetWare. Thus, Client Service for NetWare was developed by Microsoft to take the place of Novell Client for NetWare to enable people with Windows computers to access network resources from Novell NetWare servers.

Client Service for NetWare enables your Windows machine and the Novell NetWare server to communicate through something called NWLink. NWLink is a combination of the IPX/SPX/NetBIOS protocols. It's these protocols that set the rules as to how packets of information are transferred from one computer to another.

Client Service for NetWare is not needed by the average computer user. This service is only needed if you have a Novell NetWare server and you need to access its resources. Typically, this service is used by businesses with large networks. If you do want to install this service, you can choose to install it when you install the Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP operating systems. If you don't want to install it right away, you can always come back later and install it. If you choose to install Client Service for NetWare, NWLink will also get installed on your system. If Client Service for NetWare is stopped or disabled, you will not be able to access network resources, unless you install Novell Client for NetWare.

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