PC Unix and 3Com and Novell networks

[Rich Braun]

martino at logitek.co.uk (Martin O'Nions) writes:
>>> 2) From Unix, can we access the MSDOS files on the novell network?  What
>>>    would be involved?
>
>Requests for NetWare clients on Unix seem to meet with polite, but puzzled
>silences from Novell/OEMs alike. The latest versions of PNW do have the
>APIs necessary to implement a NetWare client ...
>   It should not prove too difficult to
>build a client through something like NFS's VNODE system, but I can't find
>anyone who'll commit to it.

I'm doing my part to put some pressure on Novell product developers.  So
far, my beta test of SOS has gone very well, and about 30 people are
participating.

SOS provides an end run around the Novell Unix client problem, by setting
up an intermediate DOS system capable of exporting network drives to NFS
clients.  It was created by Seemong Tan, stan at cs.uiuc.edu, from the Sun
NFS sources.  I am presently in the process of turning it into a
commercially-useful product in the public domain.

Running an SCO 386 Unix 3.2.2 system against a Netware 386 server, with SOS
running on a third 386, I get 1.6 Mbytes/minute transfer rate when reading
files from the Novell file system and about 1.0 Mb/min when writing.  Those
figures may improve as performance features are implemented.

The Novell server's exported filesystems look to the Unix user just like
any other NFS-mounted filesystem, with limitations like the 8.3-character
DOS filename limit and such.

If you would like to participate in the beta test, send me e-mail.

-rich
rbraun at spdcc.com