SMS: NetWare Clients May Lose Mapped Drives After Connection Attempts to SMS Server Roles (274751)

SYMPTOMS

After logging on to Novell NetWare, and running the Systems Management Server (SMS) script, clients may lose any mapped drives that the logon script may have established. This behavior can occur if you configured SMS to use Novell NetWare 4.x or 5.x servers as Bindery servers (Bindery Emulation), and the users log on to NetWare by using NetWare Directory Services (NDS) connections.

CAUSE

The network abstraction layer (NAL) on the client makes a Bindery connection to the Bindery Client Access Point (CAP) because it does not recognize any existing Bindery connection. This is because the client has an NDS connection to the tree. NAL then detaches from the CAP when it is finished, and this logs the user off of the tree.

NAL operates in a manner specific to the type of network operating systems (NOS). It is not possible to support a situation where a client logs in under NDS, but makes a Bindery connection to an SMS system role (Logon Point, Distribution Point, and CAP).

The same problem would arise if you configured SMS to create NDS-based system roles, and the clients authenticate by using a Bindery connection.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, follow these steps to make sure that the NetWare-based SMS system roles match that of the client connection type:

Switch the client redirector to authenticate in the same manner in which SMS created the NetWare server role. Microsoft recommends that you have the CAP in the same container, depending on which version of redirector is being used.

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When creating the NetWare-based SMS server role (Logon Point, Distribution Point, CAP), make sure to add it as the same connection type that the clients will be using to connect to that NetWare resource. For example, if the clients log on and authenticate to a NetWare 4.x or 5.x tree as an NDS connection, configure SMS to only create NDS system roles, and not Bindery system roles.