[comp.sys.novell] Notify INIT cripples Mac running System 7

beecher@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Ben Beecher) (06/14/91)

The Notify init is distributed by Novell as part of Netware for
Macintosh Version 3.0.  It is required by Mac users who want to
receive messages from the Novell server (e.g. "Server going down in
five minutes").

When this init is installed on a Mac running system 7 the Mac will
become unbearably slow as soon as any network access is attempted.
Mounting a server volume (Appleshare or Netware) will put the Mac into
a constant busy state so that simple operations take several minutes
to complete.  Removing the Notify init and rebooting the Mac solves
the problem.

The same problem occurs when the Mac is using LocalTalk or EtherTalk.

Ben Beecher		beecher@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu
Network Planning	212-854-7439
Columbia University	

seiffert@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (06/14/91)

In article <1991Jun13.211713.28565@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
beecher@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Ben Beecher) writes:
>The Notify init is distributed by Novell as part of Netware for
>Macintosh Version 3.0.  It is required by Mac users who want to
>receive messages from the Novell server (e.g. "Server going down in
>five minutes").
>
>When this init is installed on a Mac running system 7 the Mac will
>become unbearably slow as soon as any network access is attempted.
>Mounting a server volume (Appleshare or Netware) will put the Mac into
>a constant busy state so that simple operations take several minutes
>to complete.  Removing the Notify init and rebooting the Mac solves
>the problem.
>
>The same problem occurs when the Mac is using LocalTalk or EtherTalk.
>
>Ben Beecher             beecher@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu
>Network Planning        212-854-7439
>Columbia University     
>
I discovered the same thing a couple of weeks ago. It turns out that the
"extention" causes the Mac to constantly AARP for an address as if there were
no zones on the network. The really strange part is that the mac can still
comunicate with the net. It's as if part of the Mac knows its address and part
of the Mac doesn't know its address. 

Anyway, I have talked with people at Novell and they have a new version with
the fix in the works. (I'm running a pre-beta version now that seems to be
working fine.) I don't know how long it will take for Novell to complete its
testing but I would assume the new version should be available soon.

Kurt A. Seiffert
LAN Specialist
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN