rossiter_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (05/24/91)
We are a site with two servers running 2.15c, 40ish DOS PCs and 100ish MACs that float on and off the network. We have had a maximum of about 80 total at any time. We recently installed Name Service, and found that in addition to making the MAC Network Control Centre basically useless (which at least we were warned about in the documentation), MACs are unable to succesfully change their passwords. If a MAC user changes his/her password, the system starts using up grace logins (wihtout ever getting a message back to the user - even if the Netware DA is installed) until the user is locked out without ever knowing why. While we installed Name Service to synchronise the servers for recoverability purposes, and to make sure we would not have to retype 350 usernames back into the system if we upgraded to 3.11, we ended up having to use Netcon to unlock the account, and then log in the username at a DOS machine, and change the password on the DOS machine after the addition of the second server to the domain randomised even the passwords which the MAC users had dutifully changed after the first server was "Name Service"d. As our passwords on all machines will start to expire again in another 48 days, we need to know whether there is a gracefull way out of this problem. We think the best way is to move forward to 3.11, because the "glossies" all say that everything works better/faster/easier under 3.11 and the vaunted Apple sourced I/O stacks in the NLMs. Has anyone out there had experience with a mixed DOS/MAC site, under 3.11? And if it is not hoping too much, with 3.11 and Name Service? Does the MAC NCC work any better under 3.11 if Name Service is in place? Is there any reasonable way to keep the servers synchronised and the queues available to all if Name Service is not installed? And (I suppose) finally, does anyone know - IS NOVELL DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?! Our local distributor doesn't seem to be able to get anything worthwhile out of Novell until we hit them on the head (faxwise that is). All we really want is what we thought we were promised under the original Netware 386 announcement (weren't we naive?). If you can answer any or all of the above, we would love to hear from you. Please reply to ROSSITER_P@KOSMOS.WCC.GOVT.NZ. This address is just a mail drop, and none of the problems outlined above apply to the valued providers of this mail and news system. If you have the resources to telephone, we are in Auckland New Zealand - [64] (9) 367-5800, my extension is 6729, and if I am not here you can leave a voice mail message up to 45 minutes long. I will be happy to post the results of any responses to the newsgroup, when I have had a chance to correlate them. Many thanks, Pat Rossiter (the comments and cynicism above are my own opinions, and not those of my employers)