Configuring the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers for use with GoldMine

Document #348, Configuring Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 for use with GoldMine

The Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers are not recommended for use with GoldMine. The FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team cannot assist with issues encountered when these drivers are in use with GoldMine databases. Numerous GoldMine sites have reported issues involving database corruption and/or file and record locking issues that is directly attributed to the use of the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers. It is strongly recommended that the Windows built in networking capabilities be used with GoldMine installations.

Many sites do continue to successfully use GoldMine with the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers configured with the settings outlined in this document. If the IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers cannot be removed then use the recommended settings to configure the workstations. Even with all workstations properly configured with the latest drivers from Novell, it is still possible that GoldMine will not function correctly.

GoldMine issues standard request to Windows to perform read, open, close, and lock operations on files. Windows in turn passes the request to the installed network client, which is responsible for handling the request in a standard manner. Since Windows relies on the network client to perform these actions and GoldMine works through Windows, it is not possible for GoldMine to work around any shortcomings in the network client.

From an administrative and support standpoint it is difficult to ensure that all workstations are properly configured with and have the correct version of the Client. The FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team recommends the Microsoft Client for Netware since it has never proven to be problematic and has a much lower possibility of being configured incorrectly.

By using GoldMine Sales and Marketing or GoldMine 4.0 Enterprise Edition with the client server functionality, the possibility of encountering the difficulties with the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers is greatly reduced. This is due to the data residing on the SQL server in tables and the SQL client software handling the request to perform read, open, close, and lock operations.

Be aware that GoldMine still uses a handful of dBase files when the data is hosted to an SQL database. These files reside in the GoldMine folder and contain information on the users and licensing. After the initial setup of the GoldMine installation, these files rarely change and do not contain any contact information. With GoldMine Sales and Marketing requiring an NT server to host the Microsoft SQL server, there are two possible installations to either eliminate or minimize exposure to the issues with the Novell network clients.

Install GoldMine Sales and Marketing to the same NT server as Microsoft SQL Server 7 resulting in all of GoldMine’s files residing on the same machine. This will eliminate the need for the Novell network client to access the dBase files residing in the GoldMine folder. Workstations that access GoldMine would use the Microsoft network client to access the files and there would be no need to remove the Novell network client.

Minimal Exposure

Install GoldMine to the Novell server and utilize the current installed Novell network client. Keep backups of the dBase files in the GoldMine folder and restore them when issues arise with those files. Update the backups when changes are made to the users or licensing in GoldMine.

Optimal Settings for the IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers

The FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team cannot assist with making changes to the Novell system configuration. The Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers are not recommended for use with GoldMine. The FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team cannot assist with issues encountered when these drivers are in use with GoldMine databases. Numerous GoldMine sites have reported issues involving database corruption and/or file and record locking issues that is directly attributed to the use of the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers. It is strongly recommended that the Windows built in networking capabilities be used with GoldMine installations.

The instructions here detail the optimal configuration for the IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers for Windows 9x for use with GoldMine.

1. In Windows select Start>>Settings>>Control Panel and double click on the Network icon to open the Network dialog box.

2. On the Configuration tab, highlight the Novel Netware Client (or Intranetware) to select it and click on the Properties button.

3. Select the Advanced Settings tab and choose All from the Parameter groups: pull down list if it does not default to All.

4. Highlight each parameter and set the setting as listed in the following table.

Parameter	Setting
Auto Reconnect Level	4
Cache Writes	Off
Close Behind Ticks	0
Delay Writes	Off
End of Job	On
File Cache Level	0
Handle Net Errors	Off
Hold Files	On
Max Cache Size	0
Opportunistic Locking	Off
True Commit	On

5. Click on the OK button to accept the values and return to the Network dialog box.

6. Click on the OK button to close the Network dialog box and restart the machine when prompted to complete the process.

Questions and Answers

A. The issues are with the Novell network client and not the server. One can retain the Novell server by replacing the Novell network client with the Microsoft client for Novell Netware. Most sites will not lose any functionality for Novell by switching to the Microsoft client.

A. The Microsoft client for Novell has very few settings and is easy to setup. The Novell client has been through many revisions since its initial release and has many settings. These settings can be tweaked to increase performance at the expense of causing inconsistent performance. Administration is also increased since the settings need to be adjusted on each workstation that is using the Novell client.

A. Applications make requests to the operating system, which in turn passes the request to the network client. GoldMine and Windows do not have control over how the network client fulfills the request. The expectation is that the network client will handle the request as if the operating system were handling it on the local hard disk. When Goldmine request that a file be closed, it expects the file to be closed. One setting in the Novell network client controls how file close request are handled. This setting allows the network to hold the file open and tells Windows (and thus GoldMine) that it has closed the file. GoldMine can then have issues since it expects the file to be closed when in reality it is still open. The Novell network client does this to increase performance by allowing it to handle request to re-open recently closed files more quickly because it did not close the files to begin with.

Q. If the issues within the Novell client are resolved, will FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team provide support for sites using the client?

A. It would be impossible for the support team to determine when a client calls in with issues attributed to the Novell network client if the client is configured properly on all of the workstations on the network and the workstations are using correct version of the client. With a network of any appreciable size, it is possible that one or more of the workstations was missed during the upgrade process. Because of this possibility, FrontRange Solutions GoldMine Technical Support team cannot provide support for the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers.

Q. I believe that all of the workstations are configured correctly. There are issues with corruption, locking, and/or file opening on our system. The network client cannot be changed form the Novell IntranetWare Client / Client 32 drivers to the Microsoft Client for Novell. What can I do?

A. Connect the server to one hub and then add a single workstation to the hub. Make sure that they can communicate with each other, then re-index GoldMine and attempt to duplicate the issue. Add more of the workstations and network hardware one by one. As each component is added, re-index GoldMine and attempt to duplicate the issue. When the issues are duplicated, remove that piece of equipment and either replace it with another unit or subject it to in-depth diagnostics.

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