Compatibility Mode


Table of Contents

Introduction

Compatibility Mode on NetWare 4.11/4.2

Planning Migration and Setting Up

Configuring CMD


Introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for migrating from an implementation of NetWare/IP on a NetWare 4.x network to NetWare 5 and pure IP. The software that enables this migration is the IPX Compatibility Mode Driver (CMD).
Note: For the latest information on the IPX Compatibility Mode Driver, refer to Technical Information Document #2944065 found on the Novell Support Connection. Use the Knowledgebase search to find this document.
The IPX Compatibility Mode Driver facilitates migration of IPX-based NetWare and NetWare/IP-based networks to pure IP-based networks. Large networks require a phased IPX-to-IP migration during which IP, IPX, and NetWare/IP networks must co-exist and interoperate. Following migration, CMD continues to support IPX-based applications in IP-based networks.

CMD consists of the following components:

For information on installing CMD on a NetWare server or Novell client, see the following Novell Application Notes: The CMD Migration Agent (MA) provides service information between IPX and IP networks, allowing the disparate networks to interoperate.

The Migration Agent software is installed on a NetWare server and acts as a gateway between IPX and IP networks. This server should be accessible to all clients and servers on both networks so the services provided by each are fully accessible.

The Migration Agent software provides the following:


Compatibility Mode on NetWare 4.11/4.2

To install NetWare 5 on a network that uses NetWare/IP with NetWare 4.11/4.2 servers, you must use CMD. To deploy CMD on NetWare 4.11/4.2, the CMD server component (SCMD.NLM) must be installed as an MA, either in the Backbone Support mode or in a simple Gateway mode.

Note:

The SCMD.NLM can be used only as a Migration Agent on NetWare 4.11/4.2.


Planning Migration and Setting Up

The scope of this document provides a general migration strategy for converting NetWare/IP networks to pure IP. It is not specific to any particular customer scenario. This general strategy might need to be fine tuned for specific customer environments.

We've assumed a branch-office configuration, where central and regional offices are connected through WAN links.

 

 

Example 1: NetWare/IP on WAN ONLY, IPX on LAN

In this example, only IPX-based servers and clients are on the local segments. Two (or more) NetWare/IP forwarding gateways connect the segments to use NetWare/IP on the WAN. A DSS server can exist on either or both segments.

This approach focuses on removing IPX from the wire as early as possible during migration and provides a slow, phased segment-by-segment migration. The key idea is to concentrate on the local segment migrations first and than on the WAN migration. Even though it is preferable to complete the local segment migrations before starting the WAN migration, this approach provides you flexibility to start the WAN migration while local segment migration is in progress. Start with outlying local segments first; then move on to more centrally located segments. Finally, migrate the WAN links.

We recommend the following:

  1. Install a NetWare 5 server with a Migration Agent. This can be an upgraded NetWare 4 server. Do not upgrade the DSS or NetWare/IP forwarding gateway server during this period.
  2. Start upgrading the existing servers to NetWare 5 with IP CMD. The idea is to make all IPX-based NCP communication use CMD.
  3. Start upgrading the clients to IP CMD. Basic communication uses IP, and CMD provides backward compatibility.
  4. If there are still some IPX servers and clients on the network that have not been migrated, the Migration Agent provides the connectivity between newly upgraded NetWare 5 server and clients.
  1. Place another Migration Agent across the WAN link.
  2. Start upgrading the existing  servers to NetWare 5 with IP CMD. The idea is to make all IPX-based NCP communication use CMD.
  3. Start upgrading the clients to IP CMD. Basic communication uses IP, and CMD provides backward compatibility.
  4. Implement SLP scopes and IPX filtering on the MA to enable DSS filtering and IPX filtering.
  5. Upgrade the NetWare/IP forwarding gateway servers on both sides of the WAN segment to NetWare 5 pure IP.
  6. Remove DSS dependencies from both sides of the WAN.
  7. Once there are no IPX-based applications or NetWare 4 servers on the LAN segments, you can remove CMD from the local servers and clients.
  8. If you have a single server site, complete the WAN migration first, then start migrating the IPX clients in the segment to IP CMD.

Example 2: NetWare/IP on WAN and LAN

In this example, NetWare/IP is the transport protocol on the WAN and the LAN. NetWare/IP servers and clients are on the local segments. Two (or more) NetWare/IP servers (not necessarily on the forwarding gateway) can be connected through the WAN link.

Example 2 is similar to Example 1. The main difference is the MA is running on a NetWare 4.11/4.2 server rather than on a NetWare 5 server. Again, the migration starts with the local segments and continues with the WAN segments.

We recommend the following:

  1. Install a Migration Agent on an existing NetWare 4.11/4.2 server. The MA must also be a NetWare/IP forwarding gateway to ensure connectivity between the IP and NetWare/IP networks during migration.
  2. Migrate the NetWare/IP server (except the DSS server) to NetWare 5 with IP CMD.
  3. Migrate the clients to IP CMD.
  4. Upgrade the DSS server after NetWare/IP has been totally removed from the network.
  5. Repeat the first four steps on the other LAN segment.
  6. Once the migration on the local segments on both sides of the WAN is complete, remove the MAs from the WAN, and  if there are no IPX-based applications or NetWare 4 servers, remove CMD from the local servers and clients.

Example 3: NetWare/IP on WAN, IPX/NetWare/IP mixed on LAN

In this example, NetWare/IP is the transport protocol on the WAN. Both IPX and NetWare servers and clients are present on the local segments. The NetWare/IP forwarding gateway connects the local segments on the WAN.

Since the LAN is a mixed implementation of IPX and NetWare/IP, a combination of the approaches proposed for the first two scenarios can be applied here.


Configuring CMD

Enabling the Migration Agent

By default, loading SCMD.NLM makes a server a simple CMD server. To force it to act as an MA, load it with the following options:

Setting the CMD Network Number

By default the CMD IPX network number is set to FFFFFFFD. This can be changed either through the MONITOR utility or, while loading the module, type the following command at the console prompt:

LOAD SCMD /NET=XXXXXXXX

Setting SAP Filters

Set SAP filters using the FILTCFG utility on the server. There is no special configuration required by the SCMD.NLM. Incoming and Outgoing filtering cannot be done on the SCMD interface. Incoming filtering has to be done on the IPX interface.

Setting IP Backbone Support

Ensure the following: