How are Files Stored?

DOS helps you organize files by creating directories. The directory structure in DOS is a multi-level tree structure where the directories and the subdirectories correspond to the branches and the files correspond to leaves. The directory structure of Novell NetWare is similar to that of DOS. When we talk about the directory structure in Novell NetWare, we are referring to the directory structure of the file server.

On the server, the top-most level in the directory structure is the volume. Each volume has a unique name. Each file server has at least one volume called SYS. NetWare creates it when the file server is installed. A file server can have other volumes besides SYS.

Why have volumes? Well, to answer this question, let us answer a related question about the DOS directory structure: why have directories and subdirectories? The primary reason is to have a logical storage of files so that a user can easily access them. The same reason applies for NetWare. The difference between DOS and NetWare is that NetWare adds another level on top of the existing directory structure in DOS. Thus you have:

Files, which are in subdirectories, which are in directories, which are in the volumes of a file.

NetWare Directory Structure

Note: The number of subdirectories and files shown in Figure 1.4 is representative and does not indicate the exact situation in NetWare.

Dividing a hard disk into several volumes divides the disk into logical chunks.

Consider an office in which a NetWare LAN is being used by two departments, Marketing and Personnel. Apart from the SYS volume that would be created anyway, there are two other volumes; one for the Marketing department that would contain files related only to the Marketing department, and the other for the Personnel department containing files related only to the Personnel department. The employees in Marketing would have access only to SYS and VOL1 (containing marketing files), the Personnel employees would have access to files in SYS and VOL2 (containing personnel files).

A volume contains directories. In NetWare, the default volume, SYS, contains four directories: SYSTEM, PUBLIC, LOGIN, and MAIL. SYSTEM contains NetWare operating system files, NetWare utilities, and programs that are reserved for the Supervisor. PUBLIC contains program files that help to execute certain utility programs of NetWare. These can be used by regular users. The LOGIN directory contains files that help a user log in to NetWare. MAIL contains program files that help the user use NetWare's E-mail facility.

Apart from these four directories, additional directories can be created in the volume SYS. More volumes (in addition to SYS) can be created on the server hard disk. These volumes in turn, have their own directories. It depends on the supervisor to decide whether the organization needs more directories within SYS, or more volumes apart from SYS.

Each directory can be further divided into subdirectories and each of these subdirectories can contain files. A directory, instead of containing subdirectories, can also contain files.

In NetWare, the path for a Foxpro file can be given as:

NIIT\SYS:PUBLIC\SW\FOXPRO

which indicates that the file Foxpro is in the subdirectory SW, which is in the directory PUBLIC, which is on the volume SYS, which resides on the file server NUT. The server name and the volume name need not be included if you have a LAN with a single server and a single volume. In a situation where there are more than one server on the LAN, and each server contains several volumes, if the server and volume name is not specified while giving the file and directory name, NetWare assumes the current server and the current volume name.

If a LAN has more than one server, changing over from one server to another would require a fresh login from the user. If the user is currently working on the server NIIT1 and would like to work on the server NIIT2 as USER2, the command to be issued would be:

LOGIN NIIT2/USER2

Two additional points need to be noted here. While DOS recognizes only the backslash (\) for separating the levels of the directory structure, NetWare allows both the slash (/) and the backslash. Secondly, while DOS allows 127 characters in a directory path (including the drive letters and delimiters), NetWare allows 255 characters.

Initiation to Novell NetWare

To switch your PC from DOS to the Novell NetWare operating system, the following steps need to be followed:

• Establish the rules for communication between the workstation and the server.
• Establish the connection between the workstation and the server.
• Change from the DOS drive to the Network drive.
• Specify the login identity.
• Specify the password.

IPX Command

The first command that you would need to use at the DOS prompt is the IPX command. Figure shows a sample output when the IPX command is executed.

C:\>IPX

IPX stands for Internetwork Packet eXchange. It establishes a communication protocol between the server and your workstation. What is a communication protocol? Assume that Kevin and Steve need to talk to each other. The intention of this conversation is an exchange of ideas. It turns out that, both, Kevin and Steve are egoists. They start talking simultaneously, then pause for breath simultaneously, and then start talking again. The resultant confusion can well be imagined. Therefore, when Kevin and Steve talk, they need to follow a set of rules. Thus, say first Kevin talks, then he gives Steve a chance to put forward his ideas, and so on.

In NetWare, the workstation and the server communicate with each other, and IPX ensures that this communication is orderly and smooth.

NetWare v3.11 - Workstation Shell (C) Copyright 1991 Novell, INC. All Rights Reserved Running on DOS v 5.00 Attached to server NIIT 04-30-95         4:37:14 pm

Output of the IPX Command

NETx Command

To establish a connection between the workstation and the server, the command NETx is used:

C:\>NETx

The 'x' here should be replaced by the version of DOS that is being used, in case the DOS version on the workstation is 3.x or 4.x. Therefore, if DOS version 3.x is being used, then the command would be:

C:\>NET3

However, if DOS version 5.0 or above is being used, the command NETx should be given.

Next Step >>

Changing Drives

The third step is to change from the C drive (on DOS) to the NetWare drive F. To do so, type F: at the DOS prompt:

        C:\>F:

This will take you to the NetWare drive. The prompt will change from,

        C:\>

        To

        F:\LOGIN>

Note: Workstations that do not have hard disks do not boot through DOS. They boot directly through NetWare. When the user switches the workstations on, NetWare F prompt is displayed. The IPX command, the NETx command and the change from the DOS drive to the NetWare drive are not needed.

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Logging In

In NetWare, every user has a login id (identity). The login id is also known as the login name or the user id. The login id is the name by which NetWare recognizes and identifies a user. For example, the user may be given a login id User14.

To log in, you need to give the command LOGIN at the NetWare prompt.

        F:\LOGIN>LOGIN

The prompt

        Enter your login name:

is displayed on the screen.

You enter your login id against the prompt and press . Normally, your login would have a password attached to it, and you will be prompted to enter your password.

        Enter your password:

The password that you enter is not echoed on the screen for security reasons.

A password is of paramount importance in any LAN. Once you connect to a LAN by giving your user id and password, you would enter what is called your user-area where you can manage your files. No other user normally has access to this area. Also, you do ordinarily have access to the user-areas of other users. The login id identifies you as a LAN user; the password provides security to your login.

After logging in, the user can use DOS commands. Using the CD command, the user can browse through the directories. WHOAMI given at the NetWare prompt enables the user to find out his login id.

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Changing the Password

Changing the password frequently is one way of ensuring that no one gets to know your current password. The SETPASS command can be used to change the password. For this, you need to login to NetWare by giving your current password. After doing so, you give the command SETPASS. NetWare displays the following message:

        Enter old password for <server name/login id.>:

At this prompt, you need to type the current password and press . NetWare displays another prompt:

        Enter new password for <server name/login id>:

On typing the new password and pressing , NetWare displays a third prompt:

        Retype new password for <server name/login id>:

This is done to make sure that the spellings are correct. When the choice is confirmed by retyping the password, NetWare displays a message informing you that the task has been completed successfully.

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Logging Out

When you have finished your session on NetWare, you log out. Once you log out, NetWare no longer recognizes you as a user, and you are not able to use NetWare commands any longer. To use these commands, you must login again. To log out, you give the command LOGOUT at the command prompt.

NetWare displays a message giving your login id, the time and date when you last logged in, and the time and date of the logout.

It is essential to logout once you have finished working on NetWare or, for that matter, on any network. If you do not log out, your user area is still accessible and someone might tamper with or delete your files.