Question : Synchronous Windows Logon Scripts with Novell Client

I have several customers that have a Novell Netware based network with a Windows 2000 domain.  The primary network client on the workstations (Windows 2000) is the Novell client.  The user logs into the novell client first.  Since the username and password match the Windows domain and the computer is part of the Windows domain, the user is logged into Active Directory as well.

On the Novell side there is a logon script, as well as on the Windows side (BAT file, executed from "Logon Script Path" in Active Directory).  The Novell script executes, then the Windows script executes while the desktop is loading.

The problem that I am having is that I want the Windows script to execute BEFORE the desktop loads.  In a pure Windows 2000 environment, I can configure this by changing the group policy and enabling "run logon scripts synchronsously".  Then the logon script runs BEFORE the desktop loads.  However, with the novell client installed, the workstation seems to be ignoring this policy setting.

How can I get the Windows logon script to execute synchronously on a Windows 2000/XP machine with a Novell client?

Answer : Synchronous Windows Logon Scripts with Novell Client

Yes, ZEN will work with the not-really-a-Directory-Service-but-they-call-it-one-AD just as well as it will with eDirectory, altho you may miss eDirectory's reliability, time-sync, ability to partition, ease of making servers host/not host directory services, and multi-platform native support. But Novell will give you CHOICES, whereas Redmond attempts to lock you into their one way of doing things.

I can't say for sure that ZEN will be able to enforce Workgroup Policies the way you want with AD as its sole DS - I have never built a network that relied on AD like that. We always turned to the much more mature and technologically-advanced eDirectory for critical operations.So I can't guarantee you have that specific functionality available to you in a ZEN environment relying on AD. My best suggestion is that you contact Novell (1-800-NETWARE here in the US) and ask for a pre-sales engineer, or you get up with your local Novell sales rep or local Novell VAR and ask them. If nothing else, they'll be in a position to let you try the software before you buy it.