Question : Does each Novell GW 6.5 mailbox require a Netware User object, when GW is doing its own authentication?

Im new at an organization where the Network team is creating user objects in Edirectory for each GW account. However GW is not relying on Edirectory for authentication, so this requirement makes no sense to me.

This has resulted with 500+ inactive Netware objects, each object requires the purchase of a Netware Client license. However the Netware object is only used once to create the GW 6 mailbox.

It appears that Novell is charging us twice for GW, once for the Netware User object and again for the GW user license. Only a small precentage of our users actually use resources on the Novell servers.

I havnt worked with Netware since 2003, so this entire situation is new to me.

Answer : Does each Novell GW 6.5 mailbox require a Netware User object, when GW is doing its own authentication?

GroupWise requires eDirectory for management of the system and specific mailbox control.  But eDirectory is not required to use or authenticate to GroupWise.

I'm not sure who told you that each eDirectory user object requires you buy a Novell Client license because that is absolutely not true.  You only need a Novell user account license if you are going to connect and use the file system or printers served up by the file server.  

GroupWise includes eDirectory free of charge and you can create as many accounts as you buy mailboxes for.

You can convert the user objects to GroupWise External Entities if you like but that will limit your ability to manage the client options which control things like views, spell check upon send, etc.

I build GroupWise systems all the time and always use eDirectory user objects and I've never purchased a single NetWare Client license unless as stated above the client plans to use the NetWare file system or printers provided by the server.

I hope that helps.

Scott