Question : Moving Novell Users to W2k8 server - but still need access to Novel Server

Need to some assistance on laying out this migration path. I have a customer that has chosen to migrate off their Novel 6.5 server, onto a Win 2k8 server platform. A remaining requirement is that a subset of users will still require access to their Novell server for access to customized applications they'll still need to run on the Novell server.  Users are currently running Win XP SP2/3 on their workstations, using the Novell Client for Windows for access to their Novell server.  

I'm ok on the Windows side of operations but have no working experience w/ a Windows domain client being able to access shares on a Novell server. My initial plan of attack is to remove the Novell client for windows - join the workstiation to the Windows 2008 domain server and have users authenticate against the Windows DC. What I need some assistance with is understanding  how to create a drive mapping to the Novell server, when the user authenticates against the 2008 DC -

I just read something on GSNW, but found that that applies only to NT servers. Have been reading other materials but not finding na exact approach that is clear to me at this point.  Thanks -

Answer : Moving Novell Users to W2k8 server - but still need access to Novel Server

We just updated our network to use AD on the WIndows 2003 server, rather than workgroup mode.  Long and short is that a workstation can happily be a member of a Windows domain and a NetWare network at the same time.  No need to remove the Novell client -- the login process will authenticate to both networks just fine.   The only thing you might have to do is check the settings of the Novell client software (right-click on the red "N" in the system tray and choose 'properties').  In the one of the tabs ('advanced', I think), there is an option to copy the user name to the windows login process.  We used Microsoft's MOVEUSER utility to move the local user profiles to the domain profiles, and it worked prety well.

We used the Microsoft user migration tool MSDSS to import the user names from NetWare to AD, and set the AD password blank, with a forced change at first login.  If you already have the Windows accounts created, this is probably not needed.  However, make sure that the Windows AD password and the NetWare passwords are the same, otherwise the user will be prompted twice during the login process.

Just for the record, NetWare doesn't have the concept of "shares" -- it has volumes, and users are granted rights to read folders or files on the volume.  Mapping a drive letter simply points to the desired object: "MAP S: = Servername:VolumeName\Folder1".  If you have multiple child folders, you need only map to the parent -- the user will only see the child objects they have rights to.

There is a facility in Netware called "CIFS" that will let a NetWare server advertise itself to he network as a Windows server.  It has to be installed when the server is created, and managed using NetWare managment tools.  It can be configured to offer folders as windows shares to workstations that do not have the Novell client installed.  We tested it and it works, but because the user authentication and security is still managed with NetWare tools, it's easier to simply not use CIFS.

Hope this helps