The Primary Domain Controller on NetWare® functionality provides the capability to make a Novell® CIFS server a Windows NT 4 style Primary Domain Controller (PDC) in a network running the Microsoft CIFS protocol. While acting as a PDC, a Novell CIFS server will replace and become the Primary Domain Controller in a CIFS network. There are three main advantages of this new feature:
Instead of having to create separate Microsoft domain and eDirectory™ user accounts (as was previously the case), user accounts now need to be created only once in eDirectory.
The other CIFS workstations and CIFS servers in the network will function as if they were part of an NT4 domain.
All CIFS clients will authenticate to a Novell CIFS server using eDirectory.
Although much of Microsoft PDC functionality is available with the PDC on NetWare feature, some functionality is not. The following list provides information on functionality not included.
Microsoft Active Directory functionality is not included.
Replication between a PDC on a Novell CIFS server and a BDC on a Microsoft server is not supported.
If you want to replicate between a PDC on a Novell CIFS server and a BDC, the BDC must also be on a Novell CIFS server.
Trusted Domain relationships are not supported.
Every eDirectory user will implicitly belong to the PDC domains in the eDirectory tree (provided the appropriate eDirectory ACLs are in place to give domain controllers access to the User objects). This eliminates the need for trusted domain relationships in an eDirectory environment.
Administration of domains hosted on Novell CIFS servers using Microsoft administration utilities is not supported.
Roaming profiles are not supported.
Microsoft NTFS ACL mappings are not supported.
Microsoft clients cannot assign a Microsoft NTFS-style ACL to a file stored on a Novell NSS volume. Managing rights to files and directories on NSS volumes is done using Novell management utilities.