Using NetDrive and iFolder in a Thin-Client Environment

In a thin-client environment, most applications, like NetDrive, are installed on the server. This allows mobile users to access their applications from a virtual desktop or thin-client session. However, because of the Novell^® iFolder^TM automatic syncronization features, you can't install iFolder on the thin-client server (this would cause all of the user data to sync down to the thin-client server's hard drive).

NetDrive supports Windows NT 4 and 2000 servers running any of the following thin-client applications:

• Terminal Services Client
• Citrix* MetaFrame
• ZENworks^® OnDemand Services^TM

  IMPORTANT:  NetDrive 4.0 supports mapping drives via Novell OnDemand Services to only iFolder 1.0 servers. NetDrive 4.1 supports mapping drives via ZENworks OnDemand Servies to both iFolder 1.0 and 2.0 servers.

Once NetDrive is installed on your thin-client server, a mobile user can use NetDrive to map a drive to the iFolder server, thereby making the iFolder server's copy of his iFolder data accessible via Windows Explorer. (For a visual representation of how this works, see Step 9.)

Figure 5
Using NetDrive to Access Your iFolder Files

If you are familiar with iFolder, you know that it has a Java* applet that lets users access their files from a browser. So, why map a drive to get to your files when you can just open up a browser? The advantage to using NetDrive over a browser in this situation is that once a drive is mapped to your iFolder server, you can modify your files without manually downloading and uploading them from your local workstation to the iFolder server---with NetDrive, the downloading and uploading activites are transparent to the user. If you access your iFolder files through a browser, you must manually upload and download your files. Furthermore, with iFolder, at the end of your session, you must delete the files you worked on from the local workstation. This is not the case with NetDrive. Lastly, NetDrive lets you use Windows Explorer to easily view and browse your files.

For instructions on how to use NetDrive on your thin-clint server to access your iFolder files, continue with the next section, "Installing NetDrive on a Terminal Server."

For more information on iFolder, see the Novell iFolder Documentation.