Domain Services for Windows (DSfW) is a suite of technologies in Open Enterprise Server (OES) 2 SP1 and later that allows Microsoft Windows users to access OES services through native Windows and Active Directory protocols. By allowing OES Linux servers to behave as if they were Active Directory servers, this technology enables companies with Active Directory and Novell eDirectory deployments to achieve better coexistence between the two platforms. Users can work in a pure Windows desktop environment and still take advantage of some OES back-end services and technology, without the need for a Novell Client on the desktop.
Administrators can use either Novell iManager or Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to administer users and groups. Network administrators manage file systems using the native tools of each server, and they can also centrally administer Samba shares on OES Linux/ DSfW servers by using iManager.
Administrators can use MMC to create one-way inter-domain trusts between DSFW domains and Active Directory domains.
When DSfW is deployed in an environment that also supports NetWare Core Protocol (NCP), DSfW supports cross-protocol locking. Whether customers decide to use only Windows clients, NCP clients, or a combination of both, access rights for files are enforced by the Novell Storage Services (NSS) file system.
A DSfW server can be deployed without NSS. In these cases, the administrator runs Samba over a POSIX-compliant file system, but this loses the strong security provided by the Novell rights and access models.