16.2 Planning for File Services

Functional overviews of each file service product are included in Section 16.1, Overview of File Services.

16.2.1 Deciding Which Components Match Your Needs

To decide which file service components to install, you should match service features listed in Table 16-7 to your network’s file service requirements.

Table 16-7 OES File Services Feature Breakdown

Service

Access Method Features

Back-End Storage Features

Security Features

NCP Server (NetWare Core Protocol)

Client for Open Enterprise Server (NCP client)

  • Any Linux volumes (including NSS) that are defined as NCP volumes

  • eDirectory Authentication

NetStorage

  • Any supported browsers

  • Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

  • Remote access (browser-based)

  • Web Folders (on either an Internet Explorer browser or in Windows Explorer)

  • Windows Explorer

  • Linux POSIX volumes

  • NCP volumes

  • NSS volumes

  • Windows (CIFS) servers

  • Secure LDAP Authentication

AFP

  • Macintosh Chooser

  • NSS volumes

  • Secure LDAP Authentication

CIFS

  • Any CIFS client

  • Remote access (Web Folders in the Internet Explorer browser)

  • Windows Explorer

  • NSS volumes

  • Secure LDAP Authentication

16.2.2 Comparing Your CIFS File Service Options

OES offers two file services that use the CIFS protocol: CIFS and Samba in Domain Services for Windows (DSfW).

Table 16-8 Comparing OES CIFS Solutions

Item

CIFS

Samba in DSfW

Authentication

A Universal Password Policy that allows the CIFS proxy user to retrieve passwords is required.

The user who migrates ACLs for AD users to NSS must have the CIFS universal password policy applied. This includes the eDirectory Admin user if applicable.

The authentication method for NSS AD access is Kerberos.

The Domain Services Password policy is required for DSfW users. The domain is set up as a trusted environment.

DSfW uses Active Directory authentication methods, such as Kerberos, to ensure that only authorized users can log in to the domain.

File system support

NSS is the only file system supported for this release.

It is recommended (but not required) that you create Samba shares on NSS data volumes.

NSS is fully integrated with eDirectory for easier management, and using an NSS volume allows you to take advantage of the rich data security model in NSS. You can use either iManager or the nssmu utility to create an NSS volume on an OES server. For instructions on how to set up an NSS volume, see Managing NSS Volumes in the OES 2018: File Systems Management Guide.

LUM and Samba enablement

LUM and Samba enablement are not required.

eDirectory users in the domain (eDirectory partition) are automatically Samba users and are enabled to access Samba shares. See Creating Users in the ---OES 2018 SP2: Domain Services for Windows Administration Guide.

Domain users are set up with the necessary UID and default group (DomainUsers) membership.

Every additional eDirectory group created within the domain is automatically Linux-enabled.

Username and password

Beginning with OES 2015, both eDirectory and Active Directory users can access CIFS.

eDirectory users in the domain (eDirectory partition) can log into any workstation that has joined the domain. There is no need for a corresponding user object on the workstation.

It is recommended (but not required) that you create Samba shares on NSS data volumes.

NSS is fully integrated with eDirectory for easier management, and using an NSS volume allows you to take advantage of the rich data security model in NSS. You can use either iManager or the nssmu utility to create an NSS volume on an OES server. For instructions on how to set up an NSS volume, see Managing NSS Volumes in the OES 2018: File Systems Management Guide.

16.2.3 Planning Your File Services

  1. For the file services you plan to install, compute the total additional RAM required (above the basic system requirement).

    • NCP: There are no additional RAM requirements.

    • NetStorage: There are no additional RAM requirements.

    • Novell AFP: There are no additional RAM requirements.

    • Novell CIFS: There are no additional RAM requirements.

  2. Record the additional required RAM in your planning notes.

  3. For the file services you plan to install, compute the total additional disk space required (above the basic system requirement).

    • NCP: Allocate enough disk space to meet your users’ file storage needs. On Linux, this space must exist on partitions you have designated as NCP volumes.

    • NetStorage: There are no disk space requirements because NetStorage provides access only to other file storage services.

    • AFP: Allocate enough disk space for the partition containing the /home directories to meet your users’ file storage needs.

    • CIFS: Allocate enough disk space for the partition containing the /home directories to meet your users’ file storage needs.

  4. Record the additional required disk space in your planning notes.

  5. For the file services you plan to install, refer to the information in the sections of the OES installation guide that are indicated in the following table.

    Note your planning choices on your planning sheet.

    File Service Product

    Linux Planning References

    NCP

    OES NCP Server / Dynamic Storage Technology in the OES 2018 SP2: Installation Guide

    NetStorage

    OES NetStorage in the OES 2018 SP2: Installation Guide

    Novell AFP

    OES AFP Services in the OES 2018 SP2: Installation Guide

    CIFS

    OES CIFS for Linux in the OES 2018 SP2: Installation Guide

    FTP

    OES FTP Services in the OES 2018 SP2: Installation Guide