Getting Started

The following general steps guide you through what you can expect when you configure NSS.


1. Have you created an NSS volume yet?

If you chose to create an NSS volume from unpartitioned free space when you installed NetWare 5, the software created one NSS volume in the size you specified. If you did not use the NSS option during NetWare installation, and you have not yet created any NSS volumes, then NSS is not yet loaded and configured.


If You Loaded and Configured NSS During Installation

When you install NetWare 5, the software locates free space from the hard disks on your server, displays the amount of free space NetWare finds, and asks you if you want to create an NSS volume or a NetWare volume. You have a choice of configuring the free space either in NSS or the traditional NetWare file system.

If you chose to load and configure NSS when you installed NetWare 5, NSS created one NSS volume for you using all or a portion of your existing free space (the free space used for this volume will be the space that has not been partitioned). If this is what you want, you are finished with the NSS configuration.

To reconfigure NSS, however, (for example, if you've added a new hard drive) go to Change the NSS Configuration.


If NSS Is Not Loaded and Configured

If you chose not to load and configure NSS when you installed NetWare 5, first read through Planning, since that section will help you plan your NSS configuration plus show you some example configurations. Then continue reading this section.


2. Reconfigure existing disks

A minimum of 10 MB free space is needed to create an NSS volume. If you have only one hard drive, and you did not allocate enough free space in your NetWare partition and NetWare volume for NSS but you want an NSS volume, reconfigure your drive to allow the required 10 MB of space as well as any additional free space you want to use for NSS. See Reconfigure Existing Disks for instructions.


3. Prepare the server

NSS requires the following:


Setting the Cache Buffers

When NSS loads, it consumes 10 percent of the cache buffers by default, so you may want to change those buffers before you create NSS volumes.

If NetWare modules load and consume more cache than the NSS default, NSS will compensate for it by raising or lowering the cache buffers. See Set the Cache Buffers for instructions.


Loading NSS

At the server console, enter load nss.

If NWCONFIG is already loaded, NSS is also loaded. If you intend to use the NSS Administration menus, you must load NSS first. You can also have NSS load automatically by adding the NLM to the autoexec.ncf file.

NOTE:  The NSS NLMs were copied to your server's Sys:system directory when you installed NetWare 5. At that time, you were also given a choice to configure an NSS volume. If you have already loaded NSS, you do not need to load it again unless your server goes down.


4. Do you want to upgrade from NetWare to NSS?

The In-Place Upgrade utility in NSS allows you to convert NetWare volumes to NSS volumes. See Using In-Place Upgrade for instructions.


5. Determine how you want to configure NSS

There are two ways you can configure and manage NSS: the NWCONFIG utility and the NSS Administration menus. Use NWCONFIG to create your initial NSS volumes. Use the NWCONFIG or NSS Administration menus to do any maintenance work you may require later.


Configure NSS Using the NWCONFIG Utility

Use NWCONFIG instead of the NSS Administration menus to create NSS storage groups and volumes. Using NWCONFIG is convenient if you are managing NetWare volumes or if you feel comfortable working in the traditional NetWare text-based menu system environment.

NOTE:  NSS loads automatically with NWCONFIG.

This utility does not contain all of the features the NSS Administration menus have, however. In these cases, use the NSS Administration menus.

You cannot do the following in NWCONFIG:

Select Return to the previous menu for other selections.

See Configure NSS Using NWCONFIG for instructions.

IMPORTANT:  In-Place Upgrade can only be used at the server console command line at this time. You cannot use this feature in NWCONFIG or the NSS Administration menus.


Configure NSS Using the NSS Administration Menus

The NSS Administration menus contain all of the features you need to configure NSS.

The NSS Administration Menu contains the following items.

NOTE:  You must load NSS before you can load the NSS Administration menus.

To open the NSS Administration menus, enter nss /menu at the server console.

You can back out of any configuration at any time by pressing Esc, however, the configuration information will be saved if you confirmed the option.

See Configure NSS Storage Groups and Volumes Using the NSS Administration Menus for steps on how to use the NSS Administration menus.


6. Configure NSS volumes

You can set up NSS storage groups and NSS volumes using NWCONFIG. See Configure NSS Storage Groups and Volumes for instructions.


7. Mount your NSS volumes

After you have created your NSS volumes, you may want to mount them. See Mount an NSS Volume for instructions.


8. Add your NSS volumes to NDS

If you use NWCONFIG, your NSS volumes are added to NDS® automatically.

If you use the NSS Administration menus to configure NSS volumes, they are not added to NDS automatically. You must use NetWare Administrator to add them to the NDS tree. See Add an NSS Volume to NDS.

NOTE:  CD-ROMs are not added to NDS automatically. Use NWCONFIG to add them.