Administrator > Windows Integration

Configuring and Using iSeries NetServer with Operations Navigator

September 2002 | by Michael Ryan

It's a fact of life that IT shops need to share information. Integrating different systems (hardware, application software, operating systems and databases) often poses a challenge to iSeries system administrators. While there are many solutions to this challenge, I prefer iSeries Support for Windows* Network Neighborhood (iSeries NetServer).

iSeries NetServer is an implementation of server message block (SMB), the underlying protocol of Windows networking. The basis for Windows Network Neighborhood, SMB provides functions such as sharing directories, mapping server drives and sharing printers. iSeries NetServer also provides these functions; however, when using it, you're actually sharing IFS directories, mapping these directories to a file share that can be accessed from a PC and sharing iSeries printers (actually output queues that may or may not be attached to a printer). NetServer also supports the common Internet file system (CIFS) extensions.

Samba, another implementation of SMB, is used on various OSs such as UNIX*, Linux*, HP OpenVMS, MVS* and others. iSeries NetServer is not Samba, but they do share common features and coexist well in the same network. In fact, OS/400* V5R2 supports a Linux/Samba client accessing iSeries NetServer. (Note: This functionality also is supported in V5R1 via PTFs-MF27247, MF27248, MF27249, MF27294 and MF27295.)

iSeries NetServer Support
First released for the AS/400 in V4R2, IBM has increased iSeries NetServers features and functionality with each succeeding release. What began as a simple file- and print-sharing tool has expanded to include such features as data conversion, and Kerberos, domain logon and master browser support. In other words, iSeries NetServer provides most of the features that are supported by native Windows NT*/2000/XP servers.

The following is a list of clients that can access iSeries NetServer:

Windows for Workgroups (WFW)
Windows 95/98
Windows Millennium Edition (ME)
Windows NT 3.51/4.0
Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Linux Samba

(Note: Some of the clients are no longer supported with V5R1-WFW and NT 3.51-and some are only supported with V5R1 and higher-ME and XP. Check www.ibm.com/iseries/netserver/releases.htm for details on iSeries support for specific client OSs.)