Connecting to Netware 4.x WITHOUT IPX

So, you want to remove IPX from your Local Area Network and use only TCP/IP - but you can't, because you have a Netware 4.x server?

Everyone tells you that you can load TCP/IP on your Netware 4.x server for different purposes, such as accessing Internet time sources, but it's not possible to log in without IPX?

This document describes how to accomplish these objectives, without resorting to the separate Netware IP product.

Note that you are not actually removing IPX from the server. It's just that the IPX packets are encapsulated within TCP/IP packets between the workstation and server, and decoded at either end. Some have pointed out that this is not technically accurate, and that a separate compatibility protocol is being used. I have not actually captured and examined the packets exchanged between the server and workstation to determine the veracity of that claim. But I do know that it works, and I have successfully tested it for several months.

1. TCP/IP must be configured on the Netware server, and bound to the Network Adapter. INETCFG.NLM is the usual tool to accomplish this, although it can be done manually at the System Console or within the AUTOEXEC.NCF script.

Follow the usual rules when assigning an IP address to the server, keeping it in the same subnet as your workstation (and probably your internet router as well).

This loads the SCMD module in gateway mode, as a Migration Agent.

3. Install the Netware client on your workstation (I used 4.91 SP2 successfully). Be certain to choose a custom install, deselect all options offered, such as NICI, NMAS, etc. When asked to choose a network protocol option for the client to use, select "IP with IPX Compatibility"

4. Once the installation is complete, you may have to log in to your Windows XP workstation without logging into the Netware network yet, since we still need to configure the client.

5. Click on Start and select Control Panel. Click on Network and Internet Connections (Category view), then click on Network Connections, or else double-click on Network Connections if you are utilizing the Classic view.

6. Right-click on Local Area Connection and choose Properties. Uncheck the NWLink NetBIOS and NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol.

Highlight Novell Compatibility Mode Driver, and choose Properties. Under the Parameters tab, click on the down-arrow beside the Adapter, and review the settings for "Default Settings" and each listed adapter. The "Enabled" box should be checked, "Use Default Settings" should be checked, and Use DHCP should NOT be checked.

The Network Number (Hex) should be FFFFFFFD. Add the IP address of the Netware server (which you previously assigned in step #1 above) to the Migration Agents list. Click OK, then shut down and restart the workstation.

7. You should now be able to connect to the server WITHOUT using IPX.