Netware Routing concept
23/01/2006
In Novell NetWare world, the each device is identified by a pair of Network ID and No
Network ID is 4 byte data and expressed as xx:xx:xx:xx format
(xx is HEXDECIMAL number)
Node ID is 6 byte data and expressed as xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx: format
(xx is HEXDECIMAL number). Normally Node ID is identical to the
device MAC address.
However, Novel server itself has its own Network ID called Server ID.
Please see the following ASCII art.
File Server Directory Server SAP RIP
| | | |
+--+-------+ +----------+
| |
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Server
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: | | ::
:: +-|------------------+ +--------------------|--------------+
::
:: | | ServerID = | | | | ::
:: | | 00:00:00:01 | | | | ::
:: | | node = | | node = | | ::
:: | | 00:00:00:00:00:01| | 00:40:26:11:22:33 | | ::
:: | | | +---------------+ | | | ::
:: | +------------------|-|Internal
router|-|--------------------+---+---+---+ | ::
:: | | +---------------+ | | | | | | ::
:: +-------------------+ +--------------------+---+---+---+--+
::
:: | | | | ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
| | | |
802.2 = 00:00:00:10
----------------+-----------------------------+---|---|---|-------------
| | | |
802.3 = 00:00:00:11
------------+-------------------------------------+---|---|-------------
| | | |
EtherII=00:00:00:12
--------+---------------------------------------------+---|-------------
| | | |
SNAP = 00:00:00:13
----+-----------------------------------------------------+-------------
| | | |
:::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Printer ::
:: Node= ::
:: 00:80:92:aa:bb:cc ::
:::::::::::::::::::::::
This ASCII art tells you a concept of routing in the Novel NetWare Server.
In ISO Layer 2 level (Data Link Layer), each frame-type has own Network ID (like 00:00:00:10 for IEEE 802.2) . Therefore, SAP (Service Advertising Protocol) and RIP (Routing Information Protocol) use this network ID.
However, when the printer communicates with the server as "File
Server" or "Directory Server", Server ID (00:00:00:01 in the above
figure) is used as follows:-
Frame type Server Printer
802.2 00:00:00:01 00:00:00:00:00:01 00:00:00:10
00:80:92:aa:bb:cc
802.3 00:00:00:01 00:00:00:00:00:01 00:00:00:11
00:80:92:aa:bb:cc
Ether II 00:00:00:01 00:00:00:00:00:01 00:00:00:12
00:80:92:aa:bb:cc
SNAP 00:00:00:01 00:00:00:00:00:01 00:00:00:13
00:80:92:aa:bb:cc
In IPX, a device can not communicate with another device directly if each frame-type (Network ID) is different. A router is required for such a communication.
