Common Authentication and Network Services –

The CAN-2 Services Project

 

Common LAN was implemented to shift  the challenges of server management from individual departments to CIT.  Three years later it is in dire need of update.  The new Common LAN will embrace our existing file and print services, add desperately needed workstation management tools, and extend our authentication services to a variety of new platforms.  Thus, Common LAN Services (CLS) will become Common Authentication and Network Services, Generation 2 (CAN2 Services).

 

Why do we need to update Common LAN?

·        Hardware Age - Our hardware is old and will fail soon.

·        Software Age - NetWare 4.11 will cease to be supported this year.  We no longer can obtain licenses, support services, or any additional patches or security updates.

·        Server Consolidation Opportunities:  We have the chance to kill four departmental file/print servers right now.

·        Dependent processes – Common LAN has over 700 active users.  Migration will be expensive and time consuming.  There are no better options at this time.

 

There have been several objections to CLS upgrades in the past.  These barriers are quickly fading.  Let’s look ate the objections:

·        NetWare is dead – NetWare maybe, Novell Directory Services, certainly not.  Actually, it seems to be staging a big comeback.

·        Everyone is using Windows -- MS still has terrible cross-platform integration services.  Too many people need to ride out the service lives of their existing solutions before migrating fully to Microsoft services. 

·        The NetWare client is unstable – Not as true as it was, and with new Novell services, the client often is not needed.

·        NetWare does not use “Zoo authentication” - Using Novell's new NDS services across platforms, we may even be able to integrate the current Zoo-based home directories with NetWare based shared directories. 

 

As an added incentive, the NetWare 5/6 family has many excellent new services we will be able to deploy:

·        Workstation software management / Destop Management

·        Workstation remote control

·        Cross-Platform Directory Services (Windows, Linux, Solaris)

·        Native File Access – SMB and AppleShare/IP file access

·        Web Access – SSL file transfer via web interface

·        iFolder – Personal disconnected operation file access.

 

For more information on this proposal, see:

http://www.uvm.edu/~jgm/hostint/?Page=CLS-upgradeNW6.htm