Re: BUG REPORT : IPX (Novell) unstable work

Jeff V. Merkey (jmerkey@timpanogas.com)
Fri, 21 Jul 2000 10:52:24 -0600

There is some problem with the conversion of names on the server. Oddly
enough, NetWare actually stores the names on the server file system in
US characters, and the Novell supplied clients perform the character set
conversion to UNICODE and special character sets. From what you
describe, it appears that perhaps DOS and NT users are accessing the
same files as clients on the same server as your Linux box, which means
that they may be using the Novell method of UNICODE name conversion at
the client. This means is you create names of files that are opened by
DOS or NT "Novell Client Software" they may end up converting some of
the characters when the files are written back. Novell uses unicode
tables that are incompatible with some characters above 127 -- French is
typically the language that is affected most when using MS clients vs.
Novell clients (this was intentional to break MS clients in the early
90's). It could be that the new ncpfs client (which is using improved
namespace support over previous versions) is exploiting more features in
your server, and the result is that another client is modifying the
names with Novell's broken unicode implementation for Russian. Is this
a legal 3.12 as opposed to a pirated and what language version did you
install? If you do not have the correct international NetWare version
installed, you are guranteed that the client software if going to
malfunction.

:-)

Jeff

Info wrote:
>
> I try 2.4test4 with test5pre3 patch and find problems
>
> My stable configuration:
> RedHat 6.2 (russian Black Cat modification)
> kernel 2.2.13 without module support (monolyte)
> KDE
> no SCSI
>
> This machine uses as workstation to acess Novell 3.12 server. Novell volume
> constattly mounted to linux filesystem by ncpfs.
> There are no problems in stable configuration with 2.2.13 kernel.
>
> I change only kernel. When I try 2.4, I find unstable work with Novell volume.
>
> 1. New kernel sometimes understand files with russian names as
> directories and directories with russian names as files in Novell volume. But
> the others (in russian too) are recognized correctly (screenshots attached).
>
> 2. It's strange conversion upper and low russian letters. If you
> compare two screenchots you can see that some directories under 2.4 became
> lowcase (from uppercase), some namese became uppercase from lowercase, and some
> does not changed.
>
> 3. It,s strange limitation of access to server. I login to Novell as
> supervisor, and as root to Linux. but you can see closed directiries.
>
> 4. In some Novell directories it normally go doun, but when your want to move
> up by the tree, machihe hangs. Its no reaction both on ctrl-alt-backspace
> (shutdown X session) or in ctrl-alt-del. Only hard reset is avaliable.
> In some Novell directories it is stable mistake (each attempt to gu up ended
> by hang). In other directories it is no problems. I can't detect any regularity.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Name: screen-2.2.13.gif
> screen-2.2.13.gif Type: GIF Image (image/gif)
> Encoding: base64
>
> Name: screen-2.4.0.gif
> screen-2.4.0.gif Type: GIF Image (image/gif)
> Encoding: base64

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