OS/2 LAN Manager 2.00 & IBM Lan Server 1.2 Interoperability

ID Number: Q65769

2.00

OS/2

Summary:

Because OS/2 LAN Manager and IBM Lan Server adhere to the same UAS

(user account system) standard and support the same set of APIs

(application programming interfaces), they can coexist and

interoperate together in a mixed network environment.

More Information:

There are some extensions that are not shared between both products,

but these can be viewed as towers on top of the common functionality.

Please refer to the following chart for more information on this

topic:

+---------+

Optional +---------+ |

Additional | |

Functions | |-+

+----|----+

...........................................................

Common +-----|------+ +--------------+

Core Functions | IBM LS 1.2 |<------>| OS/2 LM 2.00 |

+------------+ +-------^------+

|

Enhanced Core +---v------+

Functions +-| |

| |

| +----------+

+----------+

Interoperability is seamless between the core functions that are

common to IBM Lan Server and OS/2 LAN Manager. On top of these core

functions, the IBM Lan Server provides additional options such as the

Alias functions, which only work between systems with common towers.

In addition, OS/2 LAN Manager supports enhanced core functions such as

UPS (uninterruptable power supply). These enhanced core functions are

an extension to the common core functions and do not prevent

interoperability or require similar functionality on an IBM Lan Server

system.

COMMON CORE FUNCTIONS

=====================

Ring 3 server

DOS and OS/2 redirector

User Account System

User-level security

APIs (except NETBIOS and PROFILES)

Printing

Network command line interface for OS/2

LAN SERVER OPTIONAL FUNCTIONS

=============================

1. IBM's Concept of an SSI (Single System Image)

IBM's single system image allows one or more servers to be managed

as a single logical system. An IBM Lan Server installation can be

set up to make the shared resources on all servers in the domain

appear as a single pool of resources. The concept of aliases

assists with this (an alias is really just a "nickname" for a

shared resource).

2. Network Applications

This is a facility where an administrator can define application

profiles that can be made available to logged on users of the

domain. The definition of an application includes the ability to

make resource assignments (do NET USEs) automatically prior to

starting the program.

Network applications can be displayed on a user's program starter

(OS/2 Desktop Manager window), and on IBM's "served application

panel" on MS-DOS requesters at logon time.

3. LOGON Resource Assignments

IBM has a full-screen interface that allows an administrator to

easily define logon assignments. Logon assignments might be

applications or other resources, similar to our LOGON SCRIPTs, but

with a full-screen interface.

4. UPM (User Profile Management)

This service provides a set of user and group validation and

management functions for IBM's OS/2 EE components. UPM is available

in both a standalone and a network version. UPM is used to control

access to resources and access authorization control for the

following:

LAN Server requester

DATABASE Manager

Communication Manager

This means that once a user is logged on, the different EE

components will recognize this and do not require the user to enter

their username and password each time they start one of the EE

services.

LAN MANAGER ENHANCED CORE FUNCTIONS

===================================

1. 386 Server

The 386 Server is the high-performance, 32-bit server that takes

full advantage of the Intel 386 architecture and provides local

security.

Benefits:

- Faster network response time.

- Enables a single server to service more client workstations.

- Secure console; prevents unauthorized access to the server from

the local console.

2. Fault Tolerant Disk Operation

This feature helps to save data should a disk error occur. This is

accomplished through the following methods:

Method Description

------ -----------

Hot Fixing Detects bad sectors and reroutes data to a good

sector on the disk.

Disk Mirroring Sets up two identical partitions on two hard

disk drives using the same disk drive

controller.

Disk Duplexing This is similar to disk mirroring, except that

the hard disk drives are on separate disk drive

controllers.

Benefits:

- Assures that server data is always reliable and available.

- Minimizes system down time.

3. UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)

This service keeps the server running during a power failure until

the system can be safely shut down, or until the administrator

stops the server.

Benefit:

- Data integrity and orderly shutdown that will enable a shorter

restart and recovery time.

4. PEER Service

This service provides limited server capability on a client

workstation that will enable a workstation to make resources

available to the network (disk, printers, etc.).

Benefits:

- The customer does not need to pay a full server license when they

want to share for example a printer on a workstation with other

users.

- Allows an administrator to backup workstations over the network.

5. OS/2 RIPL

This service allows MS-DOS and OS/2 workstations to be booted from

the server.

Benefit:

- Allows installation of lower cost workstations (diskless), and

eases the administration of operating system upgrades and

installations (one central place, instead of doing it for each

workstation).

6. Multiple Adapter Support

This feature allows a single server to support more than one

network.

Benefit:

- Enables the administrator to split the network in case network

traffic becomes a bottleneck, and allows a single server to

support more clients.

7. BACKUP Domain Controller

This service allows the domain controller to be replicated to other

servers (like a standby system).

Benefit:

- You can avoid having a single point of failure in a network.

Operation can be switched to the backup domain controller when

the primary domain controller is down (for hardware or

maintenance reasons).

8. NDIS and JETBEUI

This is the NetBIOS driver and the network device interface

architecture supported by OS/2 LAN Manager.

Benefit:

- Allows you to interoperate with hundreds of network cards from a

variety of vendors.

INTEROPERABILITY SCENARIOS AND RULES

====================================

Rules

-----

1. IBM OS/2 EE workstations always require an EE domain controller.

2. An IBM OS/2 EE workstation has to log on to an EE domain controller.

3. Additional IBM EE LAN Server functions (in addition to the common

core functions) will only work between OS/2 LAN Server systems.

4. Enhanced core functions require an OS/2 LAN Manager system, but

the services may be accessed by an IBM Lan Server system (for

example, Peer service).

5. An OS/2 LAN Manager client can log onto either an IBM Lan Server or

an OS/2 LAN Manager domain controller.

6. An IBM Lan Server system can access all OS/2 LAN Manager resources

via the UNC (Unique Naming Convention) (no aliasing); OS/2 LAN

Manager resources must be declared external to IBM Lan Server

(outside of the IBM Lan Server's SSI name space).

Scenario

--------

+-----+ +-------+ +-----+

| disk| |Printerdisk|

+---|-+ +-|-----+ +-|---+

+---|------| +-|---------+

| IBM LS | | OS/2 LM |

|DomainCtr.|---------------| Server |

+----------+ +-----------+

| |

+----------+ TRN +-----------+

| IBM LS | A | OS/2 LM |

| Client | | Client |

+----------+ +-----------+

| |

+----------------------------+

- All systems are on the same Token-Ring network.

- The domain controller resides on the IBM EE LAN Server for both

OS/2 LAN Manager and IBM Lan Server systems.

- The printer and spooler are connected and running on OS/2 LAN

Manager, and will handle both IBM Lan Server and OS/2 LAN Manager

printing.

- All disk resources on the network can be accessed by either OS/2

LAN Manager or IBM Lan Server systems.