How to automate Novell client setting changes

[mh...@law.usc.edu]

We recently installed the Novell Client 4.90 SP2 onto all of our Windows
XP workstations, and now we're getting users that can't login to Novell
left and right!

It's the 0xFFFFF994 error, and the fix is:

Right-Click on the Novell N, click Properties, click on Advanced Login,
turn off NMAS authentication, reboot.

Is there any way we can put a command in the login script, or even use
ZENworks 4.0.1 (our workstations are all imported) to automate this NMAS
modification on the clients?

Thanks
-Mike

[Patrick Farrell]

mh...@law.usc.edu wrote:

Nor sure with the reg or zen offhand, but you could have (and should
have most likely) set up an unattended install using the nciman.exe to
build the text file, turned off nmas auth there. Here's a suggestion
for you. Build an new unattend.txt and then set a minor version number
of 1, and put a setupnw /acu /u:path\unattend.txt and redeploy the
client over itself with the correct settings. You can then straighten
this setting out without having the screw with the registry etc. You
can also take that time to fix any other settings you might have. I
recommend disabling the badservername and address cache, setting name
resolution timeout to 1, and then making sure only the protocol methods
you use are set such as SLP, NDS.

I have one set up that I could send over to if you want and then just
modify things such as the tree and server and context.

Patrick

[Patrick Farrell]

Patrick Farrell wrote:

Check the following key:

HKLM\software\novell\login\Nmas Authentication
Mine is set to 0 when it's off. I'm guessing if you have it on, yours
is set to 1.

You could easily push that out with Zen or just a regedit /s somefile.reg

I'd still go the unattend route because you can set all of the client
settings the way you want. You could also overlay the PKA patch into
the client and deploy it at the same time that way.

[mh...@law.usc.edu]

Thanks.

Could you go into more detail about using ZENworks or the regedit command
in the login script? A TID would be great!

The rest of the client settings are already set the way we want them, so
we don't need to push out a whole new client. Plus, here at the law
school, if it ain't broke we don't want to mess around with it (Murphey's
Law is alive and well here - lol).

-Mike

[Patrick Farrell]

mh...@law.usc.edu wrote:

I just rolled out the client that way to 100+ machines over the weekend
with no issues. (So far :) ) I should say no isses in the deployment.
Wether or not that version of the client introduces issues over 4.9sp1a
remains to be seen :)

Ok assuming you are using zen 4.x

1) create an application object.
2) Pick simple object no aot/axt
3) Give it a name
4) Leave the path to file blank
5) Delete the win98 requirement line so only the OS version NT/2000/XP
is left
6) Skip the associations for now and finish up the application
7) Go to properties of that application and then drop down the
distribution options tab and select Registry.
8) Create the following key or go to file/import and import what I'm
going to give you below. (you will have to add a key called software
under hkey local machine, then add one called novell under that then
login under than and then a dword called "NMAS Authentication" under
that and set it to 0, importing a registry file is much easier)
9) Go to the associations tab and associate it with whatever you want
and set it to force run. You should also set the run once flag.

Ok now here's how to create the registry file. Put the following into a
file. Call it something like nmasoff.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Novell\Login]
"NMAS Authentication"=dword:00000000

Save that to disk. You can import that into the zen app like I
described above.

Alternatively, you can put it on the server, and then in the login
script do this

IF PLATFORM = "WNT" THEN
#regedit /s z:\somefolder\nmasoff.reg
END

Obviously changing z:\somefolder to the location of the file and making
sure that this command appears after the MAP command for that drive.
Using the PLATFORM variable will return WNT for NT, 2000, and XP.

You can just leave that in your login script for a few days until you
are sure everyone has logged in, or you can deploy via zenworks. Your
choice.

Patrick

[mh...@law.usc.edu]

Thank you so much Patrick!

[Patrick Farrell]

mh...@law.usc.edu wrote:

Any time, hope it works out ok for you.

I did the same thing to push out the XP SP2 block. Except I used
IF OS_VERSION = "V5.01"

To get only windows XP.

Patrick