Why can't SQL Server run on a Novell server?

Question

I'm not sure whether I'm asking the question correctly, but I've been told SQL Server cannot run on a Novell server. Is this true? If yes, why not?

Answer 1

You may have to be more specific about what a "novell server" is. From what I understand, Novell servers run some form of Suse linux. Sql Server is a windows only product.

My company, however, does have clients that run Novell networks, and we do run Sql Servers on their network. But they're hosted on a win box...

Answer 2

SQL Server, although rooted in a Sybase/Unix/VMS background, is a native windows application. Apart from the compact edition (which runs on some Windows mobile platforms), SQL Server runs on Windows desktop and server operating systems.

More informaiton can be found at wikipedia.

Answer 3

SQL Server is a Windows app. Novel is either one of:

Novell or Linux

Neither of these are windows :) It's like asking "why can't I run this Mac application on my windows box". Or "why will my petrol car not run on diesel?"

There are old version of Sybase, which SQL Server sprang from, which COULD run on Novell Netware, but you'd need to find a software museum to find one, I think!

If you need a SQL Server, I'd suggest you either get Small Business Server, which comes with MSSQL, or install one of the free editions of SQL Server on XP or windows 2003 server. Or use something like MySql, Postgress etc on Linux.

Answer 4

Sorry to be prickly, but I'm not a noob: I know you can't install SQL Server on Linux. Do you guys have customers running Netware trying to connect to a SQL Server? That is what I am dealing with.

We have customers, mostly school systems, that use Netware as the "network OS" with many Windows workstations running the Netware client. Our app uses SQL Server which is usually installed on a Windows 2003 server, but the server is always a second class citizen on the network. Users often must use the IP address rather than machine name to connect the SQL Server.

@Will: Do your Novell customers have trouble accessing SQL Server on the Windows server? Can you install the Netware client on the Windows server to enable file sharing?

Answer 5

I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you looking for software to allow NetWare applications to talk to a SQL Server running on Windows? The wording of your original question implied that you want SQL Server to run on the NetWare machine.

The question of why SQL Server doesn't support NetWare is best asked of Microsoft, but AFAIK SQL Server doesn't support any non-Windows OS.

As someone else said, SQL Server originally came from Sybase's SQL Server (now called Adaptive Server Enterprise), which supported NetWare at one time but dropped it a long time ago. Sybase's other RDBMS, SQL Anywhere, dropped NetWare as of version 11, but versions 9 and 10 are still supported on NW.

Answer 6

Your problem is your directory service, whether it's Microsoft's Active Directory or Novell's Directory Services (I think it's called).

Sounds to me like your DNS is broken if your clients can't resolve names to IP address.

Answer 7

@Graeme: Thanks for helping me refine my question. My employer somehow has the impression that a Windows server is a second-class citizen on a NetWare network. Would installing the NetWare client on the Windows server make it easier for NetWare clients (with some form of Windows OS) connect to the SQL Server? Would installing the NetWare client on the Windows server allow the server to share directories and files like a Novell server?

Answer 8

OK, now I think I understand. I was thinking "client" as in database client application, not the Novell client.

I don't think you'll need the Novell client on the Windows machine, for a couple of reasons:

1. If the client is trying to connect over TCP/IP, it doesn't matter whether or not the Windows machine has the Novell client installed
2. Windows shares aren't affected by the Novell client, though you need some kind of Novell client for the Windows machine to map NetWare volumes
3. If the Windows machine does need to map NetWare volumes, I have found in the past that the Client Service for NetWare service (which ships with Windows but isn't installed by default) is sufficient, and doesn't have all the overhead of the Novell client.

Answer 9

NOW I see your problem! Sorry dude!

Yes, VERY easy. Kinda.

SQL Server used to be able to talk IPX (the netware protocol) but I think Netware will now talk TCPIP, and you can run IPX and TCP/IP on the same network without an issue - windows clients can run both at the same time, 99% of routers handle all protocols etc.

Windows (XP/2003/etc) can run the netware client, so it can talk to shares etc.

Use the SQL Server logins (rather than windows integrated logins), and it'll work from anything - we have Java on Linux talking to SQL Server on windows just fine :) It's all in the connection string: userid=username;pwd=whatever;server=yourserverhere; etc. But you MUST use the SQL Server Configuration Manager to set these up - the default is shared memory, so you have to enable TCPIP etc.

Answer 10

The core issue is how are you authenticating to the SQL database. If you have an Active Directory tree, and an eDirectory you can easily link the two via Novell Identity Manager, which will synchronize users, groups, etc (any object you care to map between the two systems) as well as passwords.

Thus the same object exists in both locations so each system can use it as much it needs too. The license for Identity Manager is included with the Open Enterprise Server license (OES can run on Netware or on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)).

Then you could use the Active Directory integrated authentication.

Beyond that, your Netware server likely does not need to connect to the database directly. If it does, you will be writing or using an application that includes the database connectivity. At which point it becomes a question of is there a client for this OS or not.

Answer 11

@geoffcc: The app uses SQL Authentication to connect to SQL Server.

Answer 12

@flipdoubt Well if you are using SQL Authentication, then you are using a SQL Client of some kind to connect to it, and the fact you have Novell in the picture is as unrelated as if you had Banyan Vines. (There you go! Now a search will show at least ONE reference to Banyan Vines!! Every good technology site needs at least one, and probably not more than one!)

As others have noted, what are you trying to do?

If they need to use the IP address of the SQL server to connect to it via a SQL client, then you have a DNS problem.

If you want to connect to the MS SQL server box to put a file on it, then that is somewhat unrelated to the SQL aspect of the issue. There again, DNS can solve your woes, if you register the name of the server (Say it is SQLSERV1) with the default DNS name (say acme.com) tacked onto the end of it, so that the IP Name sqlserv1.acme.com resolves to the IP Number you want it to point at.

Next comes the question of where are the user identities stored? You are using SQL Authentication, so that means you are creating accounts in SQL for each user.

The basic alternatives are to use Active Directory and have MS SQL server use those identities. If you are in a non-AD shop, you can investigate Novell Identity Manager product which has a JDBC driver that can do a fair bit, One thing it can do is synchronize users from eDirectory to be SQL Server users. (Or to Active Directory, Lotus Notes, most LDAP directories, AS400's, mainframes, NIS/NIS+ and many more systems).

Answer 13

It sounds like your Windows SQL Server is in fact a second class citizen on your networks. (I imagine you are using SQL Authentication instead of AD based.) If you have to connect via IP rather than name, then your Windows boxes aren't participating in an Active Directory authentication + DNS setup like is the case in most "windows" networks verus the "netware" network that you are running into. Netware has it's own form of directory services that is independant of Microsoft.

If you want your Microsoft SQL Server to be a integral part of your network, then you need Microsoft Active Directory installed with integrated windows authentication and DNS services running on a Domain Controller. But, this would conflict with your directory services (if used) on your netware server.

If your Netware network is running just fine, then I wouldn't change it. Simply add the microsoft sql server's network name to your local DNS services and it won't appear like it's a second class citizen. You could install the netware client on the SQL machine but that would make most DBA's cringe. But, it would register the machine in Netware's directory.