miggui and OES2 SP3

Have you been seeing this error lately?

Authentication to the server failed. Unable to retrieve the tree certificate. Verify the eDirectory credentials. Refer to the migration.log for more details.

Novell has a TID related to it, #7008691 that notes it has been reported to engineering and that there is a development build of the utility that you can contact Novell support for.  Calling Novell support may not be an option for some (as most of the time you have to open a call that then is "supposed" to be reimbursed - yeah, right).  Good News Everyone!  (Imagine this in Professor Farnsworth's voice - the old guy from Futurama - and it seems much funnier).  I have a work around for this.

Are you ready?  It's really rather annoyingly simple.

1. Verify logins are enabled on the source server.  Just to save yourself a SMH later on like I did late last night.
2. Launch the miggui utility on the target Linux server.
3. Log into the target server FIRST.
4. Log into the source server LAST.

If you still get the error, then close the miggui (don't save the project) and try again.  It's usually worth the effort and has worked at sites where they're experiencing issues with SLP or DHCP or just some unknown infrastructure issue.

If that still doesn't work and you need to look at the migration.log file, simply click on the "View Logs" icon to the left of the miggui screen.  Or you can find it in the /var/opt/novell/migration//log directory.  Project Name would be whatever you saved it as.  Default names are usually NewProj#, where the # just increments by 1 the more times you launch the utility.

Refer to Novell TID#7002862 for a litany of troubleshooting tips if you're still having issues.  Or feel free to email me - although I may be slow to respond and I'll try to lend a hand.

I was very annoyed with this late last night as I've been using the miggui smoothly for sometime.  It never mattered before which way I logged into a server, and usually I could start a new project without any issues.  I'm currently working on a project where we're consolidating file structures to new servers and I need to run several iterations to attach to different servers.  It's the first project with this particular consolidation pattern on OES2 SP3 that I've had this year. Imagine my surprise when I found I have to close the miggui in between projects simply to be able to attach successfully to the next server in the list to consolidate.  Grrrr.....

How to Remove an OES Linux server from an eDirectory tree

OES2-Linux has a different method for removing eDirectory than most NetWare folks are used to.  Long gone is the familiar  NWCONFIG | Remove Directory Services menu options with all the appropriate warnings.  Backpedal to text-based interfaces.  Don’t get me wrong, I love text interfaces and it’s one of my biggest whines about Apple OSes.  But for NetWare folks, trying to find the quick and dirty method to remove a server from a tree so they can put it into another tree is mind-numbingly annoying.  Thus this blog post.  (And I promise to add screen captures to this post at a later date).

Here’s the step-by-step to remove a Linux server from a tree followed by how to add it to a new tree.

1. Make sure time is in sync on both trees:  ndsrepair –T
2. Verify the server being removed has no replicas on it: ndsrepair –P
3. Remove the server from the tree:  ndsconfig  rm  -a cn=admin.o=company
• NOTE: There is no need to stop the ndsd service as ndsconfig will do it for you
4. Use ConsoleOne or iManager to remove any remaining server related objects (average server will have somewhere around 12).

To add a server to an existing tree:

1. Using: ndsconfig  add -t treename –n servercontext  -S servername -a cn=admin.o=company gets you the error message of “This Operation is not Allowed in OES”
2. Use YAST2 | OES Install and Configuration  - make sure you have your OES media handy
3. Click accept, on the next screen you’ll notice all the options have “Reconfigure is disabled” next to each component.  Simply click on the word “disabled” to change it to “enabled” in order to reconfigure eDirectory (and any other components you may wish to change)
4. Click on eDirectory to enter the tree name, point to a server holding a replica, provide the needed credentials, input the context, NTP time servers, and configure SLP settings.

To create a new tree using the server:

1. Use YAST2 in the same fashion as above, but instead of selecting “Existing Tree”, select “New Tree” and the rest of the steps are the same.
2. If this is the first server in a new tree, you’ll want to make it an SLPDA now just to make your life easier.
3. Use an outside source for NTP Time Server such as us.pool.ntp.org

A dash of humor

Note to self: Don't use your Android phone as a means of creating a blog post for here.  The auto correct is most annoying and requires that we log back in at a later date and fix it.

Ever had one of those days where your forehead begins to hurt from the self-inflicgted slaps to the head when having a D'oh moment?  My week's been kind of like that.  First, I allowed myself to be talked into a GroupWise upgrade and migration in the same day.  Which lead to the second error of forgetting to setup the NCPFS so the Linux-only server hosting the POA could chat appropriately with the OES server hosting the MTA and GWIA.  Third slap came from the "damn, I forgot to buy oil for the old truck" when realizing it needed not 1 but 2 quarts of oil.  Fourth and fifth slaps came later that night/wee morning hours when I realized I'd forgotten to register the codes for an OES box that I was rebuilding for the 2nd time to host WebAccess.  It was a long day.

Today I had another one when I realized that I had inadverenty missed renaming the database.zmg file for the the workstation image I was creating for a customer with a failing workstation hard drive and I've effectively overwritten our company's image database.  (Luckily for me we're small and only have 2 hardware-independent images).  Still, rough end to a long week.  I think I deserve a Jack & Pepsi tonight, too bad there's none in the house.

@^%$!@# !!! Unable to locate file \/wpgate/GWIA/gwac.dc

I hate this error.  I run into it during migrations often.  And then I forget how I fixed it. Which makes me go searching again only to find that Google doesn't find the particular error message so I hit the KB on Novell and dig around until something jars a memory loose and I remember.

So, out of frustration, here's the fix (and so I can find it easier next time!):

***NOTE***  ConsoleOne needs to be run on the Linux server hosting the MTA not a Windows workstation.

1. Open up ConsoleOne and check the path to be sure it points the correct mount point on the Linux server.
2. Change the UNC path if needed.  If it comes back as a "\" or an empty UNC path, the fix gets harder.
3. If the path becomes a "\" or "\\wpdomain.db" or some convoluted conflagration of borked up path names clear out the UNC path in the MTA.  Close it.  
1. Click on Tools | System Preferences | Linux Settings and delete the UNC path there.  
2. Open up the MTA object again and BROWSE, not type, to the correct UNC path (i.e. /media/nss/GW_VOL/domain/wpdomain.db).
4. This should fix the dreaded error that prevents you from getting to your GWIA eDir object.

I wish I could say this has been fixed, but I'm currently working on an 8.02 HP2 migration where this got borked up again.

Special BrainShare Registration URL

I got my own registration URL courtesy of Novell.  It will help me track how many people are registering either because of BrainShare Buddies or because you know me somehow.  If you us my URL, I'll enter you into a drawing for some Novell spiffs from my personal stash - including one of the coveted Blue Novell BrainShare backpacks that has never been used.  Other spiffs will include "vintage" t-shirts and a Ximian monkey.

https://www.novellbrainshare.com/slc2011/portal/registration/mary

The URL doesn't give you any special discounts, but you will still be allowed to enter any discount codes you may have, such as GWAVA or a PartnerNet discount.

Please feel free to pass this info on, I'm hoping this becomes a fun game for all and helps bring some attention to the BrainShare Buddies idea that I started years ago.  If you're coming to BrainShare, have been before and are interested in becoming a Buddy let me know.  It doesn't take a lot of time and is a fun way to network and help out new attendees.

Last Day for $400 discount on BrainShare

The big discount ends today!  Early Bird discounts will continue though until September 1st, it's just that the amount drops a little bit each time.

BrainShare will cover all of the Novell, NetIQ, and SUSE product lines, so basically it's still the BrainShare we know and love, with just a few new names added.

Also, I'm working with Novell to get a special code for folks to use - no discount or anything - and I'll be doing some drawings for "vintage" Novell spiffs from my personal stash.  Part of my normal BrainShare Buddies stuff that I do.  Nope, Novell doesn't pay me to do this, it's just something I've found useful for others over the year.

Anyone wishing to volunteer to help, drop me a note/comment/holler/whatever and I'll get you details as I work them out.

Novell announces new Exec team - and I'm kind of happy about it

Today, Attachmate announced the new Executive line up for the Novell Business Unit.  The good news is I know a large number of those folks and one that I know doesn't run from me - John Delks.  At least I hope he won't run from me, but there's the chance that either Ron Hovsepian or John Dragoon, or both forewarned him about me.  Guess I'll have to wear my running shoes at BrainShare this year.

I am liking what I'm hearing out of Novell though.  The re-commitment to giving the products the attention they deserve, the continued support of NetWare for loyal customers who've been unable to move to Linux, and the comments from friends still working there who were guarded but are more excited than they've been in years about working there.  Dean Lythgoe and Alex Evans are still on board and leading the GroupWise charge, which is great news as I still can pester them.

Top that with relocation of the headquarters back to Provo and there's only two things that still make me sigh with frustration: support being in India instead of returning to regional centers, and development not returning to the US/UK/EU for the non-SUSE products.  At least that's how it stands for now.

Novell's New/Old Headquarters

Now, don't get your panties in a wad, I'm not exactly slamming India's talent base.  It's just that there are cultural barriers causing issues with quality coding and an understanding of how business is done in these regions.  If Novell were "my" company, I'd keep commodity programming in India (primarily bug fixes and management tool development like iManager) and move the new development (new features/enhancements/product lines) to US/UK/EU.  We might see more stable code then and hopefully bug fixes would happen faster if customers could work with support staff in their own time zones and regions.

I will repeat what I've said to Colleen O'Keefe on multiple occasions - "it's not the accents or any language barriers that I have trouble with, it's the cultural differences".  Main issues being that India still has issues with treating women with respect and being equals, they do not have the freedom to, and often are discouraged from, think outside of "the box", and business processes/operations are different than what is "normal" for US/UK customers.

Still, all-in-all I'm getting more comfortable with the acquisition and the loss of jobs for many, many friends, Ron and John included.