The NetWare Core Protocol ( NCP ) is a network protocol used in some products from Novell, Inc. It is usually associated with the client-server operating system Novell NetWare which originally supported primarily MS-DOS client stations, but later support for other platforms such as Microsoft Windows , the classic Mac OS , Linux , Windows NT , Mac OS X , and various flavors of Unix was added.
19-506: The NCP is used to access file , print , directory , clock synchronization , messaging, remote command execution and other network service functions. It originally took advantage of an easy network configuration and small memory footprint of the IPX/SPX protocol stack. Since 1991 the TCP/IP implementation is available. Novell eDirectory uses NCP for synchronizing data changes between
38-507: A heterogeneous group of clients. NAS devices specifically are distinguished from file servers generally in a NAS being a computer appliance – a specialized computer built from the ground up for serving files – rather than a general purpose computer being used for serving files (possibly with other functions). In discussions of NASs, the term "file server" generally stands for a contrasting term, referring to general purpose computers only. As of 2010 NAS devices are gaining popularity, offering
57-479: A network that provides a location for shared disk access, i.e. storage of computer files (such as text, image, sound, video) that can be accessed by workstations within a computer network. The term server highlights the role of the machine in the traditional client–server scheme, where the clients are the workstations using the storage. A file server does not normally perform computational tasks or run programs on behalf of its client workstations (in other words, it
76-418: A convenient method for sharing files between multiple computers. Potential benefits of network-attached storage, compared to non-dedicated file servers, include faster data access, easier administration, and simple configuration. NAS systems are networked appliances containing one or more hard drives, often arranged into logical, redundant storage containers or RAID arrays. Network Attached Storage removes
95-401: A database device driver, are not regarded as file servers even when the database is stored in files, as they are not designed to provide those files to users and tend to have differing technical requirements. In modern businesses, the design of file servers is complicated by competing demands for storage space, access speed, recoverability , ease of administration, security , and budget. This
114-466: A particular CPU architecture , bus, motherboard or operating system . Hardware that is compatible may not always run at its highest stated performance, but it can nevertheless work with legacy components . An example is RAM chips, some of which can run at a lower (or sometimes higher) clock rate than rated. Hardware that was designed for one operating system may not work for another, if device or kernel drivers are unavailable. As an example, Android
133-450: Is different from e.g. an application server , which is another type of server). File servers are commonly found in schools and offices, where users use a local area network to connect their client computers. A file server may be dedicated or non-dedicated. A dedicated server is designed specifically for use as a file server, with workstations attached for reading and writing files and databases . File servers may also be categorized by
152-424: Is faster than the magnetic disks), as well as advanced functions like RAID and storage virtualization . Typically disk arrays increase level of availability by using redundant components other than RAID, such as power supplies . Disk arrays may be consolidated or virtualized in a SAN . Network-attached storage (NAS) is file-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to
171-584: Is further complicated by a constantly changing environment, where new hardware and technology rapidly obsolesces old equipment, and yet must seamlessly come online in a fashion compatible with the older machinery. To manage throughput , peak loads, and response time , vendors may utilize queuing theory to model how the combination of hardware and software will respond over various levels of demand. Servers may also employ dynamic load balancing scheme to distribute requests across various pieces of hardware. The primary piece of hardware equipment for servers over
190-508: Is said to be compatible if certain software that runs on one of the models can also be run on all other models of the family. The computer models may differ in performance , reliability or some other characteristic. These differences may affect the outcome of the running of the software. Software compatibility can refer to the compatibility that a particular software has running on a particular CPU architecture such as Intel or PowerPC . Software compatibility can also refer to ability for
209-596: The Connection Number occupied only 1 octet. Later it was extended to 2 octets. Task number has value 3 in requests and 1 in replies. The Data field starts with NCP Function number octet which distinguishes individual services. The contents and the length of the rest of the Data field depends on the NCP Function. File server In computing, a file server (or fileserver ) is a computer attached to
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#1732786861583228-547: The IPX socket number of 0x4003 was used, on the server side the socket number of 0x0451. The NCP PDU has the following structure: The NCP Type field determines the type of operation: Individual requests are identified by the Sequence Number (modulo 256). The Connection Number identifies an individual client station connection on the server. Novell Netware servers of version up to 2.x supported up to 255 connections and
247-473: The hierarchical computing environment which treat users, computers, applications and files as distinct but related entities on the network and grant access based on user or group credentials. In many cases, the directory service spans many file servers, potentially hundreds for large organizations. In the past, and in smaller organizations, authentication could take place directly at the server itself. Computer compatibility A family of computer models
266-435: The interpreter is available for the architecture or operating system. Software incompatibility occurs many times for new software released for a newer version of an operating system which is incompatible with the older version of the operating system because it may miss some of the features and functionality that the software depends on. Hardware compatibility can refer to the compatibility of computer hardware components with
285-478: The last couple of decades has proven to be the hard disk drive . Although other forms of storage are viable (such as magnetic tape and solid-state drives ) disk drives have continued to offer the best fit for cost, performance, and capacity. Since the crucial function of a file server is storage, technology has been developed to operate multiple disk drives together as a team, forming a disk array . A disk array typically has cache (temporary memory storage that
304-415: The method of access: Internet file servers are frequently accessed by File Transfer Protocol or by HTTP (but are different from web servers , that often provide dynamic web content in addition to static files). Servers on a LAN are usually accessed by SMB / CIFS protocol ( Windows and Unix-like ) or NFS protocol (Unix-like systems). Database servers , that provide access to a shared database via
323-534: The responsibility of file serving from other servers on the network. They typically provide access to files using network file sharing protocols such as NFS , SMB/CIFS ( Server Message Block/Common Internet File System ), or AFP . File servers generally offer some form of system security to limit access to files to specific users or groups. In large organizations, this is a task usually delegated to directory services , such as openLDAP , Novell's eDirectory or Microsoft's Active Directory . These servers work within
342-403: The servers in a directory service tree. The original IPX/SPX server implementation was provided only for Novell NetWare platform and now is obsolete. The TCP/IP implementation uses TCP / UDP port 524 and relies on SLP for name resolution. For NCP operation in IPX/SPX networks the bare IPX protocol was used with Packet Type field set to 17. On the workstation (client station) side
361-414: The software to run on a particular operating system . Very rarely is a compiled software compatible with multiple different CPU architectures. Normally, an application is compiled for different CPU architectures and operating systems to allow it to be compatible with the different system. Interpreted software , on the other hand, can normally run on many different CPU architectures and operating systems if
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