This fast-path document is designed to get your i5/OS NetServer configured and running quickly in your network. Use i5/OS NetServer to share integrated file system directories as well as output queues to your networked Windows or Linux computers for file and print access.
Note: In current releases of OS/400, i5/OS NetServer is configured to start automatically with TCP/IP. In that case you can connect your clients to i5/OS NetServer right out-of-the-box, using the default properties configuration. The following steps are helpful for basic customization and verification of your server.
TCP/IP Support - Verfiy that TCP/IP support has been configured on your iSeries system. You must have at least one external TCP/IP interface configured and active to use i5/OS NetServer.
Use the Configure TCP/IP (CFGTCP) command to check and/or modify interfaces, routes, set up host table and domain name services, etc. Once the configuration is complete use the Start TCP/IP (STRTCP) command to activate the support.
QSERVER Subsystem - The QSERVER subsystem must be started. Confirm that it is started using the Work with Subsystems (WRKSBS) command. If the QSERVER subsystem is not started, use the Start Subsystem (STRSBS QSERVER) command.
Network Print Server - In order for i5/OS NetServer print shares to function properly, the Network Print Server (NPS) must be started. To determine the status of NPS, use the Work with Active Job (WRKACTJOB) command to ensure that there is a QNPSERVD job active in the QSYSWRK subsystem. If there is no QNPSERVD job, then you must start the NPS using the Start Host Server (STRHOSTSVR *NETPRT) command.
Note: If you use
iSeries Navigator (a part of iSeries Access) for administration, then that is the preferred method for configuring i5/OS NetServer. See
this document for more information on GUI administration and using the configuration wizard for first-time setup. Otherwise, read on for command line configuration without iSeries Navigator.
i5/OS NetServer Name and Domain - Verify that the i5/OS NetServer name is unique on the network and that the i5/OS NetServer domain (workgroup) is appropriate for the majority of the clients accessing the iSeries file and print services (in many cases it can be the same domain or workgroup as the PC clients). You must have *IOSYSCFG authority to modify any part of the i5/OS NetServer configuration. To change the i5/OS NetServer default server and domain name, use the following:
CALL QZLSCHSN PARM(server-name domain-name
'Server description' X'00000000')
Once the name has been changed, it should be added to the Domain Name Service, and/or Windows Internet Name Service, if used at your location.
Notes:
- If you still use the old Client Access/400 product, then the i5/OS NetServer should be configured to use a different name so as not to conflict with Client Access. The name would be recognized by both and the first one to retrieve the name wins, leading to inconsistent results seen by the client. In this case, it is recommended that the i5/OS NetServer use a different name in the network by using a "Q" plus the system name. For example, QAS400A would be used for the i5/OS NetServer on an iSeries system with the name AS400A.
- If Client Access/400 is not being used (or you have all Client Access Express or iSeries Access installations), then the i5/OS NetServer name can be the same as the system name. To display the current value of the iSeries system name, use the Display Network Attributes (DSPNETA) command.
- If you choose to configure the i5/OS NetServer name different than the TCP/IP name of OS/400, modern Windows workstations (e.g. Microsoft Windows 2000/XP) may still be able to find the i5/OS NetServer by the system TCP/IP name or TCP/IP address.
Guest i5/OS NetServer User Profile - Guest support is needed for those i5/OS NetServer users requiring only file and print sharing support that do not have an iSeries user profile. If you do not change the default setting (no guest support), then unknown users will not have access to iSeries resources through i5/OS NetServer. This is the most secure option. You must have *IOSYSCFG and *SECADM authority to modify i5/OS NetServer guest support. To modify the i5/OS NetServer guest support use the following:
CALL QZLSCHSG (guest-user-profile x'00000000')
Note: The Guest User Profile should have a password if it is being used for print sharing, and MUST not have any special authority.
Sharing Directories and Printers - Only a couple of directories are shared in the initial configuration. Sharing additional resources is not hard. Use the
QZLSADFS API to add file shares and the
QZLSADPS to add printer shares. For example, the following command adds the share name MYDATA for sharing the "/Data" directory with a 5 character pathname, job CCSID, text description, read-write permissions (2), no maximum users (ffffffff), and no error code structure:
CALL QZLSADFS PARM(MYDATA '/Data' x'00000005' x'00000000'
'NetServer Data share' x'00000002' x'ffffffff' x'00000000')
For more information on using these APIs (and others) to share resources, see the online
API Mini-guide.
Current Configuration - From the green screen command line, you cannot easily tell the current settings of i5/OS NetServer since the API interface was designed to be used from an administration application like iSeries Navigator. Starting in V5R2, command line wrappers to many of the i5/OS NetServer configuration APIs have been provided in a QUSRTOOL library component, including the ability to display current and pending properties for i5/OS NetServer. See the GO NETS page for information on using these commands.
Starting and Ending i5/OS NetServer - Any configuration changes made to i5/OS NetServer, with the exception of share and session administration, do not take effect until the you stop and then start the server. You must have *IOSYSCFG authority to use the following to end and start i5/OS NetServer:
CALL QZLSENDS PARM(X'00000000')
CALL QZLSSTRS PARM('0' X'00000000')
Determining if i5/OS NetServer is Running - Use the Work with Active Job (WRKACTJOB) command to verify that there is a QZLSSERVER job running under the QSERVER subsystem. If the QZLSSERVER job is not active, you must start i5/OS NetServer.
i5/OS NetServer Connections - Using the Work with TCP/IP Network Status (NETSTAT *CNN) command you should see the following entries. If these connections do not exist, restart i5/OS NetServer.
* * netbios > 001:27:44 Listen
* * netbios > 000:00:01 *UDP
* * netbios > 000:00:00 *UDP
* * netbios > 000:30:57 Listen
For OS/400 releases that support CIFS (Common Internet File System) protocol over TCP/IP, you will also see the following entry:
* * cifs 001:27:32 Listen
Note: The NETSTAT command output may be many pages in length.
Properly networked PC and Linux clients may not need additional configuration to connect to i5/OS NetServer. If you are experiencing trouble, please verify the settings described below.
Windows 98
- Click
Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Network-->Configuration and verify that you have
Client for Microsoft Networks and
TCP/IP added and configured.
- Go to the
Identification tab and verify that you have a unique Computer Name on the network and a valid Workgroup name configured (preferably the same one as the i5/OS NetServer).
Windows NT
- Click
Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Network-->Identification and verify that you have a unique Computer Name on the network and a valid Workgroup name configured (preferably the same one as the i5/OS NetServer).
- Go to the
Protocols tab and verify that the
TCP/IP Protocol has been added and is configured properly.
Windows 2000
- Click
Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Network and Dial-up Connections-->Local Area Connection. Verify that
Client for Microsoft Networks and
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are both in the list and checked.
- Select
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click
Properties. Click
Advanced. Click the
WINS tab and verify that
NetBIOS over TCP/IP is not disabled. Check other TCP/IP settings.
- Click
Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->System-->Network Identification tab. Verify that you have a unique Computer Name on the network and a valid Workgroup/Domain name configured.
Other Clients - See appropriate documentation in the
Information Center or the
Linux pages for Samba clients.
Check TCP/IP Support - Test the support by PINGing the iSeries system from a DOS window as follows:
PING iSeries-NetServer-server-name
Resolving i5/OS NetServer Name - Ensure that an entry for the i5/OS NetServer is in the Domain Name Server (DNS). If DNS is not being used or backup resolution mechanisms are needed, then use the PC's local LMHOSTS, or set up a Windows Internet Name Server (WINS) to resolve the i5/OS NetServer server name.
The quickest way is to add an entry to the LMHOSTS file located in the
\Windows directory on a Windows 98 PC, or the
\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc directory on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. If you cannot find an LMHOSTS file in the specified directory it might not have been created yet. Rename LMHOSTS.SAM in that same directory to LMHOSTS and then add a line with the following format:
TCP/IP-address iSeries-NetServer-server-name #PRE
For example:
9.5.10.1 QNETSERVER #PRE
Finding i5/OS NetServer and Shared Resources - i5/OS NetServer may also appear in the
Windows Network Neighborhood but this depends on your network TCP/IP configuration.
Find Computer is more likely to work in all environments.
In order to display i5/OS NetServer shares double click on i5/OS NetServer accessed through either
Find Computer or
Windows Network Neighborhood (a.k.a. My Network Places). Remember that
Windows Network Neighborhood is also available through Windows Explorer, so i5/OS NetServer shares can be explored as well.
To find computers on Windows 2000/XP, click
Start-->Search-->For Files and Folders. In the lower left pane of the search dialog, click
Comuters. Now, enter the i5/OS NetServer name (or IP address) in the field provided.
Installing iSeries Access - You can use the i5/OS NetServer to easily install iSeries Access on your Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP client PC. Administrating i5/OS NetServer from a PC client requires the use of iSeries Navigator. i5/OS NetServer automatically shares the QIBM directory with clients for the purpose of allowing iSeries users who already have user profiles to install iSeries Access on client PCs. For example, to install iSeries Access on a Windows 2000 PC, use
Setup.exe from
\\iSeries-NetServer-server-name\QIBM\ProdData\CA400\Express\
Install\Image
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