IBM i NetServer

This fast-path document is designed to get your IBM i NetServer configured and running quickly in your network. Use IBM i 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, IBM i NetServer is configured to start automatically with TCP/IP. In that case you can connect your clients to IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i 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.

IBM i NetServer Name and Domain - Verify that the IBM i NetServer name is unique on the network and that the IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer configuration. To change the IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer use a different name in the network by using a "Q" plus the system name. For example, QAS400A would be used for the IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer by the system TCP/IP name or TCP/IP address.

Guest IBM i NetServer User Profile - Guest support is needed for those IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer. This is the most secure option. You must have *IOSYSCFG and *SECADM authority to modify IBM i NetServer guest support. To modify the IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer configuration APIs have been provided in a QUSRTOOL library component, including the ability to display current and pending properties for IBM i NetServer. See the GO NETS page for information on using these commands.

Starting and Ending IBM i NetServer - Any configuration changes made to IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer:

CALL QZLSENDS PARM(X'00000000')

CALL QZLSSTRS PARM('0' X'00000000')

Determining if IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer.

IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer. If you are experiencing trouble, please verify the settings described below.

Windows 98

1. Click Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Network-->Configuration and verify that you have Client for Microsoft Networks and TCP/IP added and configured.
2. 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 IBM i NetServer).

Windows NT

1. 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 IBM i NetServer).
2. Go to the Protocols tab and verify that the TCP/IP Protocol has been added and is configured properly.

Windows 2000

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 IBM i NetServer Name - Ensure that an entry for the IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer and Shared Resources - IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer shares double click on IBM i 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 IBM i 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 IBM i NetServer name (or IP address) in the field provided.

Installing iSeries Access - You can use the IBM i NetServer to easily install iSeries Access on your Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP client PC. Administrating IBM i NetServer from a PC client requires the use of iSeries Navigator. IBM i 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