Getting directory infrormation from Novell 5.1

I am developing a VB.NET/ASP.NET app and need to validate
users, get their groups and other such login/password
tasks from out company directory. That information is
stored in a server running Novell 5.1. I have ben digging
dee into the system.directoryservices spec but most of
what I am seeing relates to AD. The Novell stuff shows
lines such as:

Dim objDE = New DirectoryEntry("LDAP://DC=onecity")
console.writeline(objDE.Properties("currentTime")(0))

This code produces the error: "The specified domain
either does not exist or could not be contacted". The
code stops on the SECOND line, which I think is strange.

I checked with our network admin for the correct base tree
on Novell and typed it in place of "onecity" in the above
example.

How can I access this directory to look up login names and
validate passwords using VB.NET?

Scott

Marc
Fri Nov 07 00:50:52 CST 2003

> Dim objjDE = New DirectoryEntry("LDAP://DC=onecity, DC=corp")
>
> This code produces the error: "The specified domain either does
> not exist or could not be contacted".

Well, is your Novell domain really called "onecity.corp" ?? For
LDAP, you'll need to have your full DNS domain name here - not the
Novell tree name!

You could also try to use the Novell provider for ADSI and use the
NDS notation, such as:

objDE = new DirectoryEntry
("NDS://<treename>/O=Org/OU=OrgUnit/CN=User");

Replace the <treename> with your own NDS tree name (e.g. "MyTree"
or "BigMegaCorp" - whatever it's really called), and make sure to
use Org., Org.Units, User names that do exist in your world.

I'd suggest you download my ADSI Browser from the Files section
here - you can have a look at your Novell NDS world with it (enable
the NDS function by checking the appropriate menu entry in
the "View" menu).

Good luck!
Marc

Torp
Fri Nov 07 15:03:43 CST 2003

I set up a sample app based on
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vbcon/html/
vbwlkWalkthroughCreatingADSIObjects.asp that works fine but uses the string
"WinNT://<workgroup>/<my workstation name>". I have been trying a number of
combinations to access the Novell server such as "NDS://<tree name>" and
other deviations off that idea, but I get error messages. I am getting the
feeling that I am on the right track, but I don't have the right connection
string to do this with Novell.

The System Admin and myself are scouring the internet right now looking for
a solution to this but while there are references on msdn.microsoft.com to
the 'ability' to use NDS there are no examples or documentation we can find
that outline that.

I hope someone out there has some thoughts on this.

Scott


"Marc Scheuner [MVP ADSI]" <m.scheuner@inova.SPAMBEGONE.ch> wrote in message
news:66gmqv8cpgat4doijtg04osga6ojli4go9@4ax.com...
> > Dim objjDE = New DirectoryEntry("LDAP://DC=onecity, DC=corp")
> >
> > This code produces the error: "The specified domain either does
> > not exist or could not be contacted".
>
> Well, is your Novell domain really called "onecity.corp" ?? For
> LDAP, you'll need to have your full DNS domain name here - not the
> Novell tree name!
>
> You could also try to use the Novell provider for ADSI and use the
> NDS notation, such as:
>
> objDE = new DirectoryEntry
> ("NDS://<treename>/O=Org/OU=OrgUnit/CN=User");
>
> Replace the <treename> with your own NDS tree name (e.g. "MyTree"
> or "BigMegaCorp" - whatever it's really called), and make sure to
> use Org., Org.Units, User names that do exist in your world.
>
> I'd suggest you download my ADSI Browser from the Files section
> here - you can have a look at your Novell NDS world with it (enable
> the NDS function by checking the appropriate menu entry in
> the "View" menu).
>
> Good luck!
> Marc
>

Marc
Sun Nov 09 06:32:01 CST 2003

>I set up a sample app based on
>vbwlkWalkthroughCreatingADSIObjects.asp that works fine but uses the string
>"WinNT://<workgroup>/<my workstation name>".

Well, WinNT is first of all Windows-specific, for NT 4 domains, and
only included for backward compatibility and should not be used. It
will most definitely *NOT* give you access to Novell resources in an
NDS tree!

>I have been trying a number of
>combinations to access the Novell server such as "NDS://<tree name>" and
>other deviations off that idea, but I get error messages.

Did you download my ADSI Browser, and have a look if you can get your
NDS tree(s) to show up in it ? That will give you the NDS path you
need to supply to ADSI for binding successfully to various objects.

Marc