This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(November 2010) |
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. [1]
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. [1]
Novell eDirectory uses NCP for synchronizing data changes between 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The original IPX/SPX server implementation was provided only for Novell NetWare platform and now is obsolete.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 the IPX socket number of 0x4003 was used, on the server side the socket number of 0x0451.
The NCP PDU has the following structure:
Octets | Field |
---|---|
2 | NCP type |
1 | Sequence Number |
1 | Connection Number, lower octet |
1 | Task Number |
1 | Connection Number, higher octet |
1 | Completion Code (only in Reply packet) |
1 | Connection Status (only in Reply packet) |
var | Data |
The NCP Type field determines the type of operation: [2]
Value | Meaning |
---|---|
0x1111 | Create a Service Connection |
0x2222 | Service Request |
0x3333 | Service Reply |
0x5555 | Destroy Service Connection |
0x7777 | Burst Mode Transfer |
0x9999 | Request Being Processed (Server Busy) |
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 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.
Number | Function |
---|---|
0 | Login User Object |
1 | Change User Password |
2 | Map User to Station Set |
3 | Map Object to Number |
4 | Map Number to Object |
5 | Get Station's Logged Information |
8 | Map Number to Group Name |
9 | Get Member Set M of Group G |
10 | Enter Login Area |
12 | Verify Network Serial Number |
13 | Log Network Message |
14 | Get Disk Utilization |
15 | Scan File Information |
16 | Set File Information |
17 | Get File Server Information |
18 | Get Network Serial Number |
19 | Get Internet Address |
20 | Login Object |
21 | Get Object Connection List |
22 | Get Station's Logged Information |
23 | Get Encryption Key |
24 | Login Object Encrypted |
31 | Get Connection List from Object |
50 | Create Bindery Object |
51 | Delete Bindery Object |
52 | Rename Object |
53 | Get Bindery Object Id |
54 | Get Bindery Object Name |
55 | Scan Bindery Object |
56 | Change Bindery Object Security |
57 | Create Property |
58 | Delete Property |
59 | Change Bindery Property Security |
60 | Scan Property |
61 | Read Property Value |
62 | Write Property Value |
63 | Verify Bindery Object Password |
64 | Change Bindery Object Password |
65 | Add Bindery Object to Set |
66 | Delete Bindery Object from Set |
67 | Is Bindery Object In Set? |
68 | Close Bindery |
69 | Open Bindery |
70 | Get Bindery Access Level |
71 | Sacn Bindery Object Trustee Paths |
72 | Get Bindery Object Access Level |
73 | Is Calling Station a Manager? |
74 | Verify Bindery Object Password Encrypted |
75 | Change Bindery Object Password Encrypted |
76 | List Relations of an Object |
100 | Create Queue |
101 | Destroy Queue |
102 | Read Queue Current Status |
103 | Set Queue Current Status |
104 | Create Queue Job and File |
105 | Close File and Start Queue Job |
106 | Remove Job from Queue |
107 | Get Queue Job List |
108 | Read Queue Job Entry |
109 | Change Queue Job Entry |
110 | Change Queue Job Position |
111 | Attach Queue Server to Queue |
112 | Detach Queue Server from Queue |
113 | Service Queue Job |
114 | Finish Servicing Queue Job |
115 | Abort Servicing Queue Job |
116 | Change to Client's Rights |
117 | Restore Queue Server Rights |
118 | Read Queue Server Current Status |
119 | Set Queue Server Current Status |
120 | Get Queue Job Size |
150 | Get Current Account Status |
151 | Submit Account Charge |
152 | Submit Account Hold |
153 | Submit Account Note |
200 | Check Console Privileges |
201 | Get File Server Description Strings |
202 | Set File Server Date and Time |
203 | Disable File Server Login |
204 | Enable File Server Login |
205 | Get File Server Login Status |
206 | Purge All Erased Files |
207 | Disable Transaction Tracking |
208 | Enable Transaction Tracking |
209 | Set Console Broadcast |
210 | Clear Connection Number |
211 | Down File Server |
212 | Get File System Statistics |
213 | TTS Get Statistics |
214 | Get Disk Cache Statistics |
215 | Get Drive Mapping Table |
216 | Get Physical Disk Statistics |
217 | Get Disk Channel Statistics |
218 | Get Connection's Task Information |
219 | Get Connection's Open Files |
220 | Get Connection's Using a File |
221 | Get Physical Record Locks by Connection and File |
222 | Get Physical Record Locks by File |
223 | Get Logical Records by Connection |
224 | Get Logical Record Information |
225 | Get Connection's Semaphores |
226 | Get Semaphore Information |
227 | Get LAN Driver's Configuration Information |
229 | Get Connection's Usage Statistics |
230 | Get Object's Remaining Disk Space |
231 | Get File Server LAN I/O Statistics |
232 | Get File Server Misc Information |
233 | Get Volume Information |
The contents and the length of the rest of the Data field depends on the NCP Function.
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is the network layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol suite. IPX is derived from Xerox Network Systems' IDP. It also has the ability to act as a transport layer protocol.
In computer networking, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is a data link layer communication protocol between two routers directly without any host or any other networking in between. It can provide loop detection, authentication, transmission encryption, and data compression.
A network operating system (NOS) is a specialized operating system for a network device such as a router, switch or firewall.
Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol originally developed by Sun Microsystems (Sun) in 1984, allowing a user on a client computer to access files over a computer network much like local storage is accessed. NFS, like many other protocols, builds on the Open Network Computing Remote Procedure Call system. NFS is an open IETF standard defined in a Request for Comments (RFC), allowing anyone to implement the protocol.
NetBIOS is an acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System. It provides services related to the session layer of the OSI model allowing applications on separate computers to communicate over a local area network. As strictly an API, NetBIOS is not a networking protocol. Operating systems of the 1980s ran NetBIOS over IEEE 802.2 and IPX/SPX using the NetBIOS Frames (NBF) and NetBIOS over IPX/SPX (NBX) protocols, respectively. In modern networks, NetBIOS normally runs over TCP/IP via the NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT) protocol. This results in each computer in the network having both an IP address and a NetBIOS name corresponding to a host name. NetBIOS is also used for identifying system names in TCP/IP (Windows). Simply stated, it is a protocol that allows communication of data for files and printers through the Session Layer of the OSI Model in a LAN.
In computing, the Windows Sockets API (WSA), later shortened to Winsock, is an application programming interface (API) that defines how Windows network application software should access network services, especially TCP/IP. It defines a standard interface between a Windows TCP/IP client application and the underlying TCP/IP protocol stack. The nomenclature is based on the Berkeley sockets API used in BSD for communications between programs.
NetBIOS Frames (NBF) is a non-routable network- and transport-level data protocol most commonly used as one of the layers of Microsoft Windows networking in the 1990s. NBF or NetBIOS over IEEE 802.2 LLC is used by a number of network operating systems released in the 1990s, such as LAN Manager, LAN Server, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 and Windows NT. Other protocols, such as NBT, and NBX (NetBIOS-over-IPX/SPX) also implement the NetBIOS/NetBEUI services over other protocol suites.
Server Message Block (SMB) is a communication protocol used to share files, printers, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network. On Microsoft Windows, the SMB implementation consists of two vaguely named Windows services: "Server" and "Workstation". It uses NTLM or Kerberos protocols for user authentication. It also provides an authenticated inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism.
NetWare is a discontinued computer network operating system developed by Novell, Inc. It initially used cooperative multitasking to run various services on a personal computer, using the IPX network protocol.
IPX/SPX stands for Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange. IPX and SPX are networking protocols used initially on networks using the Novell NetWare operating systems. They also became widely used on networks deploying Microsoft Windows LANS, as they replaced NetWare LANS, but are no longer widely used. IPX/SPX was also widely used prior to and up to Windows XP, which supported the protocols, while later Windows versions do not, and TCP/IP took over for networking.
The Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), formerly AppleTalk Filing Protocol, is a proprietary network protocol, and part of the Apple File Service (AFS), that offers file services for macOS, classic Mac OS, and Apple II computers. In OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and earlier, AFP was the primary protocol for file services. Starting with OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Server Message Block (SMB) was made the primary file sharing protocol, with the ability to run an AFP server removed later in macOS 11 Big Sur. AFP supports Unicode file names, POSIX and access-control list permissions, resource forks, named extended attributes, and advanced file locking.
HP Jetdirect is the name of a technology sold by Hewlett-Packard that allows computer printers to be directly attached to a local area network. The "Jetdirect" designation covers a range of models from the external 1 and 3 port parallel print servers known as the 300x and 500x, to the internal EIO print servers for use with HP printers. The Jetdirect series also includes wireless print server models, as well as gigabit Ethernet and IPv6-compliant internal cards.
In computing, the NetWare File System (NWFS) was a file system based on a heavily optimized, journal-based FAT file system. It was used in the Novell NetWare network operating system. It was the only file system for all volumes in NetWare versions 2.x, 3.x and 4.x, and the default and only file system for the SYS: volume continuing through version 5.x. Novell developed two varieties of NWFS:
Mercury Mail Transport System is a standards-compliant mail server developed by David Harris, who also develops the Pegasus Mail client.
NWLink is Microsoft's implementation of Novell's IPX/SPX protocols. NWLink includes an implementation of NetBIOS atop IPX/SPX.
A LAN Messenger is an instant messaging program for computers designed for use within a single local area network (LAN).
Novell Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) was a series of APIs, data formats and network protocol stacks written in a highly portable fashion intended to be used in embedded systems. The idea was to allow various small devices to access Novell NetWare services, provide such services, or use NetWare's IPX protocol as a communications system. Novell referred to this concept as "Extended Networks", and when the effort was launched they boasted that they wanted to see one billion devices connected to NetWare networks by year 2000. NEST was launched in mid-1994 countering Microsoft's similar Microsoft at Work efforts, which had been launched in 1993.
In computer networking, an Ethernet frame is a data link layer protocol data unit and uses the underlying Ethernet physical layer transport mechanisms. In other words, a data unit on an Ethernet link transports an Ethernet frame as its payload.
GroupWise is a messaging and collaboration platform from OpenText that supports email, calendaring, personal information management, instant messaging, and document management. The GroupWise platform consists of desktop client software, which is available for Windows,, and the server software, which is supported on Windows Server and Linux.