NetWare Client for DOS and MS Windows User Guide

2-9
Understanding the NetWare Client Software
The NetWare DOS Requester Architecture
Backwards Compatibility with NETX Applications
The NETX.VLM program provides backwards compatibility with NETX
and other older versions of the shell. Therefore, you do not need to run
NETX or other versions of the shell with the NetWare DOS Requester.
Nevertheless, because the NetWare DOS Requester is a redirector on the
back end of DOS, it performs differently than the NetWare Shell software
under specific conditions.
NOTE: See “Compatibility with NetWare Shell Parameters” under “NetWare DOS
Requester Option,” in Chapter 2 of NetWare Client for DOS and MS Windows
Technical Reference for more information.
The following figure shows a comparison of the NETX and the NetWare
DOS Requester architectures.
Figure 2-3 Comparison of NETX and NetWare DOS Requester Architecture
The NetWare DOS Requester offers several improvements over NETX:
• Provides a modular architecture that has advantages for current and future
DOS
NetWare DOS
Requester
NETX.VLM
IPXODI
LAN
driver
Link
Support
Layer
Network
board
NETX DOS Requester
NETX
LAN
driver
Link
Support
Layer
Network
board
IPXODI DOS