User Guide

12 Server Operating System Administration Guide
Server Operating System Administration Guide
103-000148-001
August 30, 2001
Novell Confidential
Manual 99a38 July 17, 2001
The principal executable for NetWare, SERVER.EXE, includes bound-in
modules, such as those for Media Manager, NetWare Peripheral
Architecture
TM
(NWPA), and the Link Support Layer
TM
(LSL
TM
). When
SERVER.EXE is executed, the NetWare server is loaded into memory, takes
control of the hardware resources, and begins to load its component modules.
NOTE: NetWare uses DOS as a cold boot loader. It does not run on top of DOS.
Because the system is modular, individual modules can be updated without
replacing SERVER.EXE. A new module simply replaces the previous version.
NOTE: The directory in which SERVER.EXE is stored is called the startup
directory or the boot directory. By default, SERVER.EXE is stored in the
C:\NWSERVER directory. Updated modules can be copied to the STARTUP
directory where they will overwrite previous versions or the bound-in versions of the
same modules.
NetWare 6 is based on an integrated kernel. The multiprocessing kernel
(MPK) is completely multithreaded, supports pre-emption, and—as an
integrated kernel—runs on both multiprocessor and uniprocessor systems.
NetWare supports as many as 32 processors.
Although NetWare 6 has minimum hardware requirements (see System
Requirements in the NetWare 6 Overview and Installation Guide), we
recommend that you provide a high-performance hardware platform so you
can get the full benefit of the power and scalability that NetWare 6 offers.
To ensure that no component of your system hampers the performance of any
other, see also “Matching Performance Capabilities” on page 34.
NetWare Integrated Kernel
The core of the NetWare operating system is the integrated kernel. MPK
(multiprocessing kernel) manages threads, schedules processor resources,
handles interrupts and exceptions, and manages access to memory and the I/O
subsystems.
For explanations and descriptions, see the following:
 “The Run Queue” on page 13
 “Load Balancing” on page 14
 “Concurrency and Parallelism” on page 15
 “Pre-emption” on page 16
 “Platform Support Module” on page 17