Tring to get my dad to switch/Mac on PC network. Please Read.

[coopdog]

I'm tring to get my dad to switch to the new 12" powerbook. The only reason he won't switch is because he needs to connect to the network at his bank. He needs to connect to the Novell "groupwise" server at his work and other servers on the Novell network. I found This app that seems that it would do the trick.

"My PC even has problems connecting to the servers at work, a mac would be much harder to setup to work on the network. I have IT guys to help me with PC." The IT guys at my dad's office said that they will not support the mac running on the network. They don't know how to use Mac

"I'm not going to be the first one in my office to mess around connecting a mac to the network"

My dad really needs some assurance that the PB could connect to the Novel network (PC network) with no difficulty. Would it?
The bank would pay for the laptop. My dad has been stuck in a PC world forever and I think he would enjoy OS X a lot better than another PC.


Thank You!

 

[edesignuk]

I'm amazed that any decent sized company (which I presume this 'bank' would be) would even let you just swan in with a laptop and plug it in on their network. Where I work you'd have Net Ops and NT Ops on your back the second you plug anything not company issue on the network....promptly followed by security throwing you and your laptop out the front door.
Doesn't this bank have any worries about security, systems management etc?

 

[macktheknife]

I think as long as his IP settings are correct, he should be able to log into the Bank's network. However, from reading your post, I would (unfortunately) recommend against your dad switching to a Mac. If you are a Mac user in a sea of PC beige boxes, you'd better know what you are doing. I am the only one in my office, for instance, who uses a Mac (TiBook), and I can connect to my company's network by playing around with some settings and am able to troubleshoot any compatability problems. Your dad doesn't sound like someone who is a computer pro (correct me if I'm wrong), so he'll be stuck if any problems crop up. Also, find out what software he uses: many financial software run only on the PC. Virtual PC is not the answer if he needs to run them often.

Do you have a Mac already? Perhaps you can take it to his office and connect it to the company's network to see if it works.

 

[hugemullens]

I've heard some people have had a hard time connecting to Novell networks with OS X. I've heard there is a classic app to assit but that isnt really a good solution. I love my mac but maybe a PC is the right choice.

 

[coopdog]

Yes it is a big bank. I guess they are very trusting.
I think you have to register your laptop/computer with the IT guys before you are allowed to plug it in.

 

[dricci]

I don't think it'll work, as there's really no solution for Novell on Mac OS X.

 

[lmalave]

Originally posted by dricci
I don't think it'll work, as there's really no solution for Novell on Mac OS X.

Did you bother to read the post? There's a link to a NetWare client for OSX, though it only works over TCP/IP

 

[lmalave]

Originally posted by macktheknife
I think as long as his IP settings are correct, he should be able to log into the Bank's network. However, from reading your post, I would (unfortunately) recommend against your dad switching to a Mac. If you are a Mac user in a sea of PC beige boxes, you'd better know what you are doing. I am the only one in my office, for instance, who uses a Mac (TiBook), and I can connect to my company's network by playing around with some settings and am able to troubleshoot any compatability problems. Your dad doesn't sound like someone who is a computer pro (correct me if I'm wrong), so he'll be stuck if any problems crop up. Also, find out what software he uses: many financial software run only on the PC. Virtual PC is not the answer if he needs to run them often.

Do you have a Mac already? Perhaps you can take it to his office and connect it to the company's network to see if it works.

I have to agree - if you are going against the tide you have to be prepared to go without support. I work for a large multinational investment bank, and I was on my own when I wanted to connect to the VPN from my Mac at home. Even though Cisco has a VPN client, there's no way my company would ever distribute it. I ended up having to do a Google search and download it from some college in Arizona! (I guess a lot of colleges have VPNs now - makes sense...)

I also agree with the post above about making sure that all the apps your dad needs run on the Mac. In my case, my work is all on Unix servers, so ironically the iBook I use at home is a better tool for my job than the company-issue Windows desktop I have in the office...