We're running Novell on our network. The laptop has the 4.91 client. When one trys to login from the bootup window the login fails but if you wait a couple of minutes and go in to Windows and bring up the Novell login in window from the toolbar you can login successfully from there. Any ideas as to what would cause this behavior?

mjgw

Does the laptop connects via WLAN and so you use encryption WPA or WPA2?

it's fairly common for that logon screen to come up before the adequate wireless drivers are loaded. What is the wireless NIC?

Also, to save the Novell client trying to find a server via various methods you can set it up to contact a "Directory Agent" straight away. Whereas Windows domain logon is based upon DNS, Novell's is based on the more 'by the book', but potentially difficult, SLP. If you type LOAD SLPDA.NLM at the netware server console, you'll activate it as a DA server. (You should add this to autoexec.ncf so it will always load).
Then you need to configure your client so it will always check with this server first:
right click on the N in the system tray and select "Novell Client Properties". Click on the "Service Location" tab. Enter the IP address of your "Directory Agent" server in the "Directory Agent List" field, check the static option, and click Add.

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought, which they avoid" - Soren Kierkegaard.

@retroguy
If wireless is used with WPA or WPA2 encryption,
SLP doesn't work at the first login after a fresh reboot.
It only works on WEP, but that is no option because it's only better than no encryption.

Here is a short description on a novell website:
http://www.novell.com/support/searc...