[SOLVED] IPX support?

[Winston846]

I may be a few years late on this, but is IPX support still available as a kernel option or module? Looking to mount Netware 3.x volume(s) with IPX Tools if this is still possible. TCP/IP is NOT available on the Netware server, and not an option.

Thanks in advance,
--Lance

[GreyGeek]

I believe it is (at least ipx.h header files for my 5.4 kernel are present on my system and with a 2020 date in the license) but you will have to compile the kernel to activate the ipx module.

It's been at least 15 years since I built a kernel, but I found this on the web (from 2009)
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...kernel-716428/

The very generic basics (for rebuilding your same kernel configuration PLUS the IPX module):

1) have your kernel sourcecode on the system.
2) in a console or Xterm, execute 'make clean' in the sourcecode.
3) execute one of 'make xconfig' or 'make menuconfig' or 'make gconfig'
4) from the menu, load your .config file if you have it (to begin with everything configged as it currently is now) or extract the .config from /proc/config.gz if it is there and then load that into the menu. If you do not have available the .config file for your current kernel, you'll pretty much need to config the whole kernel from scratch.
5) Under the 'General' area in the menu, choose 'local version - append to kernel release', and give some sort of identifying name for your new build. This will help by making all the new modules and other new build files wind up in their OWN folder with this name on it, preserving your existing kernel and modules so you can still boot it.
6) locate the menu option in networking or wherever, for the IPX module, and enable [.] it or <m> it to make it as a module.
7) save the .config file. I like to also double-save the file as a name I recognize, such as the name you named the kernel in step 5.
8) exit menu configure.
9) execute 'make'
10) execute 'make modules_install'

After installing the kernel source code and headers the noob reported success and got ipx running.

Man, it's been 18+ years since I last saw a Netware server. Crashed all the time. It was left on over the weekend and I could always count on at least 2 hours of free time every Monday morning while the IT dept patched it up. Obviously it was mis-configured, but when I introduced RH5 and later SuSE 6.3 the shift to Linux on the 30 servers began.

[Winston846]

Thanks for the reply. I'm seeing the ipx.h header file in the source tree, but there is no option for it anywhere in the .config file. I saved out a .config file and searched it for "IPX". Nothing. I have kernel 5.4.0-39-generic.

It's also been some years since I built a kernel as well.

--Lance

[jlittle]

IMO you really want a kernel module if possible. On github the project pasis / ipx looks promising, as it's been active recently.

[Winston846]

I'm thinking at this point that Ubuntu/Kubuntu dropped support for it.

I'll check out that project.

--Lance

[Winston846]

I'm going to mark this as solved because I set up 12.04 in Virtual Box which has everything I need (ipx, ipx_tools, ncpfs). I'm able to connect, mount SYS, and do everything I need in 12.04.

Thanks

--Lance