Re: How does a regular user (not a "server" guy) use Active Directory to make their job easier?
From: Dave Harry (DaveHarry_at_please.keep.replies.in.the.newsgroup)
Date: 04/08/04
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Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 13:26:51 +1000
Hi Thomas
Let's see if I can point you in the right direction, bit by bit...
> Do they use Network Neighborhood (in Win2k Pro) to search the "entire
> network" to find the Active Directory, and to find servers that the shares
> are on?
Yes, they can. Under XP you can also copy UNC shares to "My Network Places"
and rename them to something meaningful like "Accounting Stuff". You can
probably do something similar in Windows 2000.
> Do I map drives out for them in their login scripts, and they just deal
with
> drive letters inside My Computer?
If they're used to drive letters, that could be a good way. Especially if
you have any legacy apps that require a DOS drive letter. Use login scripts.
You can even map to a Win share in a Novell login script, if you're used to
it.
#net use x: \\server\share.....etc
> What if they wanted to use a printer at another office... one that's not
> regularly installed? How do they get to that?
Every printer will have to be "installed" before they can use it. This may
be almost transparent, if the drivers are already in place from a similar
printer elsewhere.
> I know how to find these things... and mostly I just explore the domain
> itself, click on servers, do a start/run/sharename, etc. Do I have to
train
> the users for this?
A simplified note explaining how UNC works wouldn't go astray. But as a
sysadmin, you can create the shortcuts for them.
> I can't seem to find anything about this on the 'net... everything I find
is
> from my point of view, and talks about server names and domains and UNC's
> and shares and etc. But I know that to a regular user, they'll just think
> "I need marketing's directory"- and they'll be stuck. Yes I plan on using
> DFS to make things easier; and that publishes to Active Directory. But
how
> will a regular user get to Active Directory to find the DFS root? Or do I
> put a shortcut to the DFS root in their "my network places"? (And then
how
> would they find things like printers?)
I'd steer away from DFS in a small network. You're only going to complicate
things, especially is you're in transition from NetWare. The NW client
someitmes has trouble with DFS, and a common tweak is to disable it.
> We're (finally) moving off of Novell, and all my users have ever known is
> "it's on the F drive". EVERYTHING is off of F:\ ... it's a mess. (No, I
> didn't create it that way!) But they still can't find printers or
anything
> else; that's something we (IT dept.) has to do. That's why I'm asking
this
> question... I'd like to tell a user "Instead of going to the F drive, do
> 'this' and you'll see everything." But I really don't want to start
talking
> about server names and UNC and shares and using Explorer to search My
> Network Places, etc...
Normally NOTHING should be available for users on drive F: (SYS). You don't
want users having the ability to fill the SYS volume. If they do, Directory
Services jams up and you crash your server. ALWAYS make separate volumes for
data shares. This will apply to windows too.
Print queues in NetWare should be on a different, possibly even their own,
volume.
Thomas, WHY OH WHY are you heading AWAY from NetWare? What version do you
have?
Though Windows makes a nice graphic interface and has plenty of extras,
NetWare is by far a superior "File Server", even with Version 4.
I don't want to dump on Win completely, for we are in their newsgroup, but
for example Windows still has no direct replacement for Salvage. Shadow Copy
is a lot nicer than its previous nothingness, but not quite there yet.
I'd keep your NW server *as well* for any critical file serving.
Sing out if you need more help
-- Dave Harry
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