User Directories

[Coral]

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral

[Chris Lynch, MCSE]

The end user workstations, are they NT/2000 or 9x clients? If they are 9x clients, the 9x OS does not recognize the %HOME PATH% variable, nor a lot of the NT variables.

If they are NT/2000 Clients, try changing the drive mapping to P or U (if they are not in use). Windows uses the Z drive for mappings to the PDC (or the DC) to copy down profiles, or to run the logon script in the initial stages of logon.

Chris Lynch, MCSE
IT Specialist
clynch@8wire.com
http://www.8wire.com
pure networking


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Coral at 10/2/00 2:20:29 PM

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral

[Coral]

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Chris Lynch, MCSE at 10/2/00 4:04:16 PM

The end user workstations, are they NT/2000 or 9x clients? If they are 9x clients, the 9x OS does not recognize the %HOME PATH% variable, nor a lot of the NT variables.

If they are NT/2000 Clients, try changing the drive mapping to P or U (if they are not in use). Windows uses the Z drive for mappings to the PDC (or the DC) to copy down profiles, or to run the logon script in the initial stages of logon.

Chris Lynch, MCSE
IT Specialist
clynch@8wire.com
http://www.8wire.com
pure networking


Our users are using NT Workstation. I tried mapping with Y: instead of Z:, it does the same thing.
! :(

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Coral at 10/2/00 2:20:29 PM

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral

[Chris Lynch, MCSE]

Sorry, I did not fully read the entire question. There is no way to limit what the user sees. The Windows platform does not map shares like Novell does in Netware. Unfortunately, the only way that I have been able to achieve this is to share every single user directory, and then use the %USERNAME$ variable to map to the user's directory.

I partially remember another thread I read somewhere else. I will try to find it and post it back for you.

Chris Lynch, MCSE
IT Specialist
clynch@8wire.com


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Coral at 10/2/00 5:52:09 PM




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Chris Lynch, MCSE at 10/2/00 4:04:16 PM

The end user workstations, are they NT/2000 or 9x clients? If they are 9x clients, the 9x OS does not recognize the %HOME PATH% variable, nor a lot of the NT variables.

If they are NT/2000 Clients, try changing the drive mapping to P or U (if they are not in use). Windows uses the Z drive for mappings to the PDC (or the DC) to copy down profiles, or to run the logon script in the initial stages of logon.

Chris Lynch, MCSE
IT Specialist
clynch@8wire.com
http://www.8wire.com
pure networking


Our users are using NT Workstation. I tried mapping with Y: instead of Z:, it does the same thing.
! :(

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Coral at 10/2/00 2:20:29 PM

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral

[Doug Zwinck]

The drive will only map to the \servershare. I have researched this quite a bit and believe you cannot map a drive to a directory structure...only a \servershare.

This brings up the point that just because the drive is mapped to \servershare it doesn't mean that is their "homepath". To find the true "homepath" that is used by applications and the operating system, go to the command prompt when logged in as the user and see where it places you. That should be the directory you desire. The home directory is specified through UMD and will map a drive to the \servershare ONLY but the true "homepath" is the UNC you defined in UMD. This is a 'feature' that I wish would be changed as you have stated.

My next point is that I have always wanted to map a \serverdeptvol drive to every user and have only the directories they have access to to show up in the drive listing...same lines as your home directory question but for another use. If anyone knows of 3rd party or Microsoft option that will allow this, please fill us in...I'd like to know.

Thanks.

-Doug


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Coral at 10/2/00 2:20:29 PM

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral

[Scott]

1. Create the user directory and assign permissions to that user only (plus admin staff) as full control.
2. In user manager place the H: (or Z: or whatever you want, but H: is more representative of a Home Drive letter) as follows: H: to \servernameusername$ (for hidden shares, otherwise you can leave it off).
3. Server Manager: Create the share as username$ and giving the full path name (i.e. e:userdirusername)

By default, this process is manual as server does not create the share for you. This can be automated using perl scripting (the only way I've seen it done) or via a batch file of some sort.

To do what Doug wants, try Kixtart scripting. Pretty powerful once you get the hang of the syntax.

Scott C. Hull, CCNA, MCSE
Team Leader, Network Team Boyers/Pittsburgh
US Office of Personnel Management
Voice: (724) 794-2005 ext 5243
Email: mailto:schull@opm.gov



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Doug Zwinck at 10/3/00 12:28:52 PM

The drive will only map to the \servershare. I have researched this quite a bit and believe you cannot map a drive to a directory structure...only a \servershare.

This brings up the point that just because the drive is mapped to \servershare it doesn't mean that is their "homepath". To find the true "homepath" that is used by applications and the operating system, go to the command prompt when logged in as the user and see where it places you. That should be the directory you desire. The home directory is specified through UMD and will map a drive to the \servershare ONLY but the true "homepath" is the UNC you defined in UMD. This is a 'feature' that I wish would be changed as you have stated.

My next point is that I have always wanted to map a \serverdeptvol drive to every user and have only the directories they have access to to show up in the drive listing...same lines as your home directory question but for another use. If anyone knows of 3rd party or Microsoft option that will allow this, please fill us in...I'd like to know.

Thanks.

-Doug


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Coral at 10/2/00 2:20:29 PM

My question:
I set up a user account in user manager for domains, in the "profile", "home path", I type in " Z: \server nameusers\%username%". The User directory is created just fine. When the user logs on his/her Z: drive only maps to "server nameusers" directory. The user then needs to scroll through about 1,000 plus user names to get to his/her shared directory. Is there any way to just have the user see only the directories they have permissions to access??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Coral