NT4 Resources
(These documents are generally 'zipped' files in Word format. They were
developed as I worked my way through setting up various aspects of NT4 for classroom use.
Since I was a novice at the time (and still am) they are targeted at the novice.
Unfortunately they may also contain inaccuracies and 'bad' techniques. I welcome input
from 'experts' who can provide authoritative solutions.)
Intro to NT4 Server Part1 - An
introduction for the novice NT4 user.
Intro to NT4 Server Part2
- Setting up user access rights.
Setting up User Profiles with Win95/98 -
A simple 'How to' document
We are in the process of setting up Windows 95
Client automatic logins and user profiles.
The most useful links we have found so far are:
http://www.more.net/refdesk/ntprofiles.html
http://www.globetrotting.com/windows95/roamingprofilems.html
http://scilnet.fortlewis.edu/tech/Users/
http://ocean.ucc.ie/utils/tutorials/NTpolicies.html
http://www.helmig.com/j_helmig/pollogin.htm
Some of the things they don't tell you ... If I were to be unkind, I would suggest that many NT4 'experts' leave out a few of the critical concepts in their books in order to keep the support market strong. The 'kind' approach accepts that some concepts are so elementary that they don't need mentioning. Below are some of the ones we have come accross:
Sharing - Sharing in NT4 is similar to Win95/98, but much more
powerful. As well as the usual Win95/98 properties you can go into the
"Permissions" field and control access rights more precisely.
Share Name - A 'shared' folder is as visible as if it were on
the desktop. Even if it is buried several directories deep you can still see it when you
log onto the server 'root'.
Administrative Shares - If your Share Name has a dollar sign
($) after it, it will not be visible to users.
Universal Naming Convention (UNC) - "Paths" appear
as: The <Server Name> followed by the <Share Name>
followed by the <Directory Path> relative to the Share Name. eg \\NTServer\MyFiles\sample.doc
where "MyFiles" is the Share Name of a directory structure that could
be as deep as (for example): C:\USER\OFFICE\JULY\DOCUMENTS. A directory called
"MyFiles doesn't actually exist at all. MyFiles is the ShareName of the
directory DOCUMENTS. The equivalent DOS directory structure would be:
C:\USER\OFFICE\JULY\DOCUMENTS\SAMPLE.DOC
NT4 Workstation - Most of the texts you read assume you are
using NT Workstation as the "client". Many of the features described are simply
NOT avaliable when using Win95/98 clients.
NT4 is non Plug-and-Play - That's one of the main reasons for
using Win95/98 as your basic operating system, rather than NT4.