Active Directory on Windows Server 2008 - Auto Mapping Shares

[MotionBlur]

I setup Windows Server 2008 over the weekend with Active Directory and my own internal domain. It works great, I can login with my active directory user on all of the machines in my home network. My problem is that I can't get a number of network shares automatically added upon login.

What I am trying to do is the following:

Map the x: drive to a username specific share on the Windows Server
Map the y: drive to the public storage share on the Windows Server
Map the z: drive to the downloads share on the Windows Server

Going into the user profile in the Active Directory configuration tool I can have the downloads drive automatically mapped or any one of them, but not more then one. I read up on the logon.bat files, but they don't seem to be executing upon login. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[Jutsu]

I do it via a login script,

http://lazynetworkadmin.com/content/view/7/6/

check this out. Really easy took about 5 mins to setup. It is based on group membership, so makes sure you assign groups and nested groups properly. I haven't looked into much further but I think there is a way to do it without the script in 2008.

 

[XOR != OR]

Jutsu, that's way more complex than I do. I wonder if it has any benefits over the way I do it.

I just setup a GPO with the following script; net use X: \\server\share /persistent:no, then filter the GPO on user perms. Works out flawlessly and quickly.

Of course, I keep the number of maps down to an absolute minimum, so that might help as well. In my usual setups, everyone gets the same maps.

 

[Jutsu]

Jutsu, that's way more complex than I do. I wonder if it has any benefits over the way I do it.

I just setup a GPO with the following script; net use X: \\server\share /persistent:no, then filter the GPO on user perms. Works out flawlessly and quickly.

Of course, I keep the number of maps down to an absolute minimum, so that might help as well. In my usual setups, everyone gets the same maps.

Oohh that does seem really simple. But do you have to make a GPO for each individual share? Then assign user or group permissions for the users you want to have the script run for right?

Either is seems like it would be a lot easier to manage each individual mapped drive through a GPO then the script I use. I will have to play around it. I am bit of a scripting noob, and I am too lazy to make up my own stuff since working scripts can found be easily with a google search.

Thanks

 

[Mabrito]

With Windows Server 2008, mapping shares is a hell alot more easier. You can do it all through Group Policies Preferences. Group Policies are now split up into two parts, Policies and Preferences, and in the Preferences section, you can easily map shares. It even gives you a GUI interface to do this in. Just make sure on all your clients, you have the Group Policies Client Extensions update installed, so the computers can recieve these policies.

I suggest reading up on Windows 2008 Group Policies as they are different than 2003's.

 

[XOR != OR]

Oohh that does seem really simple. But do you have to make a GPO for each individual share? Then assign user or group permissions for the users you want to have the script run for right?

Nah, single GPO attached to the senior most container for the group of users/machines I'm trying to work with.

As I've said, I try to keep the shear number of maps to a minimum, so that usually doesn't cause any issues.

Either is seems like it would be a lot easier to manage each individual mapped drive through a GPO then the script I use. I will have to play around it. I am bit of a scripting noob, and I am too lazy to make up my own stuff since working scripts can found be easily with a google search.

Thanks

Well, I can certainly see the appeal of the script after thinking about it for a while. One place to look, all dependant on group memberships. Very tidy.

I try to leave permissions and ACLs to the file system though; it's just how I've always worked. Which makes my job easy when I'm trying to figure out why something went bork.

 

[MotionBlur]

With Windows Server 2008, mapping shares is a hell alot more easier. You can do it all through Group Policies Preferences. Group Policies are now split up into two parts, Policies and Preferences, and in the Preferences section, you can easily map shares. It even gives you a GUI interface to do this in. Just make sure on all your clients, you have the Group Policies Client Extensions update installed, so the computers can recieve these policies.

I suggest reading up on Windows 2008 Group Policies as they are different than 2003's.

I could have sworn I looked around in there, I'll have to double check, thanks!