Windows 2003 - Map Network Drive before user Login

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kbrennan

n00b
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Jul 11, 2007
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Hey All,

I have a very large and growing Data Archive that I would like to move from ISCSI luns to a CIFS share hanging off my SAN. In order to get this to work, and be reliable, I need to have the Drive Mapping occur automatically on restart before any user action is taken. Anyone have a clue how to do this?

Thanks!

Keith
 
You can do this a few different ways. Best way depends on the environment:

Active Directory with Windows 2008
You can create a Group Policy Preference to map the drive. It will work with Vista and higher, or XP with the Client Side Extensions loaded

Active Directory - Not Windows 2008
You can create a logon script to map the drive. Plug it into the logon scripts policy.

Workgroup
You can create a logon script and have it execute at logon.
 
Demon,

Thanks for the reply. Problem is that I want it to do the mapping before login. There's a service that is dependent upon the "F:" drive existing, so I need that drive to exist before the service fires.
 
what OS?
If Win7 (possibly in Vista also?) set the service to "Automatic (Delayed Start)"

I don't believe there is a way to map a network drive prior to user log on.
 
You could try this:

Create a STARTUP script which:
maps F: to some share (doesn't matter what it is at this point, it's just a test) make sure it's set to persist
OR you could use the SUBST command
echo Some Text > F:\filename.txt

When you get to the desktop see if the text file appears in the share.

You would need to make sure that the command is run as the account that the service is using. Mappings and substitutions are per user.

Part of me wants to say that it won't work but I've never had to do this and I don't know of any texts that says it won't. I would try it in my lab but I'm leaving work now. Gotta catch my bus!
 
Thanks Squishy. That looks like it might do it. I'll test tomorrow when the data migration is finished.
 
kbrennan said:
Demon,

Thanks for the reply. Problem is that I want it to do the mapping before login. There's a service that is dependent upon the "F:" drive existing, so I need that drive to exist before the service fires.
Click to expand...

Still should work. Create an account, set the service to run as that account and tie the login script to that user.
 
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