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Q: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users ( No Answer,   6 Comments )
Question  
Subject: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
Category: Computers > Operating Systems
Asked by: kman48185-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 14 Nov 2002 10:13 PST
Expires: 18 Nov 2002 16:53 PST
Question ID: 107718
Documented is that you can set up a users home directory to be local
(c:) or pointing to a share. You choose connect home drive to "some
letter" lets say "w" and then tpye the path e.g. 
\\fred\users\username.  This works fine when you are connecting to the
network from a NT 4.0 workstation, but not so well when connecting
from win98.  Also documented is that for Win98 users you have to
attach a logon script that has the following syntax:
@echo off
net use w: /home
exit
"W" is just the letter I chose.  I created the above on a subnet where
our PDC is and it works fine there.  Any workstaion I log on to on
that subnet with the account that is set to have it's home dive be
w: \\servername\users\username no problem.  I also copied the above
script to each BDC that could be validating the user. But for some
reason it does not run at logon on any other subnet than the present
one.  I have syncronized the domain controllers.  This still does not
help.  How can I get the users home drive as listed in the users
account to run the script above anywhere with in the domain.

Request for Question Clarification by legolas-ga on 14 Nov 2002 10:35 PST
Are you using WINS and/or DHCP? Can the Win98 machines NORMALLY
connect to the server that you wish them to connect to as their home
directory? I mean, can you go into Network Neighbourhood and browse
for the server?

Clarification of Question by kman48185-ga on 14 Nov 2002 12:36 PST
Yes both Wins and DHCP on each subnet.  Each subnet has it's own BDC
and it does validate the users on that subnet.  So in my example
\\Fred would vaildate users in that building which is it's own subnet.
 The wins is configured to the subnet first then to the main building
where the PDC is. \\Kramer is where the PDC is located and it too
validates users on that subnet.  Also is Kramer of Fred were down then
any other bdc on any subnet will and does validate the user.  I know
that this is more than you asked to be clarified, hope this helps.

kman

Request for Question Clarification by legolas-ga on 14 Nov 2002 14:01 PST
WINS on each Subnet?? I'm hoping you mean, "WINS on ONE computer
(possibly replicated to others) which EVERYONE in the domain connects
to.. Right?

Clarification of Question by kman48185-ga on 14 Nov 2002 15:35 PST
I mean that each subnet, 27 in all, have a domain controller (BDC) and
each one runs WINS for the subnet, BUT the secondary WINS server for
each subnet point to the PDC which does repliate to all other domain
controllers.  Think of a spoke and wheel configuration.  And since
each BDC does DHCP for their own subnet each client can be told where
to go to resolve names, in this case the building's BDC. Perhaps to
further clarify on all of the subnets anyone can browse the entire
network for available resources.   I hope that this is helpful, if not
I will gladly answer more questions.

Request for Question Clarification by legolas-ga on 16 Nov 2002 16:41 PST
Did my previous suggestions help in any small way? (i.e. permissions
and error messages from the event log?)

Clarification of Question by kman48185-ga on 16 Nov 2002 18:39 PST
I did not work today.  I will test your ideas out on Monday.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: unstable-ga on 14 Nov 2002 19:00 PST
 
kman,
please correct me if i am wrong, but you want a user in the other
subnets to be able to autologon to a data directory on your main
subnet (PDC)?

but strangely you have arranged for the BDCs to authenticate each
individual user, wouldn't any settings on that BDC dictate it to look
within the individual subnets and thus ignore or do not understand it
needs to drop what it would normally do and straight away connect to
your main subnet?

my guess, is if you need to allow folks to log into their home
directory on PDC, might as well set up that everybody logs into PDC
via their BDCs (i.e. make the other sub-net server as dummies - but
what a waste of resources though).
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: legolas-ga on 14 Nov 2002 19:28 PST
 
The only thing I can think of is that there is a NetBIOS replication
problem between networks. WINS is a database which allows for
communication between subnets with NT and legacy Windows OS's. My
thought is that you just haven't quite nailed down the NetBIOS issues
on the network. But, as to what exactly, I just can't think of the
actual solution right now. But, hopefully some other researcher can
attempt to find the answer.

Legolas-ga
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: kman48185-ga on 14 Nov 2002 20:52 PST
 
unstable, 
Not quite what I meant. Since this whole thing has been difficult to
explain I will now put the real life variable into play.
We have 27 schools, each school has it's own BDC and is on it's own
subnet. Teachers with a second account, a classroom logon account,
want to have a drive mapped at logon when they have their students
logon to a pc in the classroom of lab. We are talking k-5 here. I have
in the domain created accounts for them and choose w: as their home
drive with the path being specific to the user on the subnet.  e.g. 
Alcott school server Fred \\fred\users\username.  Since these are
Win98 clients I have to attach a logon script to their account which
contains   @echo off  net use w: /HOME   .
For reasons that I cannot explain, the logon when on the subnet with
the PDC which is not Fred can authenticate the user and attach the
home drive w:\\fred\users\username.    When I logon at the school
Alcott Fred does validate my logon but does not run the script and
therefore does not map the home drive.  I have copied the script above
to the netlogon share of all BDC in the district.

I hope this helps.  


legolas,
I am having a hard time thinking about a netbios problem being in play
here since on all the subnets I can attach to network resources
distict wide.   Viz, I can browse network neighborhood and see all
resouces on in the domain.

kamn
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: legolas-ga on 14 Nov 2002 20:58 PST
 
I'm sure it's an obvious place to start, but.. Are you sure the
permissions on both the directory/file and the share are set correctly
to allow read and execute permissions?
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: legolas-ga on 14 Nov 2002 20:59 PST
 
Oh, and... are there any event logs that might give a clue as to a
warning or an error on logon? Could you post the content of the
warnings/errors here?
Subject: Re: User accounts in a NT 4.0 domain and Win98 users
From: kman48185-ga on 15 Nov 2002 04:49 PST
 
legolas,
those are both excellent ideas. i will check the logs on the bdc on
the subnet that is vailidating them.  And there is an error message
that comes up but only if I run the command that is in the logon.bat
from the run line:
net use w: /HOME    I will post this too.  Unfortunately, I have to
take a day off, just to get my work done, and won't be able to address
this until tomarrow. ( work most Saturday's)

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