1 <chapter id="AdvancedNetworkManagement">
4 <pubdate>April 3 2003</pubdate>
7 <title>Advanced Network Management</title>
10 This section documents peripheral issues that are of great importance to network
11 administrators who want to improve network resource access control, to automate the user
12 environment, and to make their lives a little easier.
16 <title>Features and Benefits</title>
19 Often the difference between a working network environment and a well appreciated one can
20 best be measured by the <emphasis>little things</emphasis> that makes everything work more
21 harmoniously. A key part of every network environment solution is the ability to remotely
22 manage MS Windows workstations, to remotely access the Samba server, to provide customised
23 logon scripts, as well as other house keeping activities that help to sustain more reliable
28 This chapter presents information on each of these area. They are placed here, and not in
29 other chapters, for ease of reference.
35 <title>Remote Server Administration</title>
38 <emphasis>How do I get 'User Manager' and 'Server Manager'?</emphasis>
42 Since I don't need to buy an <application>NT4 Server</application>, how do I get the 'User Manager for Domains',
47 Microsoft distributes a version of these tools called nexus for installation
48 on <application>Windows 9x / Me</application> systems. The tools set includes:
52 <member>Server Manager</member>
53 <member>User Manager for Domains</member>
54 <member>Event Viewer</member>
58 Click here to download the archived file <ulink
59 url="ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/NEXUS.EXE">ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/NEXUS.EXE</ulink>
63 The <application>Windows NT 4.0</application> version of the 'User Manager for
64 Domains' and 'Server Manager' are available from Microsoft via ftp
65 from <ulink url="ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/SRVTOOLS.EXE">ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/SRVTOOLS.EXE</ulink>
71 <title>Remote Desktop Management</title>
74 There are a number of possible remote desktop management solutions that range from free
75 through costly. Do not let that put you off. Sometimes the most costly solutions is the
76 most cost effective. In any case, you will need to draw your own conclusions as to which
77 is the best tool in your network environment.
81 <title>Remote Management from NoMachines.Com</title>
84 The following information was posted to the Samba mailing list at Apr 3 23:33:50 GMT 2003.
85 It is presented in slightly edited form (with author details omitted for privacy reasons).
86 The entire answer is reproduced below with some comments removed.
91 > I have a wonderful linux/samba server running as PDC for a network.
92 > Now I would like to add remote desktop capabilities so that
93 > users outside could login to the system and get their desktop up from
94 > home or another country..
96 > Is there a way to accomplish this? Do I need a windows terminal server?
97 > Do I need to configure it so that it is a member of the domain or a
98 > BDC,PDC? Are there any hacks for MS Windows XP to enable remote login
99 > even if the computer is in a domain?
101 > Any ideas/experience would be appreciated :)
106 Answer provided: Check out the new offer from NoMachine, "NX" software:
107 <ulink url="http://www.nomachine.com/">http://www.nomachine.com/</ulink>.
111 It implements a very easy-to-use interface to the remote X protocol as
112 well as incorporating VNC/RFB and rdesktop/RDP into it, but at a speed
113 performance much better than anything you may have ever seen...
117 Remote X is not new at all -- but what they did achieve successfully is
118 a new way of compression and caching technologies which makes the thing
119 fast enough to run even over slow modem/ISDN connections.
123 I could test drive their (public) RedHat machine in Italy, over a loaded
124 internet connection, with enabled thumbnail previews in KDE konqueror
125 which popped up immediately on "mouse-over". From inside that (remote X)
126 session I started a rdesktop session on another, a Windows XP machine.
127 To test the performance, I played Pinball. I am proud to announce here
128 that my score was 631750 points at first try...
132 NX performs better on my local LAN than any of the other "pure"
133 connection methods I am using from time to time: TightVNC, rdesktop or
134 remote X. It is even faster than a direct crosslink connection between
139 I even got sound playing from the remote X app to my local boxes, and
140 had a working "copy'n'paste" from an NX window (running a KDE session
141 in Italy) to my Mozilla mailing agent... These guys are certainly doing
146 I recommend to test drive NX to anybody with a only a remote interest
148 <ulink url="http://www.nomachine.com/testdrive.php">http://www.nomachine.com/testdrive.php</ulink>.
152 Just download the free of charge client software (available for RedHat,
153 SuSE, Debian and Windows) and be up and running within 5 minutes (they
154 need to send you your account data, though, because you are assigned
155 a real Unix account on their testdrive.nomachine.com box...
159 They plan to get to the point were you can have NX application servers
160 running as a cluster of nodes, and users simply start an NX session locally,
161 and can select applications to run transparently (apps may even run on
162 another NX node, but pretend to be on the same as used for initial login,
163 because it displays in the same window.... well, you also can run it
164 fullscreen, and after a short time you forget that it is a remote session
169 Now the best thing at the end: all the core compression and caching
170 technologies are released under the GPL and available as source code
171 to anybody who wants to build on it! These technologies are working,
172 albeit started from the command line only (and very inconvenient to
173 use in order to get a fully running remote X session up and running....)
177 To answer your questions:
182 You don't need to install a terminal server; XP has RDP support built in.
186 NX is much cheaper than Citrix -- and comparable in performance, probably faster
190 You don't need to hack XP -- it just works
194 You log into the XP box from remote transparently (and I think there is no
195 need to change anything to get a connection, even if authentication is against a domain)
199 The NX core technologies are all Open Source and released under the GPL --
200 you can today use a (very inconvenient) commandline to use it at no cost,
201 but you can buy a comfortable (proprietary) NX GUI frontend for money
205 NoMachine are encouraging and offering help to OSS/Free Software implementations
206 for such a frontend too, even if it means competition to them (they have written
207 to this effect even to the LTSP, KDE and GNOME developer mailing lists)
216 <title>Network Logon Script Magic</title>
219 This section needs work. Volunteer contributions most welcome. Please send your patches or updates
220 to <ulink url="mailto:jht@samba.org">John Terpstra</ulink>.
224 There are several opportunities for creating a custom network startup configuration environment.
228 <member>No Logon Script</member>
229 <member>Simple universal Logon Script that applies to all users</member>
230 <member>Use of a conditional Logon Script that applies per user or per group attributes</member>
231 <member>Use of Samba's Preexec and Postexec functions on access to the NETLOGON share to create
232 a custom Logon Script and then execute it.</member>
233 <member>User of a tool such as KixStart</member>
237 The Samba source code tree includes two logon script generation/execution tools.
238 See <filename>examples</filename> directory <filename>genlogon</filename> and
239 <filename>ntlogon</filename> subdirectories.
243 The following listings are from the genlogon directory.
247 This is the <filename>genlogon.pl</filename> file:
254 # Perl script to generate user logon scripts on the fly, when users
255 # connect from a Windows client. This script should be called from smb.conf
256 # with the %U, %G and %L parameters. I.e:
258 # root preexec = genlogon.pl %U %G %L
260 # The script generated will perform
263 # 1. Log the user connection to /var/log/samba/netlogon.log
264 # 2. Set the PC's time to the Linux server time (which is maintained
265 # daily to the National Institute of Standard's Atomic clock on the
267 # 3. Connect the user's home drive to H: (H for Home).
268 # 4. Connect common drives that everyone uses.
269 # 5. Connect group-specific drives for certain user groups.
270 # 6. Connect user-specific drives for certain users.
271 # 7. Connect network printers.
273 # Log client connection
274 #($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
275 ($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
276 open LOG, ">>/var/log/samba/netlogon.log";
277 print LOG "$mon/$mday/$year $hour:$min:$sec - User $ARGV[0] logged into $ARGV[1]\n";
280 # Start generating logon script
281 open LOGON, ">/shared/netlogon/$ARGV[0].bat";
282 print LOGON "\@ECHO OFF\r\n";
284 # Connect shares just use by Software Development group
285 if ($ARGV[1] eq "SOFTDEV" || $ARGV[0] eq "softdev")
287 print LOGON "NET USE M: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\SOURCE\r\n";
290 # Connect shares just use by Technical Support staff
291 if ($ARGV[1] eq "SUPPORT" || $ARGV[0] eq "support")
293 print LOGON "NET USE S: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\SUPPORT\r\n";
296 # Connect shares just used by Administration staff
297 If ($ARGV[1] eq "ADMIN" || $ARGV[0] eq "admin")
299 print LOGON "NET USE L: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\ADMIN\r\n";
300 print LOGON "NET USE K: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\MKTING\r\n";
303 # Now connect Printers. We handle just two or three users a little
304 # differently, because they are the exceptions that have desktop
305 # printers on LPT1: - all other user's go to the LaserJet on the
307 if ($ARGV[0] eq 'jim'
308 || $ARGV[0] eq 'yvonne')
310 print LOGON "NET USE LPT2: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\LJET3\r\n";
311 print LOGON "NET USE LPT3: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\FAXQ\r\n";
315 print LOGON "NET USE LPT1: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\LJET3\r\n";
316 print LOGON "NET USE LPT3: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\FAXQ\r\n";
319 # All done! Close the output file.
325 Those wishing to use more elaborate or capable logon processing system should check out the following sites:
329 <member><ulink url="http://www.craigelachie.org/rhacer/ntlogon">http://www.craigelachie.org/rhacer/ntlogon</ulink></member>
330 <member><ulink url="http://www.kixtart.org">http://www.kixtart.org</ulink></member>
331 <member><ulink url="http://support.microsoft.com/default.asp?scid=kb;en-us;189105">http://support.microsoft.com/default.asp?scid=kb;en-us;189105</ulink></member>
335 <title>Adding printers without user intervention</title>
338 Printers may be added automatically during logon script processing through the use of:
341 rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?
344 See the documentation in the <ulink url="http://support.microsoft.com/default.asp?scid=kb;en-us;189105">Microsoft knowledgebase article no: 189105</ulink>.
351 <title>Common Errors</title>
354 The information provided in this chapter has been reproduced from postings on the samba@samba.org
355 mailing list. No implied endorsement or recommendation is offered. Administrators should conduct
356 their own evaluation of alternatives and are encouraged to draw their own conclusions.