W2000 at Saclay

Joël SurgetCEA/Saclay DAPNIA/SEI

Summary

A pure W2000 domainGroup policy

ProductsConfigurationComputer startup scriptUser startup script

MUI : ProblemsDFS : ProblemsConclusions

A Pure W2000 Domain (1/2)

A new domain 2 DCs, one domain DNS, one domain DFS Root, one file serverOnly W2000 clientsOnly English version (with French language pack if necessary)

A Pure W2000 Domain (2/2)

Try to use the max. of W2000 functionalitiesNo SMS

No time to try it !Cost

User local “Power Users” (no local administrators privileges)All based on the group policies

The Organization Unit

OU = Green PCDefault configurationNo product, no startup script

OU = Orange PCOU = LaptopOU = Desktop

OU = Red PCOU = LaptopOU = Desktop

Default Configuration

Audit policy and Event log policyIP : Primary DNS Suffix IE : FavoritesFolder redirection: My documents network location

Laptop : “My documents” is “offline folders”

Roaming profiles: Exclude some directories ( Local Settings, Temporary Internet Files …)

Products (1/2)

Assigned or published with Group PolicyOfficial MSI

Office 2000 ( MST for laptops and desktops) Assigned to computerMS Publisher / Windows Draw (Published)MS Project 2000 (Published)Perl (Published)

Products (2/2)

Handmade MSI (Windows Install LE)Assigned to the computer:

GV , Acrobat Reader, HPGL Viewer …McAfee

Published to the userExceed 6.2EmacsNetscapeRoot …

Computer Startup Script (1/6)

Run before the user loginBut run after products installationWith local administrators privilegesWith network access

Domain Computers : Read on the network files (in the Authenticated Users group by default)

Any script languages (VBS…)

Computer Startup Script (2/6)

Can ask questions !To do everything you can’t do with Group policies

Hot fixes and Service PacksIP Configuration Registry keysTest …

Computer Startup Script (3/6)

First boot after joining the domain (test a special registry key)

SP1 (if necessary)French Language PackAdd “Domain Users” group in local “Power Users” groupModify IP configurationCreate c:\temp directoryReboot (using WMI)

Computer Startup Script (4/6)

Each rebootHot fixes (if necessary)Bugs correction (if necessary)

Computer Startup Script (5/6)

Several scripts in the same group policy (You can choose the order)Several group policies for the same computer : each script one by oneYou can also have shutdown script

Computer Startup Script (6/6)

The products are installed before the scripts execution Problem ?The SP1 is for example installed after the installation of the products: Can be a problem

User Startup Script

Run with user privileges and environment

Default user environmentMap network disk

J: new home directory (backup, quotas)K: scratch directory (no backup, no quotas)N: old NT4 domain home directory

Group Policies : Problems

The group policies are applied during the first reboot after the PC is a member of the domain

Sometimes, it works fineSometimes, you need to reboot one or two times before the application of the group policy Why ?

Same if a Group Policy is modified

MUI : Multi Language Interface

On an English version of W2000, the MUI changes the user interface language (95% of the menus, help …)Only one version of W2000 on an heterogeneous domainFrench, English … language for the interfaceThe same for Office 2000

MUI: But …

Microsoft Developers tend to forget this product:

After SP1 installation, mix of French and English menu ( hot fix available now)After IE 5.5 installation, mix of French and English menu (no hot fix yet)

MUI: But …

The default NT group names are modified

Everyone “Tout le monde” Administrators Administrateurs

Problem with script ( “cacls” for ex.)

But the default user names are not modified (administrator, guest…)

Problem with DFS

Offline folders and DFSFiles are often de-synchronized

Offline Folder, DFS and Security The synchronized files have not the good permissions

DFS and Home directoryProblem if the home directory and a network disk use the same DFS root

Conclusion (1/2)

Each W2000 new feature is working fine separatelyBut we have some problems using several new features together

Conclusion (2/2)

People are quite happy with Nice NT and don’t want to change to W200020 PCs now, 50 at the end of November Physicists are using Linux more and more Less and less physics on Windows