Samba: Managing Windows Workstations

Samba: Managing Windows Workstations on a Linux/Samba Network

Samba makes an excellent file & print server to support Windows clients. However, Samba does not provide all the tools for configuring and supporting Windows workstations that are found in Microsoft's server products like Windows 2000 Server . This page is an attempt to provide some guidance and resources for those tasked with managing Windows clients from Linux/Samba servers.

The impetus for this page came from discussion on the K12OSN mailing list, and so some of the early discussion is oriented towards school networks. However, the resources and techniques described will work in other situations and scenarios.

Web Documentation

Samba How-To's

Chapter 23. System and Account Policies (John H. Terpstra): http://us1.samba.org/samba/docs/man/PolicyMgmt.html

Chapter 24. Desktop Profile Management (John H. Terpstra): http://us1.samba.org/samba/docs/man/ProfileMgmt.html

Other Documentation on User Profiles

The "User Profiles and Desktop Control" Chapter of "Zero Administration Kit for Windows" by Michael McInerney (Prentice-Hall, 2000) http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/Content/509/05/toc.html

Windows Scripting

Windows 2000 Scripting Guide http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/scrguide/sagsas_overview.asp

Windows Network & .Net Magazine - Windows Scripting Solutions Archive: http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsscripting/Issues/ (lots of subscriber-only content).

Sysinternals: advanced utilities and documentation on Windows internals: http://www.sysinternals.com

Techniques

Perl Scripting on Win32

There are useful code snippets at http://www.roth.net/perl/scripts/

Batch File Scripting

Windows NT 4.0 / 2000 / XP Security Patch Scripts: http://winpatch.homeip.net/

Windows Scripting Host

Windows 2000 Scripting Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/scrguide/sagsas_overview.asp
Microsoft Technet Script Center: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/default.asp

Books

Perl Scripting on Win32

This one deals with perl for Windows administration: http://www.roth.net/books/handbook/ (contributed by Les Mikesell)

Win32 Perl Scripting - The Administrator's Handbook

ISBN 1-57870-215-1. Also by Dave Roth. Chapters on Account Maintenance, Tools, Crisis Management, Monitoring and Reporting, Logon Scripts, Processes, Win32 Services and ADSI and WMI. Highly recommended.

Tools

Authentication

pGINA Authentication DLL: http://pgina.xpasystems.com/info/

Perl Scripting on Win32

Active State's ASPN Perl: http://www.activestate.com/Products/ASPN_Perl/?_x=1

Windows Scripting Host

Windows 2000 Script Center http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/default.asp

Remote Execution Tools

BeyondExec (freeware): http://beyondlogic.org/solutions/remoteprocess/BeyondExec.htm

RemoteExec (inexpensive): http://www.isdecisions.com/index.cfm?p=products-remoteexec

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