I have a terminal server (2008 R2) that about a dozen users log into, that's part of a 2008 SBS domain. What would be the easiest way to map a drive for all users?
Windows Server 2008
Last Comment
gromack
8/22/2022 - Mon
David Johnson, CD
use a group policy to map the drives or a logon script that runs when users connect via remote destkop
Steve Knight
Yes, lots of ways.
Depending upon what was already in place I would use policies or do it as part of an existing login script - e.g. you could check for a particular computer name or various other environment variables if it is a batch script, similar ways if it is VBScript etc.
So do you curently using group policy preferences, group policy assigned user login scripts, or traditional "NETLOGON" directory login scripts?
Loopback is a good way too, means you can have it run an extra or totally different USER part of policy based on the OU of the COMPUTER rather than the computer getting it's OU of policies and the user it's OU's. This is quite a good explanation of the process: http://kudratsapaev.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/loopback-processing-of-group-policy.html
You can also do it specifically as part of their RDP settings:
The login script way can be as simple as something like
@echo offif /i "%computername%"=="MY-TS-NAME" ( echo On terminal server... NET USE X: \\server\share) ELSE ( echo Not on terminal server echo Do stuff for not on terminal server)echo Do stuff for both...
all of the above suggestions are valid but no single one is the 'proper' way to achieve it. It generally comes down to your requirements, as each option has it's own pros/cons.
If you provide more info we can offer more detailed advice, but from what little we know I would say both mapping drives by GPO and a logon script in AD would be fairly straight forward, but the AD one would probably work on other machines in addition to the TS so may not be suitable.
I'd personally be cautious of putting a script inthe TS startup-folder as it may be accessible by the users.
Steve Knight
As we have said and Steve says too there are loads of ways. Loopback processing using GPO would probably the way I would consider, but lot depends one TS server, lots of them, few users, loads of users etc.
Steve
gromack
ASKER
Sorry to have neglected this, as I had to go out of town for a couple of days.
Years ago (NT 4), I had a small network, where I had a log on script & a batch file that mapped shares when logging onto the local network, but didn't want to go back & manage these on a by user basis.
Some of the users work in office at times, where all the drives have been mapped when initially setting up the computers, so I'd like this specific to the terminal server log ons.
I haven't set up policies, so if there's a 'setting up a local policy for dummies' or a way to do this through the remote desktop services, I'd appreciate it.