XCLN: Creating Roving Users on Win95 and WinNT

MORE INFORMATION

For Microsoft Windows NT administrators to support roving users on Windows 95 and Windows NT computers, MAPI profiles must be stored on a domain controller in a user's home domain, so that users can access them from anywhere in the organization. If your roving users will use computers in other domains, you must permit the roving users to log on to multiple domains, and those domains must trust the user's home domain.

In addition, for Windows NT, administrators need to ensure that roving users have user rights on the Windows NT computers that they intend to use in the organization. If roving users do not have user rights, they will be unable to log on to those computers.

To set up roving user support on Windows NT and Windows 95, the administrator must perform the following procedures on a Windows NT Server:

1. Create a new Windows NT user profile for the roving user.
2. Specify the path to the roving user's Windows NT or Windows 95 profile. It is recommended that you store the profile in a shared user directory for security reasons. The profile can also be stored in a shared public directory.
3. Permit the roving user to log on to a different trusted domain, if the user will be using Windows NT or Windows 95 computers from more than one domain.

Before Windows NT roving users use Microsoft Exchange for the first time, the administrator must verify that their copy of Microsoft Exchange points to the network directory where the user profile is located. If it does not, change the working directory.

Before Windows 95 roving users use Microsoft Exchange for the first time, the administrator must enable multiple users to customize their preferences and desktop settings.

NOTE: Windows 95 profiles can be stored on any type of server, including a Novell NetWare server.

Creating a user profile for a Windows NT roving user

The following steps create a Per-User profile for Windows NT users.

1. On the domain's primary domain controller, log on as a domain administrator to the Windows NT Server computer. In the logon dialog box, be sure that the Domain box displays the domain to which you want the account for the roving user to belong.
2. In the Administrative Tools group, choose User Profile Editor.
3. From the File menu, choose New.
4. Choose the list button next to the Permitted To Use Profile box.
5. From the Names box, select the user account that will have permission to use this profile or type in the name of a user in the Add Name box.
6. Choose Add. The user account appears in the Add Name box.
7. Choose OK.
8. In the User Profile Editor dialog box, from the File menu choose Save As File. The Save As dialog box appears.
9. From the Save File As Type box, select Per-User Profile.
10. In the Directories box, select the path for the profile. It is recommended that you store the profile in a shared user directory for security reasons. The profile can also be stored in a shared public directory.
11. In the File Name box, enter a name for the profile and choose OK.
12. Close the User Profile Editor dialog box.

Specifying the path to a Windows NT or Windows 95 roving user's profile

1. In the Administrative Tools group, choose User Manager for Domains. The User Manager dialog box appears.
2. Double-click the user account for the roving user.
3. Choose the Profile button.
4. In the User Profile Path box, type the UNC path to the .USR file you created in the last procedure. Include the name of the .USR file. This step should be ignored for Windows 95 roving users.
5. Under the Home Directory box, select the Connect To option and type the drive letter and path to the home server where the roving user's profile is located. In case of Windows 95 roving users, this directory will be empty until after the user logs in and then logs out of the domain. At that time, the user profile will be copied to the Server from the Windows 95 workstation.

Permitting roving users to log into a different domain

1. In the Administrative Tools group, choose User Manager for Domains. The User Manager dialog box appears.
2. In the Policies menu, select User Rights.
3. From the Right box, select Log On Locally.
4. Check the Show Advanced Users Rights check box.
5. Choose Add.
6. In the List Names From box, select the domain to which you want to add your roving user account.
7. In the Names box, select the user account for the roving user.
8. Choose Add. The user account appears in the Add Names box.
9. Choose OK.
10. In the User Rights Policy dialog box, choose OK.
11. Close User Manager for Domains.

Changing the working directory for Microsoft Exchange on Windows NT

1. At the Microsoft Exchange client computer, in the Microsoft Exchange group, select the Microsoft Exchange icon.
2. From the File menu, choose Properties.
3. In the Working Directory box on Windows NT 3.51 computers and the Start In box on Windows NT 4.0 computers, type the path of the directory where the roving user's profile is located.

Enabling multiple users to personalize their settings on Windows 95

1. At the Microsoft Exchange client computer, in the Control Panel, choose Passwords. The Passwords dialog box appears.
2. Choose the User Profiles property page.
3. Select the second option which specifies that users can customize their desktop settings. The first option under User Profile Settings is selected by default. The second option is not required.