<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>Chapter 24. Desktop Profile Management</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="samba.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="Samba HOWTO Collection"><link rel="up" href="optional.html" title="Part III. Advanced Configuration"><link rel="previous" href="PolicyMgmt.html" title="Chapter 23. System and Account Policies"><link rel="next" href="pam.html" title="Chapter 25. PAM-Based Distributed Authentication"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 24. Desktop Profile Management</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="PolicyMgmt.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Part III. Advanced Configuration</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="pam.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="ProfileMgmt"></a>Chapter 24. Desktop Profile Management</h2></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">John</span> <span class="othername">H.</span> <span class="surname">Terpstra</span></h3><div class="affiliation"><span class="orgname">Samba Team<br></span><div class="address"><p><tt class="email"><<a href="mailto:jht@samba.org">jht@samba.org</a>></tt></p></div></div></div></div><div><p class="pubdate">April 3 2003</p></div></div><div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2958236">Features and Benefits</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2958270">Roaming Profiles</a></dt><dd><dl><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2958311">Samba Configuration for Profile Handling</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2958902">Windows Client Profile Configuration Information</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960233">Sharing Profiles between W9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP Workstations</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960307">Profile Migration from Windows NT4/200x Server to Samba</a></dt></dl></dd><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960642">Mandatory Profiles</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960741">Creating and Managing Group Profiles</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960796">Default Profile for Windows Users</a></dt><dd><dl><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960824">MS Windows 9x/Me</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2960978">MS Windows NT4 Workstation</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2961608">MS Windows 200x/XP</a></dt></dl></dd><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2962176">Common Errors</a></dt><dd><dl><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2962190">Configuring Roaming Profiles for a Few Users or Groups</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2962256">Cannot Use Roaming Profiles</a></dt><dt><a href="ProfileMgmt.html#id2962468">Changing the Default Profile</a></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2958236"></a>Features and Benefits</h2></div></div><div></div></div><p> Roaming profiles are feared by some, hated by a few, loved by many, and a Godsend for some administrators. </p><p> Roaming profiles allow an administrator to make available a consistent user desktop as the user moves from one machine to another. This chapter provides much information regarding how to configure and manage roaming profiles. </p><p> While roaming profiles might sound like nirvana to some, they are a real and tangible problem to others. In particular, users of mobile computing tools, where often there may not be a sustained network connection, are often better served by purely local profiles. This chapter provides information to help the Samba administrator deal with those situations. </p></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2958270"></a>Roaming Profiles</h2></div></div><div></div></div><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p> Roaming profiles support is different for Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x. </p></div><p> Before discussing how to configure roaming profiles, it is useful to see how Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x clients implement these features. </p><p> Windows 9x/Me clients send a NetUserGetInfo request to the server to get the user's profiles location. However, the response does not have room for a separate profiles location field, only the user's home share. This means that Windows 9x/Me profiles are restricted to being stored in the user's home directory. </p><p> Windows NT4/200x clients send a NetSAMLogon RPC request, which contains many fields including a separate field for the location of the user's profiles. </p><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2958311"></a>Samba Configuration for Profile Handling</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> This section documents how to configure Samba for MS Windows client profile support. </p><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2958324"></a>NT4/200x User Profiles</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> For example, to support Windows NT4/200x clients, set the following in the [global] section of the <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> file: </p><p> </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon path = \\profileserver\profileshare\profilepath\%U\moreprofilepath</tt></i></td></tr></table><p> This is typically implemented like: </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon path = \\%L\Profiles\%u</tt></i></td></tr></table><p> where “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%L</em></span></span>” translates to the name of the Samba server and “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%u</em></span></span>” translates to the user name. </p><p> The default for this option is <tt class="filename">\\%N\%U\profile</tt>, namely <tt class="filename">\\sambaserver\username\profile</tt>. The <tt class="filename">\\%N\%U</tt> service is created automatically by the [homes] service. If you are using a Samba server for the profiles, you must make the share that is specified in the logon path browseable. Please refer to the man page for <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> in respect of the different semantics of “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%L</em></span></span>” and “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%N</em></span></span>”, as well as “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%U</em></span></span>” and “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>%u</em></span></span>”. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> MS Windows NT/200x clients at times do not disconnect a connection to a server between logons. It is recommended to not use the <i class="parameter"><tt>homes</tt></i> meta-service name as part of the profile share path. </p></div></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2958493"></a>Windows 9x/Me User Profiles</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> To support Windows 9x/Me clients, you must use the <a class="indexterm" name="id2958505"></a>logon home parameter. Samba has been fixed so <b class="userinput"><tt>net use /home</tt></b> now works as well and it, too, relies on the <b class="command">logon home</b> parameter. </p><p> By using the logon home parameter, you are restricted to putting Windows 9x/Me profiles in the user's home directory. But wait! There is a trick you can use. If you set the following in the <i class="parameter"><tt>[global]</tt></i> section of your <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> file: </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon home = \\%L\%U\.profiles</tt></i></td></tr></table><p> then your Windows 9x/Me clients will dutifully put their clients in a subdirectory of your home directory called <tt class="filename">.profiles</tt> (making them hidden). </p><p> Not only that, but <b class="userinput"><tt>net use /home</tt></b> will also work because of a feature in Windows 9x/Me. It removes any directory stuff off the end of the home directory area and only uses the server and share portion. That is, it looks like you specified <tt class="filename">\\%L\%U</tt> for <a class="indexterm" name="id2958613"></a>logon home. </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2958623"></a>Mixed Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x User Profiles</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> You can support profiles for Windows 9x and Windows NT clients by setting both the <a class="indexterm" name="id2958636"></a>logon home and <a class="indexterm" name="id2958645"></a>logon path parameters. For example: </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon home = \\%L\%u\.profiles</tt></i></td></tr><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon path = \\%L\profiles\%u</tt></i></td></tr></table></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2958702"></a>Disabling Roaming Profile Support</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> A question often asked is: “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>How may I enforce use of local profiles?</em></span></span>” or “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>How do I disable roaming profiles?</em></span></span>” </p><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2958731"></a> There are three ways of doing this: <a class="indexterm" name="id2958740"></a> </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">In <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt></span></dt><dd><p> Affect the following settings and ALL clients will be forced to use a local profile: <a class="indexterm" name="id2958774"></a>logon home and <a class="indexterm" name="id2958782"></a>logon path </p></dd><dt><span class="term">MS Windows Registry</span></dt><dd><p> By using the Microsoft Management Console gpedit.msc to instruct your MS Windows XP machine to use only a local profile. This, of course, modifies registry settings. The full path to the option is: </p><pre class="screen"> Local Computer Policy\ Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ System\ User Profiles\ Disable: Only Allow Local User Profiles Disable: Prevent Roaming Profile Change from Propagating to the Server </pre><p> </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Change of Profile Type:</span></dt><dd><p>From the start menu right-click on <span class="guiicon">My Computer icon</span>, select <span class="guimenuitem">Properties</span>, click on the <span class="guilabel">User Profiles</span> tab, select the profile you wish to change from <span class="guimenu">Roaming</span> type to <span class="guimenu">Local</span>, and click on <span class="guibutton">Change Type</span>. </p></dd></dl></div><p> Consult the MS Windows registry guide for your particular MS Windows version for more information about which registry keys to change to enforce use of only local user profiles. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> The specifics of how to convert a local profile to a roaming profile, or a roaming profile to a local one vary according to the version of MS Windows you are running. Consult the Microsoft MS Windows Resource Kit for your version of Windows for specific information. </p></div></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2958902"></a>Windows Client Profile Configuration Information</h3></div></div><div></div></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2958910"></a>Windows 9x/Me Profile Setup</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> When a user first logs in on Windows 9X, the file user.DAT is created, as are folders <tt class="filename">Start Menu</tt>, <tt class="filename">Desktop</tt>, <tt class="filename">Programs</tt>, and <tt class="filename">Nethood</tt>. These directories and their contents will be merged with the local versions stored in <tt class="filename">c:\windows\profiles\username</tt> on subsequent logins, taking the most recent from each. You will need to use the <i class="parameter"><tt>[global]</tt></i> options <a class="indexterm" name="id2958967"></a>preserve case = yes, <a class="indexterm" name="id2958975"></a>short preserve case = yes and <a class="indexterm" name="id2958984"></a>case sensitive = no in order to maintain capital letters in shortcuts in any of the profile folders. </p><p> The <tt class="filename">user.DAT</tt> file contains all the user's preferences. If you wish to enforce a set of preferences, rename their <tt class="filename">user.DAT</tt> file to <tt class="filename">user.MAN</tt>, and deny them write access to this file. </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol type="1"><li><p> On the Windows 9x/Me machine, go to <span class="guimenu">Control Panel</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Passwords</span> and select the <span class="guilabel">User Profiles</span> tab. Select the required level of roaming preferences. Press <span class="guibutton">OK</span>, but do not allow the computer to reboot. </p></li><li><p> On the Windows 9x/Me machine, go to <span class="guimenu">Control Panel</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Network</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Client for Microsoft Networks</span> -> <span class="guilabel">Preferences</span>. Select <span class="guilabel">Log on to NT Domain</span>. Then, ensure that the Primary Logon is <span class="guilabel">Client for Microsoft Networks</span>. Press <span class="guibutton">OK</span>, and this time allow the computer to reboot. </p></li></ol></div><p> Under Windows 9x/ME, profiles are downloaded from the Primary Logon. If you have the Primary Logon as “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Client for Novell Networks</em></span></span>”, then the profiles and logon script will be downloaded from your Novell Server. If you have the Primary Logon as “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Windows Logon</em></span></span>”, then the profiles will be loaded from the local machine a bit against the concept of roaming profiles, it would seem! </p><p> You will now find that the Microsoft Networks Login box contains <tt class="constant">[user, password, domain]</tt> instead of just <tt class="constant">[user, password]</tt>. Type in the Samba server's domain name (or any other domain known to exist, but bear in mind that the user will be authenticated against this domain and profiles downloaded from it, if that domain logon server supports it), user name and user's password. </p><p> Once the user has been successfully validated, the Windows 9x/Me machine will inform you that <tt class="computeroutput">The user has not logged on before</tt> and asks you <tt class="computeroutput">Do you wish to save the user's preferences?</tt> Select <span class="guibutton">Yes</span>. </p><p> Once the Windows 9x/Me client comes up with the desktop, you should be able to examine the contents of the directory specified in the <a class="indexterm" name="id2959208"></a>logon path on the Samba server and verify that the <tt class="filename">Desktop</tt>, <tt class="filename">Start Menu</tt>, <tt class="filename">Programs</tt> and <tt class="filename">Nethood</tt> folders have been created. </p><p> These folders will be cached locally on the client, and updated when the user logs off (if you haven't made them read-only by then). You will find that if the user creates further folders or shortcut, that the client will merge the profile contents downloaded with the contents of the profile directory already on the local client, taking the newest folders and shortcut from each set. </p><p> If you have made the folders/files read-only on the Samba server, then you will get errors from the Windows 9x/Me machine on logon and logout as it attempts to merge the local and remote profile. Basically, if you have any errors reported by the Windows 9x/Me machine, check the UNIX file permissions and ownership rights on the profile directory contents, on the Samba server. </p><p> If you have problems creating user profiles, you can reset the user's local desktop cache, as shown below. When this user next logs in, the user will be told that he/she is logging in “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>for the first time</em></span></span>”. <a class="indexterm" name="id2959283"></a> </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol type="1"><li><p> Instead of logging in under the [user, password, domain] dialog, press <span class="guibutton">escape</span>. </p></li><li><p> Run the <b class="command">regedit.exe</b> program, and look in: </p><p> <tt class="filename">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProfileList</tt> </p><p> You will find an entry for each user of ProfilePath. Note the contents of this key (likely to be <tt class="filename">c:\windows\profiles\username</tt>), then delete the key <i class="parameter"><tt>ProfilePath</tt></i> for the required user. </p></li><li><p> Exit the registry editor. </p></li><li><p> Search for the user's .PWL password-caching file in the <tt class="filename">c:\windows</tt> directory, and delete it. </p></li><li><p> Log off the Windows 9x/Me client. </p></li><li><p> Check the contents of the profile path (see <a class="indexterm" name="id2959394"></a>logon path described above) and delete the <tt class="filename">user.DAT</tt> or <tt class="filename">user.MAN</tt> file for the user, making a backup if required. </p></li></ol></div><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p> Before deleting the contents of the directory listed in the <i class="parameter"><tt>ProfilePath</tt></i> (this is likely to be <tt class="filename">c:\windows\profiles\username)</tt>, ask the owner if they have any important files stored on their desktop or in their start menu. Delete the contents of the directory <i class="parameter"><tt>ProfilePath</tt></i> (making a backup if any of the files are needed). </p><p> This will have the effect of removing the local (read-only hidden system file) <tt class="filename">user.DAT</tt> in their profile directory, as well as the local “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>desktop,</em></span></span>” “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>nethood,</em></span></span>” “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>start menu,</em></span></span>” and “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>programs</em></span></span>” folders. </p></div><p> If all else fails, increase Samba's debug log levels to between 3 and 10, and/or run a packet sniffer program such as ethereal or <b class="command">netmon.exe</b>, and look for error messages. </p><p> If you have access to an Windows NT4/200x server, then first set up roaming profiles and/or netlogons on the Windows NT4/200x server. Make a packet trace, or examine the example packet traces provided with Windows NT4/200x server, and see what the differences are with the equivalent Samba trace. </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2959511"></a>Windows NT4 Workstation</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> When a user first logs in to a Windows NT Workstation, the profile NTuser.DAT is created. The profile location can be now specified through the <a class="indexterm" name="id2959524"></a>logon path parameter. </p><p> There is a parameter that is now available for use with NT Profiles: <a class="indexterm" name="id2959538"></a>logon drive. This should be set to <tt class="filename">H:</tt> or any other drive, and should be used in conjunction with the new <a class="indexterm" name="id2959556"></a>logon home parameter. </p><p> The entry for the NT4 profile is a directory not a file. The NT help on Profiles mentions that a directory is also created with a .PDS extension. The user, while logging in, must have write permission to create the full profile path (and the folder with the .PDS extension for those situations where it might be created.) </p><p> In the profile directory, Windows NT4 creates more folders than Windows 9x/Me. It creates <tt class="filename">Application Data</tt> and others, as well as <tt class="filename">Desktop</tt>, <tt class="filename">Nethood</tt>, <tt class="filename">Start Menu,</tt> and <tt class="filename">Programs</tt>. The profile itself is stored in a file <tt class="filename">NTuser.DAT</tt>. Nothing appears to be stored in the .PDS directory, and its purpose is currently unknown. </p><p> You can use the <span class="application">System Control Panel</span> to copy a local profile onto a Samba server (see NT Help on Profiles; it is also capable of firing up the correct location in the <span class="application">System Control Panel</span> for you). The NT Help file also mentions that renaming <tt class="filename">NTuser.DAT</tt> to <tt class="filename">NTuser.MAN</tt> turns a profile into a mandatory one. </p><p> The case of the profile is significant. The file must be called <tt class="filename">NTuser.DAT</tt> or, for a mandatory profile, <tt class="filename">NTuser.MAN</tt>. </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2959682"></a>Windows 2000/XP Professional</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> You must first convert the profile from a local profile to a domain profile on the MS Windows workstation as follows: </p><div class="procedure"><ol type="1"><li><p> Log on as the <span class="emphasis"><em>local</em></span> workstation administrator. </p></li><li><p> Right-click on the <span class="guiicon">My Computer</span> Icon, select <span class="guimenuitem">Properties</span>.</p></li><li><p> Click on the <span class="guilabel">User Profiles</span> tab.</p></li><li><p> Select the profile you wish to convert (click it once).</p></li><li><p> Click on the <span class="guibutton">Copy To</span> button.</p></li><li><p> In the <span class="guilabel">Permitted to use</span> box, click on the <span class="guibutton">Change</span> button. </p></li><li><p> Click on the <span class="guilabel">Look in</span> area that lists the machine name. When you click here, it will open up a selection box. Click on the domain to which the profile must be accessible. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>You will need to log on if a logon box opens up. For example, connect as <i class="replaceable"><tt>DOMAIN</tt></i>\root, password: <i class="replaceable"><tt>mypassword</tt></i>.</p></div></li><li><p> To make the profile capable of being used by anyone, select “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Everyone</em></span></span>”. </p></li><li><p> Click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span> and the Selection box will close. </p></li><li><p> Now click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span> to create the profile in the path you nominated. </p></li></ol></div><p> Done. You now have a profile that can be edited using the Samba <b class="command">profiles</b> tool. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Under Windows NT/200x, the use of mandatory profiles forces the use of MS Exchange storage of mail data and keeps it out of the desktop profile. That keeps desktop profiles from becoming unusable. </p></div><div class="sect4" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a name="id2959902"></a>Windows XP Service Pack 1</h5></div></div><div></div></div><p> There is a security check new to Windows XP (or maybe only Windows XP service pack 1). It can be disabled via a group policy in the Active Directory. The policy is called: </p><p> <tt class="filename">Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles\Do not check for user ownership of Roaming Profile Folders</tt>i </p><p> This should be set to <tt class="constant">Enabled</tt>. </p><p> Does the new version of Samba have an Active Directory analogue? If so, then you may be able to set the policy through this. </p><p>If you cannot set group policies in Samba, then you may be able to set the policy locally on each machine. If you want to try this, then do the following (N.B. I do not know for sure that this will work in the same way as a domain group policy): </p><div class="procedure"><ol type="1"><li><p>On the XP workstation, log in with an Administrative account.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guimenu">Start</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Run</span>.</p></li><li><p>Type <b class="command">mmc</b>.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span>.</p></li><li><p>A Microsoft Management Console should appear.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guimenu">File</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Add/Remove Snap-in</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Add</span>.</p></li><li><p>Double-click on <span class="guiicon">Group Policy</span>.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guibutton">Finish</span> -> <span class="guibutton">Close</span>.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span>.</p></li><li><p>In the “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Console Root</em></span></span>” window expand <span class="guiicon">Local Computer Policy</span> -> <span class="guiicon">Computer Configuration</span> -> <span class="guiicon">Administrative Templates</span> -> <span class="guiicon">System</span> -> <span class="guiicon">User Profiles</span>.</p></li><li><p>Double-click on <span class="guilabel">Do not check for user ownership of Roaming Profile Folders</span>.</p></li><li><p>Select <span class="guilabel">Enabled</span>.</p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span>.</p></li><li><p>Close the whole console. You do not need to save the settings (this refers to the console settings rather than the policies you have changed).</p></li><li><p>Reboot.</p></li></ol></div></div></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2960233"></a>Sharing Profiles between W9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP Workstations</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> Sharing of desktop profiles between Windows versions is not recommended. Desktop profiles are an evolving phenomenon and profiles for later versions of MS Windows clients add features that may interfere with earlier versions of MS Windows clients. Probably the more salient reason to not mix profiles is that when logging off an earlier version of MS Windows, the older format of profile contents may overwrite information that belongs to the newer version resulting in loss of profile information content when that user logs on again with the newer version of MS Windows. </p><p> If you then want to share the same Start Menu/Desktop with W9x/Me, you will need to specify a common location for the profiles. The <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> parameters that need to be common are <a class="indexterm" name="id2960268"></a>logon path and <a class="indexterm" name="id2960277"></a>logon home. </p><p> If you have this set up correctly, you will find separate <tt class="filename">user.DAT</tt> and <tt class="filename">NTuser.DAT</tt> files in the same profile directory. </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2960307"></a>Profile Migration from Windows NT4/200x Server to Samba</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> There is nothing to stop you from specifying any path that you like for the location of users' profiles. Therefore, you could specify that the profile be stored on a Samba server, or any other SMB server, as long as that SMB server supports encrypted passwords. </p><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2960324"></a>Windows NT4 Profile Management Tools</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> Unfortunately, the Resource Kit information is specific to the version of MS Windows NT4/200x. The correct resource kit is required for each platform. </p><p>Here is a quick guide:</p><div class="procedure"><ol type="1"><li><p> On your NT4 Domain Controller, right click on <span class="guiicon">My Computer</span>, then select the tab labeled <span class="guilabel">User Profiles</span>. </p></li><li><p> Select a user profile you want to migrate and click on it. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>I am using the term “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>migrate</em></span></span>” loosely. You can copy a profile to create a group profile. You can give the user <i class="parameter"><tt>Everyone</tt></i> rights to the profile you copy this to. That is what you need to do, since your Samba domain is not a member of a trust relationship with your NT4 PDC.</p></div></li><li><p>Click on the <span class="guibutton">Copy To</span> button.</p></li><li><p>In the box labeled <span class="guilabel">Copy Profile to</span> add your new path, e.g., <tt class="filename">c:\temp\foobar</tt></p></li><li><p>Click on <span class="guibutton">Change</span> in the <span class="guilabel">Permitted to use</span> box.</p></li><li><p>Click on the group “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Everyone</em></span></span>”, click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span>. This closes the “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>choose user</em></span></span>” box.</p></li><li><p>Now click on <span class="guibutton">OK</span>.</p></li></ol></div><p> Follow the above for every profile you need to migrate. </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2960509"></a>Side Bar Notes</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2960522"></a> You should obtain the SID of your NT4 domain. You can use smbpasswd to do this. Read the man page.</p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2960532"></a>moveuser.exe</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> The Windows 200x professional resource kit has <b class="command">moveuser.exe</b>. <b class="command">moveuser.exe</b> changes the security of a profile from one user to another. This allows the account domain to change, and/or the user name to change.</p><p> This command is like the Samba <b class="command">profiles</b> tool. </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2960573"></a>Get SID</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2960585"></a> You can identify the SID by using <b class="command">GetSID.exe</b> from the Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit. </p><p> Windows NT 4.0 stores the local profile information in the registry under the following key: <tt class="filename">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList</tt> </p><p> Under the ProfileList key, there will be subkeys named with the SIDs of the users who have logged on to this computer. (To find the profile information for the user whose locally cached profile you want to move, find the SID for the user with the <b class="command">GetSID.exe</b> utility.) Inside the appropriate user's subkey, you will see a string value named <i class="parameter"><tt>ProfileImagePath</tt></i>. </p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2960642"></a>Mandatory Profiles</h2></div></div><div></div></div><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2960654"></a> A Mandatory Profile is a profile that the user does not have the ability to overwrite. During the user's session, it may be possible to change the desktop environment, however, as the user logs out all changes made will be lost. If it is desired to not allow the user any ability to change the desktop environment, then this must be done through policy settings. See the previous chapter. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Under NO circumstances should the profile directory (or its contents) be made read-only as this may render the profile un-usable. Where it is essential to make a profile read-only within the UNIX file system, this can be done but then you absolutely must use the <b class="command">fake-permissions</b> VFS module to instruct MS Windows NT/200x/XP clients that the Profile has write permission for the user. See <a href="VFS.html#fakeperms" title="fake_perms">fake_perms VFS module</a>. </p></div><p> For MS Windows NT4/200x/XP, the above method can also be used to create mandatory profiles. To convert a group profile into a mandatory profile, simply locate the <tt class="filename">NTUser.DAT</tt> file in the copied profile and rename it to <tt class="filename">NTUser.MAN</tt>. </p><p> For MS Windows 9x/ME, it is the <tt class="filename">User.DAT</tt> file that must be renamed to <tt class="filename">User.MAN</tt> to effect a mandatory profile. </p></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2960741"></a>Creating and Managing Group Profiles</h2></div></div><div></div></div><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2960753"></a> Most organizations are arranged into departments. There is a nice benefit in this fact since usually most users in a department require the same desktop applications and the same desktop layout. MS Windows NT4/200x/XP will allow the use of Group Profiles. A Group Profile is a profile that is created first using a template (example) user. Then using the profile migration tool (see above), the profile is assigned access rights for the user group that needs to be given access to the group profile. </p><p> The next step is rather important. Instead of assigning a group profile to users (Using User Manager) on a “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>per user</em></span></span>” basis, the group itself is assigned the now modified profile. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Be careful with Group Profiles. If the user who is a member of a group also has a personal profile, then the result will be a fusion (merge) of the two. </p></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2960796"></a>Default Profile for Windows Users</h2></div></div><div></div></div><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2960808"></a> MS Windows 9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP will use a default profile for any user for whom a profile does not already exist. Armed with a knowledge of where the default profile is located on the Windows workstation, and knowing which registry keys effect the path from which the default profile is created, it is possible to modify the default profile to one that has been optimized for the site. This has significant administrative advantages. </p><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2960824"></a>MS Windows 9x/Me</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> To enable default per use profiles in Windows 9x/ME, you can either use the <span class="application">Windows 98 System Policy Editor</span> or change the registry directly. </p><p> To enable default per user profiles in Windows 9x/ME, launch the <span class="application">System Policy Editor</span>, then select <span class="guimenu">File</span> -> <span class="guimenuitem">Open Registry</span>, next click on the <span class="guiicon">Local Computer</span> icon, click on <span class="guilabel">Windows 98 System</span>, select <span class="guilabel">User Profiles</span>, and click on the enable box. Remember to save the registry changes. </p><p> To modify the registry directly, launch the <span class="application">Registry Editor</span> (<b class="command">regedit.exe</b>) and select the hive <tt class="filename">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon</tt>. Now add a DWORD type key with the name “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>User Profiles,</em></span></span>” to enable user profiles to set the value to 1; to disable user profiles set it to 0. </p><div class="sect3" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="id2960928"></a>User Profile Handling with Windows 9x/Me</h4></div></div><div></div></div><p> When a user logs on to a Windows 9x/Me machine, the local profile path, <tt class="filename">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProfileList</tt>, is checked for an existing entry for that user. </p><p> If the user has an entry in this registry location, Windows 9x/Me checks for a locally cached version of the user profile. Windows 9x/Me also checks the user's home directory (or other specified directory if the location has been modified) on the server for the User Profile. If a profile exists in both locations, the newer of the two is used. If the User Profile exists on the server, but does not exist on the local machine, the profile on the server is downloaded and used. If the User Profile only exists on the local machine, that copy is used. </p><p> If a User Profile is not found in either location, the Default User Profile from the Windows 9x/Me machine is used and copied to a newly created folder for the logged on user. At log off, any changes that the user made are written to the user's local profile. If the user has a roaming profile, the changes are written to the user's profile on the server. </p></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2960978"></a>MS Windows NT4 Workstation</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> On MS Windows NT4, the default user profile is obtained from the location <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles</tt> which in a default installation will translate to <tt class="filename">C:\Windows NT\Profiles</tt>. Under this directory on a clean install there will be three (3) directories: <tt class="filename">Administrator</tt>, <tt class="filename">All Users,</tt> and <tt class="filename">Default User</tt>. </p><p> The <tt class="filename">All Users</tt> directory contains menu settings that are common across all system users. The <tt class="filename">Default User</tt> directory contains menu entries that are customizable per user depending on the profile settings chosen/created. </p><p> When a new user first logs onto an MS Windows NT4 machine, a new profile is created from: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>All Users settings.</p></li><li><p>Default User settings (contains the default <tt class="filename">NTUser.DAT</tt> file).</p></li></ul></div><p> When a user logs onto an MS Windows NT4 machine that is a member of a Microsoft security domain, the following steps are followed in respect of profile handling: <a class="indexterm" name="id2961087"></a> </p><div class="procedure"><ol type="1"><li><p> The users' account information that is obtained during the logon process contains the location of the users' desktop profile. The profile path may be local to the machine or it may be located on a network share. If there exists a profile at the location of the path from the user account, then this profile is copied to the location <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME%</tt>. This profile then inherits the settings in the <tt class="filename">All Users</tt> profile in the <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles</tt> location. </p></li><li><p> If the user account has a profile path, but at its location a profile does not exist, then a new profile is created in the <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME%</tt> directory from reading the <tt class="filename">Default User</tt> profile. </p></li><li><p> If the NETLOGON share on the authenticating server (logon server) contains a policy file (<tt class="filename">NTConfig.POL</tt>), then its contents are applied to the <tt class="filename">NTUser.DAT</tt> which is applied to the <tt class="filename">HKEY_CURRENT_USER</tt> part of the registry. </p></li><li><p> When the user logs out, if the profile is set to be a roaming profile it will be written out to the location of the profile. The <tt class="filename">NTuser.DAT</tt> file is then recreated from the contents of the <tt class="filename">HKEY_CURRENT_USER</tt> contents. Thus, should there not exist in the NETLOGON share an <tt class="filename">NTConfig.POL</tt> at the next logon, the effect of the previous <tt class="filename">NTConfig.POL</tt> will still be held in the profile. The effect of this is known as tattooing. </p></li></ol></div><p> MS Windows NT4 profiles may be <span class="emphasis"><em>local</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>roaming</em></span>. A local profile will stored in the <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME%</tt> location. A roaming profile will also remain stored in the same way, unless the following registry key is created as shown: </p><pre class="screen"> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ winlogon\"DeleteRoamingCache"=dword:0000000 </pre><p> In this case, the local copy (in <tt class="filename">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME%</tt>) will be deleted on logout.</p><p> Under MS Windows NT4, default locations for common resources like <tt class="filename">My Documents</tt> may be redirected to a network share by modifying the following registry keys. These changes may be affected via use of the System Policy Editor. To do so may require that you create your own template extension for the policy editor to allow this to be done through the GUI. Another way to do this is by way of first creating a default user profile, then while logged in as that user, run <b class="command">regedt32</b> to edit the key settings. </p><p> The Registry Hive key that affects the behavior of folders that are part of the default user profile are controlled by entries on Windows NT4 is: </p><pre class="screen"> HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \User Shell Folders </pre><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2961334"></a> </p><p> The above hive key contains a list of automatically managed folders. The default entries are shown in <a href="ProfileMgmt.html#ProfileLocs" title="Table 24.1. User Shell Folder Registry Keys Default Values">the next table</a>. </p><div class="table"><a name="ProfileLocs"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 24.1. User Shell Folder Registry Keys Default Values</b></p><table summary="User Shell Folder Registry Keys Default Values" border="1"><colgroup><col align="left"><col align="left"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left">Name</th><th align="left">Default Value</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left">AppData</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Application Data</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Desktop</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Desktop</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Favorites</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Favorites</td></tr><tr><td align="left">NetHood</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\NetHood</td></tr><tr><td align="left">PrintHood</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\PrintHood</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Programs</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Recent</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Recent</td></tr><tr><td align="left">SendTo</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\SendTo</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Start Menu </td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Startup</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p> The registry key that contains the location of the default profile settings is: </p><p> <tt class="filename">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ User Shell Folders</tt> </p><p> The default entries are shown in <a href="ProfileMgmt.html#regkeys" title="Table 24.2. Defaults of Profile Settings Registry Keys">the next table</a>.</p><div class="table"><a name="regkeys"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 24.2. Defaults of Profile Settings Registry Keys</b></p><table summary="Defaults of Profile Settings Registry Keys" border="1"><colgroup><col align="left"><col align="left"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td align="left">Common Desktop</td><td align="left">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Desktop</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Common Programs</td><td align="left">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Programs</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Common Start Menu</td><td align="left">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Common Startup</td><td align="left">%SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2961608"></a>MS Windows 200x/XP</h3></div></div><div></div></div><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2961622"></a> MS Windows XP Home Edition does use default per user profiles, but cannot participate in domain security, cannot log onto an NT/ADS-style domain, and thus can obtain the profile only from itself. While there are benefits in doing this, the beauty of those MS Windows clients that can participate in domain logon processes allows the administrator to create a global default profile and enforce it through the use of Group Policy Objects (GPOs). </p></div><p> When a new user first logs onto an MS Windows 200x/XP machine, the default profile is obtained from <tt class="filename">C:\Documents and Settings\Default User</tt>. The administrator can modify or change the contents of this location and MS Windows 200x/XP will gladly use it. This is far from the optimum arrangement since it will involve copying a new default profile to every MS Windows 200x/XP client workstation. </p><p> When MS Windows 200x/XP participates in a domain security context, and if the default user profile is not found, then the client will search for a default profile in the NETLOGON share of the authenticating server. In MS Windows parlance,<tt class="filename">%LOGONSERVER%\NETLOGON\Default User,</tt> and if one exists there it will copy this to the workstation to the <tt class="filename">C:\Documents and Settings\</tt> under the Windows login name of the user. </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> This path translates, in Samba parlance, to the <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> <i class="parameter"><tt>[NETLOGON]</tt></i> share. The directory should be created at the root of this share and must be called <tt class="filename">Default Profile</tt>. </p></div><p> If a default profile does not exist in this location, then MS Windows 200x/XP will use the local default profile. </p><p> On logging out, the users' desktop profile will be stored to the location specified in the registry settings that pertain to the user. If no specific policies have been created or passed to the client during the login process (as Samba does automatically), then the user's profile will be written to the local machine only under the path <tt class="filename">C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%</tt>. </p><p> Those wishing to modify the default behavior can do so through these three methods: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p> Modify the registry keys on the local machine manually and place the new default profile in the NETLOGON share root. This is not recommended as it is maintenance intensive. </p></li><li><p> Create an NT4-style NTConfig.POL file that specified this behavior and locate this file in the root of the NETLOGON share along with the new default profile. </p></li><li><p> Create a GPO that enforces this through Active Directory, and place the new default profile in the NETLOGON share. </p></li></ul></div><p>The registry hive key that effects the behavior of folders that are part of the default user profile are controlled by entries on Windows 200x/XP is: </p><p> <tt class="filename">HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\</tt> </p><p> The above hive key contains a list of automatically managed folders. The default entries are shown in <a href="ProfileMgmt.html#defregpthkeys" title="Table 24.3. Defaults of Default User Profile Paths Registry Keys">the next table</a> <a class="indexterm" name="id2961818"></a> </p><div class="table"><a name="defregpthkeys"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 24.3. Defaults of Default User Profile Paths Registry Keys</b></p><table summary="Defaults of Default User Profile Paths Registry Keys" border="1"><colgroup><col align="left"><col align="left"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left">Name</th><th align="left">Default Value</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left">AppData</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Application Data</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Cache</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Cookies</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Cookies</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Desktop</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Desktop</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Favorites</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Favorites</td></tr><tr><td align="left">History</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Local AppData</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Local Settings</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My Pictures</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Pictures</td></tr><tr><td align="left">NetHood</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\NetHood</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Personal</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\My Documents</td></tr><tr><td align="left">PrintHood</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\PrintHood</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Programs</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Recent</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Recent</td></tr><tr><td align="left">SendTo</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\SendTo</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Start Menu</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Startup</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Templates</td><td align="left">%USERPROFILE%\Templates</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p> There is also an entry called “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>Default</em></span></span>” that has no value set. The default entry is of type <tt class="constant">REG_SZ</tt>, all the others are of type <tt class="constant">REG_EXPAND_SZ</tt>. </p><p> It makes a huge difference to the speed of handling roaming user profiles if all the folders are stored on a dedicated location on a network server. This means that it will not be necessary to write the Outlook PST file over the network for every login and logout. </p><p> To set this to a network location, you could use the following examples: </p><p><tt class="filename">%LOGONSERVER%\%USERNAME%\Default Folders</tt></p><p> This would store the folders in the user's home directory under a directory called <tt class="filename">Default Folders</tt>. You could also use: </p><p><tt class="filename">\\<i class="replaceable"><tt>SambaServer</tt></i>\<i class="replaceable"><tt>FolderShare</tt></i>\%USERNAME%</tt></p><p> in which case the default folders will be stored in the server named <i class="replaceable"><tt>SambaServer</tt></i> in the share called <i class="replaceable"><tt>FolderShare</tt></i> under a directory that has the name of the MS Windows user as seen by the Linux/UNIX file system. </p><p> Please note that once you have created a default profile share, you MUST migrate a user's profile (default or custom) to it. </p><p> MS Windows 200x/XP profiles may be <span class="emphasis"><em>Local</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>Roaming</em></span>. A roaming profile will be cached locally unless the following registry key is created: <a class="indexterm" name="id2962149"></a> </p><p> </p><pre class="programlisting"> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ winlogon\"DeleteRoamingCache"=dword:00000001</pre><p> In this case, the local cache copy will be deleted on logout. </p></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2962176"></a>Common Errors</h2></div></div><div></div></div><p> The following are some typical errors, problems and questions that have been asked on the Samba mailing lists. </p><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2962190"></a>Configuring Roaming Profiles for a Few Users or Groups</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> With Samba-2.2.x, the choice you have is to enable or disable roaming profiles support. It is a global only setting. The default is to have roaming profiles and the default path will locate them in the user's home directory. </p><p> If disabled globally, then no one will have roaming profile ability. If enabled and you want it to apply only to certain machines, then on those machines on which roaming profile support is not wanted it is then necessary to disable roaming profile handling in the registry of each such machine. </p><p> With Samba-3, you can have a global profile setting in <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt> and you can override this by per-user settings using the Domain User Manager (as with MS Windows NT4/ Win 200xx). </p><p> In any case, you can configure only one profile per user. That profile can be either: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li>A profile unique to that user.</li><li>A mandatory profile (one the user cannot change).</li><li>A group profile (really should be mandatory, that is unchangable).</li></ul></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2962256"></a>Cannot Use Roaming Profiles</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p> A user requested the following: “<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em> I do not want Roaming profiles to be implemented. I want to give users a local profile alone. Please help me, I am totally lost with this error. For the past two days I tried everything, I googled around but found no useful pointers. Please help me. </em></span></span>”</p><p> The choices are: </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">Local profiles</span></dt><dd><p> I know of no registry keys that will allow auto-deletion of LOCAL profiles on log out.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Roaming profiles</span></dt><dd><p> As a user logs onto the network, a centrally stored profile is copied to the workstation to form a local profile. This local profile will persist (remain on the workstation disk) unless a registry key is changed that will cause this profile to be automatically deleted on logout. </p></dd></dl></div><p>The roaming profile choices are: </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">Personal roaming profiles</span></dt><dd><p> These are typically stored in a profile share on a central (or conveniently located local) server. </p><p> Workstations cache (store) a local copy of the profile. This cached copy is used when the profile cannot be downloaded at next logon. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group profiles</span></dt><dd><p>These are loaded from a central profile server.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Mandatory profiles</span></dt><dd><p> Mandatory profiles can be created for a user as well as for any group that a user is a member of. Mandatory profiles cannot be changed by ordinary users. Only the administrator can change or reconfigure a mandatory profile. </p></dd></dl></div><p> A Windows NT4/200x/XP profile can vary in size from 130KB to very large. Outlook PST files are most often part of the profile and can be many GB in size. On average (in a well controlled environment), roaming profile size of 2MB is a good rule of thumb to use for planning purposes. In an undisciplined environment, I have seen up to 2GB profiles. Users tend to complain when it takes an hour to log onto a workstation but they harvest the fruits of folly (and ignorance). </p><p> The point of all the above is to show that roaming profiles and good controls of how they can be changed as well as good discipline make up for a problem-free site. </p><p> Microsoft's answer to the PST problem is to store all email in an MS Exchange Server backend. This removes the need for a PST file. </p><p>Local profiles mean: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>If each machine is used by many users, then much local disk storage is needed for local profiles.</p></li><li><p>Every workstation the user logs into has its own profile; these can be very different from machine to machine.</p></li></ul></div><p> On the other hand, use of roaming profiles means: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>The network administrator can control the desktop environment of all users.</p></li><li><p>Use of mandatory profiles drastically reduces network management overheads.</p></li><li><p>In the long run, users will experience fewer problems.</p></li></ul></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2962468"></a>Changing the Default Profile</h3></div></div><div></div></div><p>“<span class="quote"><span class="emphasis"><em>When the client logs onto the Domain Controller, it searches for a profile to download. Where do I put this default profile?</em></span></span>”</p><p> <a class="indexterm" name="id2962489"></a> First, the Samba server needs to be configured as a Domain Controller. This can be done by setting in <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt>: </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> security = user</tt></i></td></tr><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> os level = 32 (or more)</tt></i></td></tr><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> domain logons = Yes</tt></i></td></tr></table><p> There must be a <i class="parameter"><tt>[netlogon]</tt></i> share that is world readable. It is a good idea to add a logon script to pre-set printer and drive connections. There is also a facility for automatically synchronizing the workstation time clock with that of the logon server (another good thing to do). </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> To invoke auto-deletion of roaming profile from the local workstation cache (disk storage), use the <span class="application">Group Policy Editor</span> to create a file called <tt class="filename">NTConfig.POL</tt> with the appropriate entries. This file needs to be located in the <i class="parameter"><tt>netlogon</tt></i> share root directory.</p></div><p> Windows clients need to be members of the domain. Workgroup machines do not use network logons so they do not interoperate with domain profiles. </p><p> For roaming profiles, add to <tt class="filename">smb.conf</tt>: </p><table class="simplelist" border="0" summary="Simple list"><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon path = \\%N\profiles\%U</tt></i></td></tr><tr><td># Default logon drive is Z:</td></tr><tr><td><i class="parameter"><tt> logon drive = H:</tt></i></td></tr><tr><td># This requires a PROFILES share that is world writable.</td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="PolicyMgmt.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="optional.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="pam.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 23. 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