More thinclient testing questions?

[Kyle]

1. When the thin client connects to the server 2003 through RDP, when the user logs on does it pull down all the GPO policies as if they were logging on to a FAT XP machine?

2. If the above answer is yes, do it also map the drives succesfully ie. H:hone drive?

3. Does it also map any printers that aredone through scripts in the GP?

[ChrisH]

The experience is just the same. You may have to tweak one or two things but for a basic setup its identical.

[CyberNerd]

1) yes, if the policy is applied to the server.
2)yes
3)yes but more tricky in a TS environment - you want the printer mapped depending upon which room your in, so the script has to read the clientname - not the hostname in order to map the printer correctly.

[meastaugh1]

I'm also starting to explore TS and so far have that:

2) There's a specific policy setting for home dirs on TS: Computer Config>Admin Templates>Windows Components>Terminal Services>TS User Home Dir.

3) I haven't tried it yet, but Ric's printer script looks promising for extracting the client name on TS.

[Norphy]

I use a derivitive of Ric's printer script, it works fine for us on our TS. You have to spend the time giving your clients intelligent client names but I suppose that goes without saying

[djm968]

' Printer mapping script using TS Client Name

Option Explicit
DIM cName, wshNetwork, strComputer, objShell

Set wshNetwork = CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 

'Get client environment variable
strComputer=objShell.expandEnvironmentStrings("%CLIENTNAME%")
cName = Left(strComputer, 3)

Select Case cName

Case "IT-" 
wshNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection "\\gwc-mbr-05\Main Office Laser Printer" 
wshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\gwc-mbr-05\Main Office Laser Printer" 

End Select 

WScript.Quit

[triggmiester]

' Printer mapping script using TS Client Name

Option Explicit
DIM cName, wshNetwork, strComputer, objShell

Set wshNetwork = CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

'Get client environment variable
strComputer=objShell.expandEnvironmentStrings("%CL IENTNAME%")
cName = Left(strComputer, 3)

Select Case cName

Case "IT-"
wshNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection "\\gwc-mbr-05\Main Office Laser Printer"
wshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\gwc-mbr-05\Main Office Laser Printer"

End Select

WScript.Quit

Sorry to bring up old posts, but I need a bit of help.

If I save this script and get it to run at start up through group policy, will this add printers to my thin clients at start up. ps ( what do I save the code as, is it a .bat file?) sorry scritping novice - please help!

[triggmiester]

Anyone????

[Ric_]

@tiggmeister: You need the script to be a login script as printers are a 'per user' setting rather than a 'per computer' one. Full script details can be found on the wiki.

[triggmiester]

before my NM left he told me that I need a .bat file that points towards a .reg file that should map the printers and that I need to put it in TS profiles?? Anyone know if that is correct?

[kestrel1]

We use a kix script that points to a CSV file that then allocates the correct printer to the client. Say you have Room 1 with 25 clients, you would name the clients R1-01 to R1-25. The CSV file would only require a line that may look like this:
R1-*, R1-Mono, R1-Colour
Using the * acts as a wild card. So if your client naming convention is kept logical, it makes life easier.

[Ric_]

@triggmeister: You may be able to do it with a batch file but I know for a fact that my script works because it is in use on a daily basis!

@kestrel: Yours may work but I have not used KIX on thin client... I diteched the KIX script that I used before implementing thin client because I had a few issues with it.

Something you need to remember though is to intall ALL the printer drivers on the terminal servers... you wont be able to use the printers at all if you don't do this ;-)

[kestrel1]

If Kix is set up correctly it works good. I haven't played with the kix script in a very long time now & I have probably forgotten most of it. The last thing that I did was to set it up to log every login (User, client, time, date) just to keep a check on the little sods. Has come in very useful at times.
I normally leave the scripting up to out network support, when something needs doing.