Teacher wants to acess home folder from standalone laptop

[Andie]

Is there a relatively secure way to allow teachers to access their home folders from standalone laptops?

 

What I'd like is for the teacher to be prompted for their password each time they try to access their home folder. I managed to be prompted when I connected using net use with an asterisk for password, but I was only ever prompted once.

[Geoff]

WebDAV?

[bossman]

TS using rdp?

which upon login maps the drive and allows him access to his home folder?

[CyberNerd]

We use a plugin for moodle so students can browse their home directories through the browser - the browser handles authentication. This way they access documents through the VLE, at home or in school -regardless of the platform.

deja vu

it works with staff too

[tech-man]

Does anyone have a guide on setting up webdav?

 

Thanks

Stuart

[reggiep]

TS using rdp?

which upon login maps the drive and allows him access to his home folder?

 

Pray tell, how could this be done?

I have only ever used terminal services for my own benefit so I didn't have to move over to the server cabinet.

Is this an easy thing to set up?

 

Thanks

[Jon]

If the user name and password used on the standalone laptop exactly match the domain username and password then he should be able to browse the network but still only have the access you allowed to him.

[GrumbleDook]

Dredging up from an old conversation on uk.education.schools-it here are some instructions from W2K Server, but it is pretty much the same in Server 2003 and R2

http://tinyurl.com/6ylpqy

[Andie]

If the user name and password used on the standalone laptop exactly match the domain username and password then he should be able to browse the network but still only have the access you allowed to him.

 

Unfortunately not.

 

Dredging up from an old conversation on uk.education.schools-it here are some instructions from W2K Server, but it is pretty much the same in Server 2003 and R2

DigitalBrain and Access home folders from through the Internet - uk.education.schools-it | Google Groups

 

Bother the LEA filter!! Never mind, I just love working from home... ;-)

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. Will look up WebDAV, and, when I can access it, the web link from Grumbledook.

[raufdean]

SSLExplorer.

 

Fine bit of software, works over secure sockets...

 

There are 2 versions - enterprise that you pay for, and an open source version that's free.

 

The free version is fine, secure and extremely useful.

 

I have several teachers accessing there home folders using it. It also supports rdp over ssl, vnc and other protocols over ssl, so really good for managing the network from home.

 

SSL-Explorer SSL VPN - Secure Remote Access for SMBs and Enterprise

 

Rauf

[Andie]

 

Umm... I've just realised that some of the solutions offered here are for accessing the home folders offsite. Sorry, I only need something much simpler: a secure way to get the teacher prompted for their network password each time they access their home folder from their standalone laptop whilst in school. I've tried variations of net use, but, after I've put my password in the first time, I never get prompted again, even after logging off and shutting down.

 

Possibly the terminal services solution would be what I need; so far I've only ever used it to generally connect to the server so I don't have to go to it each time I need to do some network management, but presumably from what has been said here you can also use it to specifically connect to a particular folder.

[Geoff]

I know we've been suggesting solutions that are suitable for use offsite, but in you situation they will work equally well. Because even though the machine is connected to your internal network, it is not on your domain.

 

I still think the webdav method will do what you want (although SSL Explorer looks neat too).

[bigjb]

We use a plugin for moodle so students can browse their home directories through the browser - the browser handles authentication. This way they access documents through the VLE, at home or in school -regardless of the platform.

deja vu

it works with staff too

 

Do you have the name of the plugin? I would be interested to have a look.

[webman]

You could use a switch to the net use command so it has to be run each time a connection is needed.

 

net use n: \\server\share$ /persistent:no

 

Run net help use for more information.

[Andie]

You could use a switch to the net use command so it has to be run each time a connection is needed.

 

net use n: \\server\share$ /persistent:no

 

Run net help use for more information.

 

Ah, wondered if it was the persistent bit that I was getting wrong. However:

 

1. Using your command line, would the user be prompted for username and password, or do I have to add in the other switches/parameters for that?

2. Once the user has entered their credentials, wouldn't they still be given access even if they close their home folder? In other words, wouldn't the connection stay until the user logged off the laptop? I would want the teacher to be prompted each time they tried to access the folder (although, of course, that doesn't take account of those who will just minimise the folder window!).

3. I would presumably need to have to create some sort of batch/command file with this in that the teacher could run, or that would run on startup?

[CyberNerd]

Do you have the name of the plugin? I would be interested to have a look.

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/virtual-learning-platforms/19114-moodle-websmbclient-block.html

Moodle: Modules and plugins

[Andie]

Right. I looked at the instructions from Grumbledook, at home because they are blocked by LEA filter. They are very comprehensive, but maybe a bit complicated for my current level of knowledge; and at the moment I only need teachers to be able to access home folders from within school.

 

I was fairly sure we had rdp and ts set up here. But I've only ever used it as admin to connect to the server remotely as admin. Anyway, I've just done an experiment with ts on rdp, using mstsc with a staff username and password. Took a deep breath and tried to make the connection - sorry, but this feels strange to be allowing an ordinary user to connect to the server! Anyway, it more or less worked. It loaded and applied the user settings, as happens when you log on to a client normally. I got access to the correct home folder. The only thngs that weren't quite right were that I was missing some desktop icons (my computer, my documents, some others) and the menu was the standard XP one and not our enforced classic menu. And it was a bit slow.

 

So, a few further questions:

 

1. Can I fix the desktop items and get the correct start menu by making some changes to GP? If so, any ideas as to where?

 

2. Is this going to seriously cause load/speed issues if we have eight teachers connecting to the server this way to access their home folders?

[YorkshireTechie]

we used to do this a while ago on teachers laptops that they brought in from home, if i remember correctly we would map drives to there home drives and staff resources with reconnect at logon ticked.

 

as long as you kept there log on credentials the same as there network account when they logged on the drives would map automatically.

 

hope this helps:)

[srochford]

Ah, wondered if it was the persistent bit that I was getting wrong. However:

 

1. Using your command line, would the user be prompted for username and password, or do I have to add in the other switches/parameters for that?

2. Once the user has entered their credentials, wouldn't they still be given access even if they close their home folder? In other words, wouldn't the connection stay until the user logged off the laptop? I would want the teacher to be prompted each time they tried to access the folder (although, of course, that doesn't take account of those who will just minimise the folder window!).

3. I would presumably need to have to create some sort of batch/command file with this in that the teacher could run, or that would run on startup?

 

I think I can see what you're trying to do but not why!

 

You have some teachers who bring in their own laptops and want to access files they have in their home dirs on your network - that's fine and you've got a solution which allows them to do that.

 

Instead of just allowing them to do that, however, you appear to want to make life difficult - forcing them to enter a password every time they want access to a folder? I'm guessing you have got a reason (I'm hoping it's not just because you want to make life difficult for your users :-)) but I can't think what it is!

[Jon]

Unfortunately not.

 

 

 

.

 

Hmm,

 

Thats strange, this method works fine for me...

[Andie]

Hmm,

 

Thats strange, this method works fine for me...

 

Sorry! I meant that unfortunately the user credentials aren't the same, not that that method doesn't work... Ooops!

 

You have some teachers who bring in their own laptops and want to access files they have in their home dirs on your network - that's fine and you've got a solution which allows them to do that.

 

Instead of just allowing them to do that, however, you appear to want to make life difficult - forcing them to enter a password every time they want access to a folder? I'm guessing you have got a reason (I'm hoping it's not just because you want to make life difficult for your users ) but I can't think what it is!

 

The laptops are not being brought in from home, but they are teacher laptops supplied by the school not on the domain. They spend most of their time connected up to IWBs, and sometimes teachers forget to lock their desktops when they leave the classrooms. Staff can already access a shared folder on the network with teaching resources in it, but now one senior member teaching staff has asked if he can have access to his home folder. I explained to him that it could be done, but that if he left his desktop open then potentially a pupil could get into his home folder and possibly access sensitive data (reports, SEN stuff, etc). So he asked if I could find a more secure way of doing this.

[gshaw]

If you've got Exchange 2007 Outlook Web Access provides access to UNC shares as well (read only)

[SeanVin]

Sorry for butting in. Firstly thanks for all the suggestions, we want to run our curriculum laptops as stand-alone to reduce network traffic, but need students to get to their home folders. Secondly I do not think rdp is the best solution, however if you go down this route you need to be aware you need to buy CALS if you want more than two simultaneous connections.

[ahuxham]

Ranger Outpost - Got to love it.