Same share name on more than one server

[cookie_monster]

This is going back a while but I seem to remember a few years back having an issue when I had share with the same name on two servers e.g Server1\Shared and Server2\Shared, I seem to remember getting all sorts of odd issues when mapping drives and explorer on certain PC's opening the wrong share.

I'm about to migrate some GPO applications so i'd like to have two shares e.g Server1\Apps and Server2\Apps and i'm wondering if i'll see any odd issues.

 

I have a share called Users on more than one server without issue so i'm pretty sure it will be ok it's just this niggling feeling i've got about that problem in the past.

 

Anyone else had an issue with identical share names?

 

I'm considering using DFS to share the MSI's but i've read about many odd issues in the past is this situation improved in server 2008?

 

Cheers.

Edited July 27, 2009 by cookie_monster

[Ignatius]

I'm interested to learn that you have experienced problems. I don't see why it should cause a problem. The server names are different so, the mapping (whether via or otherwise) should find the correct server and then the shared folder on that server.

[mac_shinobi]

This is going back a while but I seem to remember a few years back having an issue when I had share with the same name on two servers e.g Server1\Shared and Server2\Shared, I seem to remember getting all sorts of odd issues when mapping drives and explorer on certain PC's opening the wrong share.

I'm about to migrate some GPO applications so i'd like to have two shares e.g Server1\Apps and Server2\Apps and i'm wondering if i'll see any odd issues.

 

I have a share called Users on more than one server without issue so i'm pretty sure it will be ok it's just this niggling feeling i've got about that problem in the past.

 

Anyone else had an issue with identical share names?

 

I'm considering using DFS to share the MSI's but i've read about many odd issues in the past is this situation improved in server 2008?

 

Cheers.

 

Why can't you just share them out slightly differently ie

 

Server1\Apps1

 

Server2\Apps2

[kmount]

There should be no problem with this kind of arrangement (ie, servers with the same share names) unless there's some DFS hackery in place.

[SYNACK]

I have not had any issues with identical share names and have not heard of it as a problem. I do have to recommend going with DFS though, it is not difficult to setup and if you are only reffering to one share source for your installer files even the basic 2003 implementation will handle it fine and will prevent you spending hours redeploying packages when you have to change it again at a later date.

[SC-UK]

If you have been deploying an application with GP from \\Server1\Share and change the policy to \\Server2\Share there should not be a problem.

 

As is the way with things though, sometimes the application will reinstall when the client machine next updates it's policy. Theoretically being the same application MSI in both locations should be recognised - but it isn't always.

 

DFS is probably the way forward for you. It is fairly reliable in 2003 but much better with 2008. 2008 also adds many more redundancy options for your file shares.

 

Tom

[maniac]

I have not had any issues with identical share names and have not heard of it as a problem. I do have to recommend going with DFS though, it is not difficult to setup and if you are only reffering to one share source for your installer files even the basic 2003 implementation will handle it fine and will prevent you spending hours redeploying packages when you have to change it again at a later date.

 

I've published all my network shares using DFS on my new network. Not sure how it's going to cope yet, but we'll see. The main idea of this was to prevent certain students seeing the server names - now they only see the domain name for published shares and it also gives me the flexibility to move shares around between servers, but not have to make any changes to logon scripts etc. So far with a handful of staff on it it's working quite well.

 

Mike.

[Michael]

Having the same sharename on two different servers should be absolutely fine. Shares should be locked down properly with permissions. As for hiding shares, ABE is what you should be using.

 

I don't think hiding the servername makes much of a difference to be honest. Even when mapping network drives it will say Share on 'SERVER' ( H: ) in explorer.

[maniac]

Having the same sharename on two different servers should be absolutely fine. Shares should be locked down properly with permissions. As for hiding shares, ABE is what you should be using.

 

I don't think hiding the servername makes much of a difference to be honest. Even when mapping network drives it will say Share on 'SERVER' ( H: ) in explorer.

 

I have a VB script which changes the Drive descriptions to hide that information. Very handy, also means I can rename N:\ to "My Documents" to try and get the message to staff that they are actually the same place on our system!

 

Mike.

[Michael]

I have a VB script which changes the Drive descriptions

 

Care to share? How does it work exactly?

[maniac]

Care to share? How does it work exactly?

 

A bit like this

 

Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")

objShell.NameSpace("N:").Self.Name = "My Documents"
objShell.NameSpace("P:").Self.Name = "Public"
objShell.NameSpace("S:").Self.Name = "Sims"

 

I have it run as part of my logon script.

 

Mike.

[Michael]

Anyway to do it how I map network drives? For example....

 

@ECHO OFF
net time \\SERVERNAME /set /yes
net use X: /delete
net use Y: /delete
net use Z: /delete

net use X: \\SERVERNAME\Share1
net use Y: \\SERVERNAME\Share2
net use Z: \\SERVERNAME\Share3

[SC-UK]

Mapping drives in VBS is easy as well. You could map the drives with VBS instead and have them given a custom name as well?

 

Scripting is far more powerful with VBS than with a standard batch file.

[SC-UK]

Like so:

 

Set objNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network") 
objNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "X:" , "\\Server1\Share"

[Michael]

I probably could convert them to VBS but I'm being lazy...

[SC-UK]

I probably could convert them to VBS but I'm being lazy...

At least your honest!

 

I don't think there is a way to rename the mapped drives with a batch file. I'm sure you need to use VBS or something similar for this. I may be wrong though!

[cookie_monster]

I might add that to my VB Scrips thanks

 

 

As for the share I will probably just change the share name. I remember this problem in the past being very odd, people would run a script to add \\server1\shared but would get \\server2\shared and sometimes it would appear to be connected to one server then you would open the share and get a different one. I put it down to something wrong with the browser service in the end. Anyway I just wondered if anyone else had ever seen this issue.

 

Cheers.

[SC-UK]

I might add that to my VB Scrips thanks

 

 

As for the share I will probably just change the share name. I remember this problem in the past being very odd, people would run a script to add \\server1\shared but would get \\server2\shared and sometimes it would appear to be connected to one server then you would open the share and get a different one. I put it down to something wrong with the browser service in the end. Anyway I just wondered if anyone else had ever seen this issue.

 

Cheers.

 

The best way to prevent this is to get the script to delete all potential drive mappings as one of the first things it does. Start from a blank slate so to speak and then add relevant drives back in later on in the script.

 

Tom

[cookie_monster]

My VB login script deleted all drives before mapping new ones, trust me it was nothing that straight forward.

[SC-UK]

Strange then. I suppose it's never simple though is it! Were the shares normal ones or admin ones i.e. Netlogon / Sysvol etc?

[cookie_monster]

Just normal shares.

[maniac]

The only time I've had issues like this is when roaming profiles remember certain drive mappings, and for some reason these get mapped AFTER the logon script has run. Solution to the problem I was having (Where my S:\ was still mapping to my old SIMS server on some peoples profiles) was to have a logoff script that ran to delete these drive mappings before the profile was saved. I also do the same with printers that are mapped by logon script. Remember the user hive of a roaming profile can save all these things at logoff.

 

Mike.