Dos_Box Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 After many years sys-admining it occurs to me that a vast majority of jobs, we do on a regular basis are not catered for natively by Windows servers. I mean, how hard can it be to make installing printers via AD a part of the GP? Why? Where is the tab which enables you to map a printer to a computer via GP? Why are all of the user details not available to change en-mass via the user manager? What else has been left out by M$ and what should they have included?
ConTheITGuy Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 Why is there not a box that says limit user to 1 logon only (there is for terminal service users)?!
StewartKnight Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 something dear to my heart at the moment.... bulk entry of users and directories!!!
russdev Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 After many years sys-admining it occurs to me that a vast majority of jobs, we do on a regular basis are not catered for natively by Windows servers. I mean, how hard can it be to make installing printers via AD a part of the GP? Why? Where is the tab which enables you to map a printer to a computer via GP? Why are all of the user details not available to change en-mass via the user manager? What else has been left out by M$ and what should they have included? but then companies like rm and viglan would go bust Russ
Dos_Box Posted September 5, 2005 Author Posted September 5, 2005 They don't add anything new. They just put a fancy interface on whats already there. Rip off merchants that they are!
GrumbleDook Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 Perhaps I am being cynical here, but it seems to me that these missing bits are filled by a variety of products on the market, all of which have had to cough up some fee to M$ in the forms of licences, developer access or a direct link with M$. Or the missing bits are provided by people who have paid to go on M$ related courses to get M$ quals to work in M$ centric organisations. Or even by people who have read books published by M$ or by other people who may have paid M$ a fee to use their name. hmmm ... it all seems a bit of a money spinner to me!!! Then again ... M$ aren't the only company to do this ... they just seem to be the best at it.
RobC Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 but then companies like rm and viglan would go bust Ahh, we can always wish... :twisted:
tarquel Posted September 5, 2005 Posted September 5, 2005 u can mark lol (I think) DB... isnt there some printer thing in 2003 GP? Or am I imagining it again? lol I thought I had seen something but never bothered with it - yet. Just seeing things again no doubt. To be fair to MS tho - 2003 GP over NT/9x policies are much much MUCH better to use. I had to write a custom adm for 9x back then - sill using it now for the 98 pc's on the 2k3 domain Regards N.
john Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 Server 2003 R2 will answer some of your requests, I am an MS beta tester and have been testing it for nearly 6 months now, and all I can say is hurry up MS!
eejit Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 agree 100% DB. change profile path en masse? You can do that in 2003. Not 2000
eejit Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 u can mark lol (I think) DB... isnt there some printer thing in 2003 GP? Or am I imagining it again? lol I thought I had seen something but never bothered with it - yet. No, I don't think there is such a setting. Applying a logon script to a computer's classroom OU that connects a printer can be done though. Haven't had to leave my chair to set up printers for years now - Thank God.
eejit Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 One thing that gets on my nerves is not being able to right-click a DHCP lease and choose "Reserve". How difficult would that have been for them to add.
MkII Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 One thing that gets on my nerves is not being able to right-click a DHCP lease and choose "Reserve". How difficult would that have been for them to add. So good it was worth repeating
woody Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 I find it an offense that Microsoft say windows server can be used as a print server and yet there is not even a sniff of being able to set print quotas? This is BASIC stuff people. come on.... I hate to say this but in my last school, they were Apple based (I can already hear you all shreek) but I have to say it, Apple had it down to a tee with their server software. We are talking about software that was written for education. Mac Manager was a simple but powerful version of Microsoft's GPs, and then their was classroom assistant (I think this is what it was called) You could control, share, view, lock screens, install programs centrally, view system files, announce with audio, basically anything you would want to do ever! Imagine how much software for a windows network would cost to perform all of that. But you got it all FREE when you bought an Apple server. Microsoft have yet to look at the requirements of education and come up with a suitable solution.
GrumbleDook Posted September 20, 2005 Posted September 20, 2005 They won't ... not when they have "partners" who pay them a fee to be a preferred solution and to have "special access" to M$ folk to help creating their brand of kludge. Don't get me wrong ... a number of 3rd party suppliers provide fantastic resources ... But don't forget that what you have now with OSX Server has been around for years ... but produced by a 3rd party. Pretty much everything in MacManager can be done with MacAdmin. Both are fantastic though ....
ConTheITGuy Posted September 21, 2005 Posted September 21, 2005 Haven't had to leave my chair to set up printers for years now - Thank God. Me neither! Have someone to do it for me
intrigue Posted September 21, 2005 Posted September 21, 2005 we setup the printers with a location environment variable and a logon script. Dont have to touch any machines to get the printers working. (other then the location variable but you can do that with Remote MMC) .matt
Dos_Box Posted September 21, 2005 Author Posted September 21, 2005 we setup the printers with a location environment variable and a logon script. Dont have to touch any machines to get the printers working. (other then the location variable but you can do that with Remote MMC) .matt Everyone here uses scripts for printers, if you look through the forums you will see numerous posts on the topic. The point is you shouldn't have to.
SpuffMonkey Posted September 21, 2005 Posted September 21, 2005 I'd just like an easy way of seeing who is logged on and at which PC - so I know who to phone when I have to dip a server. Grrr.
MkII Posted September 21, 2005 Posted September 21, 2005 Can't you get that information on your server SM - under open files?
kingswood Posted September 22, 2005 Posted September 22, 2005 I think you all have excellent points (and gripes). As an Apple lover (they are good for your health you know) I can note the failings of Server 2003 and say, "if we had a Tiger Server..." but in the end we would have our own problems even with that solution (albeit not as cumbersome). What is worse than Server's failings here, are the "solutions" that supposedly make using the thing in schools "easier". You know them- RM, Viglen, and in our case, CSE. They "do" tack on glossy interfaces for basic tasks, target those interfaces at people who know nothing better, and then when those tools break or don't work they sit back and rake in "engineering" time to fix them. As someone said, it's all a money making sham. And it makes our jobs so hard at times. Printers are a *perfect* example of this: trying to get a script to apply that will assign printers to rooms using a GPO this week has cause me major headaches. Why HAVE M$ made this so freakin hard?? Windows Server 2003 R2? I thought this would just add some new features and include SP1 etc? If it does add new features, what will be the cost of "upgrading" to this release.... Paul
john Posted September 23, 2005 Posted September 23, 2005 R2 is going to cost a new licence for Server, unless you have SA on your licences, so its a costly upgrade, but worth it for Fileservers and Print Servers in my view.
catbert Posted September 23, 2005 Posted September 23, 2005 I'd just like an easy way of seeing who is logged on and at which PC - so I know who to phone when I have to dip a server. Grrr. gpinventory.exe part of the windows server 2003 resource kit once loaded: query => Select Computers to Target with Active Directory, click the checkbox and then press ok. query => Select Information to Gather and select WMI: Logged on User then press ok. Press F5 or go query => Run Query and theres all your logged on users using the computer in AD, you can import a list of computers from a text file. as long as the account your running from has the privilages to run WMI queries on a remote machine, you'll find out who's logged on. Alan
SpuffMonkey Posted September 23, 2005 Posted September 23, 2005 I'd just like an easy way of seeing who is logged on and at which PC - so I know who to phone when I have to dip a server. Grrr. gpinventory.exe //useful bits snipped// and theres all your logged on users using the computer in AD, you can import a list of computers from a text file. as long as the account your running from has the privilages to run WMI queries on a remote machine, you'll find out who's logged on. Alan Now that sounds really useful - I'll have a play - cheers
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