morganw

Is the My Documents redirection done with environment variables or are you using a DNS name of a server?

That is my thinking and I'd rather go for extra layers of protection. The only server that I can't use the firewall on at the moment is the SIMS server, the SIMS application fails to login with reason '0'. I've opened the default SQL port but it still doesn't connect. Don't suppose you know which ports should be open? Everyone else I speak to normally has the firewalls off.

Maybe as a last resort, for a physical pc you could try disabling the WebClient service although you can test if that is an issue by turning the firewalls off on the servers - the delay should then disappear. Does your VPN go straight to the server which contains the files you are browsing or are you connected to some kind of gateway which then links to the fileservers?

If it's ok on folders that you've created then maybe the delay is a problem translating the security identifiers on the folders. I had a similiar thing a couple of days ago when I had a switch with a duplicate IP address and the primary domain controller seemed a little unresponsive. I was getting a 2 -3 second delay trying to view security settings. Just a guess.

I think it's designed to run with an internet connection to downlaod and install the packages, although if you have the install CD in the drive and the relevant entry for it listed in sources.list (installer has probably commented it out) then I think that would allow it install.

The Visual Basic 6 runtime is now gone from the infratructure installer so scripting this now seems to work. I've just finished mine although not tried it on a large scale. @echo off cls setlocal TITLE SIMS.net and FMS Installer REM Set these for your environment set SETUPS=\\DeploymentServer\Applications\SIMS\Setups set CONFIGFILE=\\DeploymentServer\Applications\SIMS\SIMS.ini set CONNECTFILE=\\DeploymentServer\Applications\SIMS\Connect.ini set FMSCONNECTFILE=\\DeploymentServer\Applications\SIMS\FMSConnect.ini REM These should probably be left as default set SIMSDIRECTORY=s:\SIMS\ set SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY=C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net set FMSDIRECTORY=C:\Program Files\SIMS\FMSSQL echo Installing SIMS and FMS infrastructure... start /wait %SETUPS%\SIMSInfrastructureSetup.EXE -a /S {QuietMode} {SIMSWorkstation} {FMSWorkstation} echo. echo Installing SIMS.net Applications... start /wait %SETUPS%\SIMSApplicationSetup.exe /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="%SIMSDIRECTORY%" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="%SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY%" echo. echo Installing SIMS manuals... start /wait %SETUPS%\SIMSManualSetup.exe /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="%SIMSDIRECTORY%" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="%SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY%" echo. echo Installing SIMS AMPARK... start /wait %SETUPS%\SIMSAMPARKSetup.exe /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="%SIMSDIRECTORY%" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="%SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY%" echo. echo Installing Nova-T Satellite... start /wait %SETUPS%\NovaSatelliteSetup.exe /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="%SIMSDIRECTORY%" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="%SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY%" echo. echo Installing FMS Applications... start /wait %SETUPS%\FMS\FMSApplicationSetup.exe /S {QuietMode] [FMSDirectory]="%FMSDIRECTORY%" [sIMSDirectory]="%SIMSDIRECTORY%" echo. if exist %CONFIGFILE% ( echo Copying configuration file into Windows directory... start /wait xcopy "%CONFIGFILE%" "%WINDIR%" /y ) else ( echo Configuration file could not be found. ) if exist %CONNECTFILE% ( echo Copying Connect.ini file into SIMS .net directory... start /wait xcopy "%CONNECTFILE%" "%SIMSDOTNETDIRECTORY%" /y ) else ( echo Connect.ini file could not be found. ) if exist %FMSCONNECTFILE% ( echo Copying FMSConnect,ini into FMSSQL directory... start /wait xcopy "%FMSCONNECTFILE%" "%FMSDIRECTORY%" /y ) else ( echo FMSConnect.ini file could not be found. ) echo. echo Installation is complete

I was thinking of more internal attacks, viruses and other non-internet type things. It's been pointed out to me that the ports that are open for the network to function are the ones which are most likely to be used in such attacks but I'd still rather have them on. As an example, the SIMS Docstorage and SQL backups will be rsynced to a backup server overnight, there is a complex encrypted password involved in doing this but running with the firewall up allows me to also specify which IP addresses are allowed to connect to the rsync port. It will probably never matter but it lets me sleep a little easier at night. I think i've found the problem for the slow unc access, I've disabled the webclient service on the clients and now the delay is gone. Apparently this service will attempt to connect on port 80 on the server when the UNC path isn't immediately valid. Info here: A long delay occurs when you try to open a network share by entering a path in the Run box on a Windows Vista-based or Windows Server 2008-based computer

I've got a weird problem on a brand new 2008R2 domain with Windows XP clients. I've just noticed that when saving a file in Office2003, when clicking 'My Documents' I would get a 15 second-ish delay before the contents were shown. The same delay is also present while trying to access a server by the UNC path, e.g. typing \\SERVER\ into the run box. It also seems to only delay on the first try, so a subsequent attempt to do the same thing will not be delayed The problem seems to be related to the Windows firewall on Server 2008R2, if I turn the firewall off the delay disappears. Since this a brand new install I really wanted to start with all of the server firewalls turned on, I've got the exception in for 'File and Printer Sharing' for the domain. I found someone with exactly the same problem on experts-exchange, they just ended up turning their firewall off. My Documents Properties responding slow after Redirection Change from Group Policy Anyone know what is going on with this?

I would wipe the drive with this and then try again. If you imaged the PC with the recovery partition still there I wouldn't guarantee it is gone, I know that hidden RM restore partitions survive a FOG image deployment.

There is now also Centrify DirectControl Express to integrate *nix systems with AD. Haven't tested it, but have tested the non-free version and was very impressed.

RM CC3 uses a script which will hide icons based on whether the program is installed or not. I'm just changing to using Group Policy Preferences to build the start menu on computer startup, you can also then update the start menu by running gpupdate. If you wanted to do it on a per user basis (so would initiate on the login) you can also do this with Group Policy Preferences but I think you would have to redirect the start menu to somewhere that a user can read/write.

Are you creating the image on a physical or a virtual machine? If you deploy the image back to where you created the image does it make it into the mini-setup?

Thanks. Got it to work now (\\server\%username%$\Desktop), it does create the folder for you if it isn't there which is a bonus. I've been back and forth on whether to do this or not, i'm taking away admin rights for staff and roaming profiles so i'm trying to give the freedom back where I can.

Does the desktop folder already need to exist? I was hoping it would be created if required...

I've got a 2008r2 domain with Windows XP clients. If I look at folder redirection in a GPO I have options to redirect the desktop, but not into the home folder. Is there a variable that I can use to do this? I've tried %homeshare%%homepath%/Desktop but that didn't work. What's the best way to do this?

In my testing you don't have to be on the desktop for the hostname change or the domain join, being at the login screen is fine. If you do want to have a login for RunOnce events and other such things then you could add the installation of the fog service as the final event and then script a reboot. The latest version of the fog service will do an unattended install and set the server name to 'fogserver' (so make a DNS record to forward appropriately).

I think this is the best all-rounder Vernalex.com - Welcome You can also download the sysprep driver scanner by the same guy which means you don't have to set up drivers in the sysprep.inf file.

Read this Vernalex.com - Welcome for a full understanding of sysprep. I'm rebuilding about 550 PCs onto a new domain in the summer, just about to test all the different types of PC we have (about 20). I'm going for base image that is Windows XP SP3 + LogistixOnline Post Updates + LogistixOnline .Net framework installer + Fog service. Antivirus, Flash and Java go on via GPO deployment. Everything else is going on as Fog Snapins. Seems to work well in testing.

You'll probably have more luck waiting for the features you need to be available in cloud services rather than wait for companies like Steinberg to make their software more portable. This Aviary's Music Creator - roc looks pretty good, and services like this should develop fairly quickly as it's (allegedly) easy to write high level code around something like Flex to do audio and video functions through a browser - obviously with a large performance hit but it should actually be reliable. Sounds exactly like how things are in the music department here, due to some bad hardware and software decisions and no testing the only thing I can guarantee to work is Dance eJay.

I did speak to Steinberg in Germany about network support / installation. They aren't interested. Someone at Cakewalk actually acknowledged that people are using Sonar on a network with no problems although they do not offer a network install route. I was told that if you place it in an image it works with no problems though.

We found this software wasn't suitable as you can't load in a video track to sync with audio, other than that it looked perfect. Currently waiting for one copy of this: Cakewalk SONAR Home Studio 7 - Home Studio 7 XL ...to turn up and hopefully will be using this instead.

We did inform the relevant person when we started using it (September 2008) and no one could give a answer as to whether using it was a good thing or not. I find it surprising that (as claimed in the email) they've only just realised people are using it. Aren't emails the legal equivalent of a postcard though? I'm fairly sure this is the case, if it gets read in transit that is just the nature of how the system was designed. I've always told people not to email confidential data without some kind of encryption, and also been surprised when unencrypted confidential data has come in from outside agencies e.g. the police. Thanks for the offer of a look at Exchange, might be forced to implement this.

Thanks, will look into this.

Google has 12 european datacentres, but how can anyone give a guarantee that data isn't backed up / load balanced back to the US? The Microsoft data centers will be part of a global infrastructure so can they guarantee where the data will be at all times? It makes sense to sync changes worldwide if you can so that while the US is asleep if you can use the idle capacity.

That's what the email says. I think Live@Edu would be out too as the same restrictions apply.