Map drives with group policy

I'm trying to set up a group policy to map a network drive when our users log
into our sbs2008 server (which was once done with loigin scripts in sbs2003).
I have never quite made it work so I have been doing it manually. I think I
have it set up properly because it works on our 32bit server2008 that we use
for accounting software. I read somewhere that I need group policy client
side extensions but when I try to push them out using wsus It says that the
update has expired??? How do I tell if clients have the client side
extensions installed? Is there a good set of instructions somewhere for this
using sbs2008?

I think there are older and newer versions of the client side extensions, so
the one you're looking at is probably replaced by a later version. You
could try running Windows Update to see if that offers you the current
version. I would think the client side extensions would be obvious in CP
add/remove, but I just looked at an XP box without seeing them.

FWIW, the current one that I have in WSUS is "Group Policy Preference Client
Side Extensions for Windows XP (KB943729)." If you go to the KB, you'll see
that there's a prerequisite. I never had to deal with that, so I assume
it's either part of a service pack, or another update that was applied by
WSUS. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943729. The download links in that
KB point to the old version, and it recommends MU for the current
extensions.


"Rod" <> wrote in message
news:30F5A621-DB4C-45C0-B506-...
> I'm trying to set up a group policy to map a network drive when our users
> log
> into our sbs2008 server (which was once done with loigin scripts in
> sbs2003).
> I have never quite made it work so I have been doing it manually. I think
> I
> have it set up properly because it works on our 32bit server2008 that we
> use
> for accounting software. I read somewhere that I need group policy client
> side extensions but when I try to push them out using wsus It says that
> the
> update has expired??? How do I tell if clients have the client side
> extensions installed? Is there a good set of instructions somewhere for
> this
> using sbs2008?

Oh boy, where to start....

Inline

-Cliff


"Rod" <> wrote in message
news:30F5A621-DB4C-45C0-B506-...
> I'm trying to set up a group policy to map a network drive when our users
> log
> into our sbs2008 server

Users are logging into your server?!?!?!?!?
WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

> (which was once done with loigin scripts in sbs2003).
> I have never quite made it work so I have been doing it manually. I think
> I
> have it set up properly because it works on our 32bit server2008 that we
> use
> for accounting software. I read somewhere that I need group policy client
> side extensions but when I try to push them out using wsus It says that
> the
> update has expired???

If they are expired then you are looking at an old update. There are newer
versions that *aren't* expired. You may want to check your WSUS
installation and make sure it is still syncing new updates.

Honestly though, in this case, that is a red herring. client-side
extensions are needed for XP and Vista, but were included in Vista SP1 and,
thus by proxy, 2008 RTM ...which includes SBS 2008. So if your mapped drive
is not working then you have something else going on. Possibly the GP is
not being applied or you have some odd permissions issue.

.....but again, since we are talking specifically about your SBS server and
not other servers in your network, why is this an issue? Users *really*
should not be logging on to your server! As far as administrators logging
into your server goes, mapped drives are a user convenience and rarely have
a place in server management IMHO. A good admin should only be connecting
to shares (which is all a mapped drive really is) on an as-needed basis
since they have admin privileges, and a mapped drive just makes it *way* too
easy to accidentally cause problems when running admin tools (like ACL
crawlers, etc) that can bring any network to its knees. Mapped drives are
almost *ALWAYS* a bad idea when logged in as an admin.

> How do I tell if clients have the client side
> extensions installed? Is there a good set of instructions somewhere for
> this
> using sbs2008?

For XP and Vista RTM, you can view the update in WSUS and generate a report.
For Vista SP1 and 2008, you just have to know it is there like any other
part of the base OS. You can't really generate a report in WSUS or SBS to
verify that calc.exe is on your XP machines...but since it is part of the
default distribution, you just go with it. Same applies here, but because
it is a newer addition to the core OS, people still get a little skittish
about it...

Hope that helps,

-Cliff

Cliff Galiher wrote:
> Oh boy, where to start....
>
> Inline
>
> -Cliff
>
>
> "Rod" <> wrote in message
> news:30F5A621-DB4C-45C0-B506-...
>> I'm trying to set up a group policy to map a network drive when our
>> users log
>> into our sbs2008 server
>
> Users are logging into your server?!?!?!?!?
> WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>> (which was once done with loigin scripts in sbs2003).
>> I have never quite made it work so I have been doing it manually. I
>> think I
>> have it set up properly because it works on our 32bit server2008 that
>> we use
>> for accounting software. I read somewhere that I need group policy client
>> side extensions but when I try to push them out using wsus It says
>> that the
>> update has expired???
>
> If they are expired then you are looking at an old update. There are
> newer versions that *aren't* expired. You may want to check your WSUS
> installation and make sure it is still syncing new updates.
>
> Honestly though, in this case, that is a red herring. client-side
> extensions are needed for XP and Vista, but were included in Vista SP1
> and, thus by proxy, 2008 RTM ...which includes SBS 2008. So if your
> mapped drive is not working then you have something else going on.
> Possibly the GP is not being applied or you have some odd permissions
> issue.
>
> ....but again, since we are talking specifically about your SBS server
> and not other servers in your network, why is this an issue? Users
> *really* should not be logging on to your server! As far as
> administrators logging into your server goes, mapped drives are a user
> convenience and rarely have a place in server management IMHO. A good
> admin should only be connecting to shares (which is all a mapped drive
> really is) on an as-needed basis since they have admin privileges, and a
> mapped drive just makes it *way* too easy to accidentally cause problems
> when running admin tools (like ACL crawlers, etc) that can bring any
> network to its knees. Mapped drives are almost *ALWAYS* a bad idea when
> logged in as an admin.
>
>> How do I tell if clients have the client side
>> extensions installed? Is there a good set of instructions somewhere
>> for this
>> using sbs2008?
>
> For XP and Vista RTM, you can view the update in WSUS and generate a
> report. For Vista SP1 and 2008, you just have to know it is there like
> any other part of the base OS. You can't really generate a report in
> WSUS or SBS to verify that calc.exe is on your XP machines...but since
> it is part of the default distribution, you just go with it. Same
> applies here, but because it is a newer addition to the core OS, people
> still get a little skittish about it...
>
> Hope that helps,
>
> -Cliff
>
>
Vista SP1

You sure? It's been my experience they were not.

Susan Bradley wrote:
> Cliff Galiher wrote:
>> Oh boy, where to start....
>>
>> Inline
>>
>> -Cliff
>>
>>
>> "Rod" <> wrote in message
>> news:30F5A621-DB4C-45C0-B506-...
>>> I'm trying to set up a group policy to map a network drive when our
>>> users log
>>> into our sbs2008 server
>>
>> Users are logging into your server?!?!?!?!?
>> WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>
>>> (which was once done with loigin scripts in sbs2003).
>>> I have never quite made it work so I have been doing it manually. I
>>> think I
>>> have it set up properly because it works on our 32bit server2008
>>> that we use
>>> for accounting software. I read somewhere that I need group policy
>>> client side extensions but when I try to push them out using wsus
>>> It says that the
>>> update has expired???
>>
>> If they are expired then you are looking at an old update. There are
>> newer versions that *aren't* expired. You may want to check your
>> WSUS installation and make sure it is still syncing new updates.
>>
>> Honestly though, in this case, that is a red herring. client-side
>> extensions are needed for XP and Vista, but were included in Vista
>> SP1 and, thus by proxy, 2008 RTM ...which includes SBS 2008. So if
>> your mapped drive is not working then you have something else going
>> on. Possibly the GP is not being applied or you have some odd
>> permissions issue.
>>
>> ....but again, since we are talking specifically about your SBS
>> server and not other servers in your network, why is this an issue? Users
>> *really* should not be logging on to your server! As far as
>> administrators logging into your server goes, mapped drives are a
>> user convenience and rarely have a place in server management IMHO. A
>> good admin should only be connecting to shares (which is all a
>> mapped drive really is) on an as-needed basis since they have admin
>> privileges, and a mapped drive just makes it *way* too easy to
>> accidentally cause problems when running admin tools (like ACL
>> crawlers, etc) that can bring any network to its knees. Mapped
>> drives are almost *ALWAYS* a bad idea when logged in as an admin.
>>
>>> How do I tell if clients have the client side
>>> extensions installed? Is there a good set of instructions somewhere
>>> for this
>>> using sbs2008?
>>
>> For XP and Vista RTM, you can view the update in WSUS and generate a
>> report. For Vista SP1 and 2008, you just have to know it is there
>> like any other part of the base OS. You can't really generate a
>> report in WSUS or SBS to verify that calc.exe is on your XP
>> machines...but since it is part of the default distribution, you
>> just go with it. Same applies here, but because it is a newer
>> addition to the core OS, people still get a little skittish about
>> it... Hope that helps,
>>
>> -Cliff
>>
>>
> Vista SP1
>
> You sure? It's been my experience they were not.

For XP SP2 and SP3 and 2008 (DCs) you should have both Group Policy
Preference Client Side Extensions for Windows XP (KB943729)" *and* the
XMLLite for Windows XP (KB915865) (2003 server needs variants as well).

Note the the Policy Preferences CSE's are subject to Windows Genuine....

--
/kj