622 Chapter 12 • Using IntelliMirror Technologies Once a file is configured offline, it needs to be synchronized whenever it’s changed either on the server or on the client. Even if the computer is discon- nected from the network it can be resynchronized when the computer is recon- nected.You can set additional properties via the Offline Files tab of the Folder Options dialog box (see Figure 12.42).This is access by clicking tools then folder options from the file explorer window. You can configure the following parameters on the Offline Files tab: ■ Enable Offline Files This enables and disables the folder for offline files. ■ Synchronize all offline files when logging on Selecting this option will synchronize all offline files when logging on. ■ Synchronize all offline files before logging off Selecting this option will synchronize all offline files before logging off. ■ Display a reminder every… minutes This will display a reminder on the client machine to synchronize the offline files that have changed; you can set the number of minutes between each reminder. ■ Create an Offline Files shortcut on the desktop This will create an Offline Files shortcut on the desktop. ■ Encrypt offline files to secure data This selection will encrypt files on the client computer to help increase security for these files. ■ Amount of disk space to use for temporary offline files This slider bar will limit the amount of space available for temporary offline files. www.syngress.com Figure 12.42 Offline Files Tab 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 622 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 623 ■ Delete Files… button Deletes the offline files cached locally on your machine.You can do this to free up disk space. ■ View Files button Shows a list of files available offline. Clicking Advanced will bring up the screen shown in Figure 12.43.The options on this property page allow you to control how your computer will behave when the network connection is lost. Working with Offline Files When you synchronize your files,Windows XP compares the version of the file on the network to the version you have on your local PC. If Windows XP detects that someone else has changed the file, you are given the option of over- writing the changes on the server or saving your file as a different name. If you delete a network file on your local PC while working offline, and someone changes the file on the server, the file will not be deleted at the next synchronization. If you are disconnected from the network when a new file is added to a shared network folder that you have made available offline, that new file will be added to your computer at your next synchronization. Synchronizing Your Data with the Network Figure 12.44 shows the Synchronization menu, which you can access by right- clicking on the file you want to synchronize.You can synchronize by selecting Synchronize from the menu.Additionally, when you log off or on to the net- work you can configure the computer to automatically synchronize offline files. www.syngress.com Figure 12.43 Offline Files Advanced Settings 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 623 624 Chapter 12 • Using IntelliMirror Technologies Remote Installation Services Remote Installation Services (RIS) allow you to automatically install Windows XP remotely across a network via a RIS server.To use RIS, you must first create a compatible image for the computers you want to install Windows XP on. If you are only installing on a couple of computers, or all of your computers are very different, RIS is probably not the best choice for you. RIS requires the fol- lowing services to be properly installed: ■ Active Directory ■ DNS ■ DHCP Note that a RIS server must also be authorized in Active Directory.When using RIS, you need to take the following steps to prepare for installation: ■ Create a clean install on a client machine with similar hardware to the machines you want to use RIS with.This install should include the operating system and any common applications you want installed on all of the computers which will use that image. ■ Use RIPrep to get the computer ready for imaging and create the RIS image. www.syngress.com Figure 12.44 Synchronization Menu 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 624 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 625 When installing via RIS, you either boot from the PXE-compatible network card or the RIS boot disk, then you select the image you want installed on the computer. To use RIS, your computer must have a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)–enabled network adapter or have a network adapter that is supported by the RIS startup floppy disk.To create a RIS startup floppy disk, you must use the Rbfg.exe utility found on the \RemInst\Admin\I386 folder of the Windows XP RIS server. RIPrep is a utility you can use to get a client ready for imaging. RIPrep con- figures the source computer to a generic state, removing anything that is unique to the client installation, such as the computer’s unique security ID (SID), com- puter name, and any Registry settings unique to the client source computer. RIPrep will also create and copy the computer’s image onto the RIS server. Installing Windows XP with RIS You can install Windows XP by using Microsoft’s RIS services. In order to install Windows XP with RIS, a RIS server must be running, the server must have an image configured for your machine, and the necessary services must be running on the network.These services include DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory.You must create a CD-based image before you can create a RipPrep image Microsoft recommends granting access only to images a client can install on their machine as a best practice. www.syngress.com Setting Up Windows XP RIS Images on a Windows 2000 Server To set up Windows XP RIS images on Windows 2000 Server, you must install Service Pack 2 or higher on the Windows 2000 Server that is run- ning RIS. At the time of writing, there was also a post-Service Pack 2 hotfix available for correcting a problem with CD-ROM-based images of Windows XP. You can find further information on these issues by con- sulting the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, Q299316, How to Set up Windows XP Images on a Windows 2000 Server, and Q287546, “Missing Files” Error Message When Deploying Windows XP Images. Configuring & Implementing… 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 625 626 Chapter 12 • Using IntelliMirror Technologies Customizing RIS Prestaging clients for RIS installation is possible, so that certain clients will be directed to certain RIS servers.This is useful for load balancing and improved security.This is done as part of the RIS installation when the server is set up and can also be changed in the RIS server properties later. Figure 12.45 shows the RIS properties screen for the RIS server.You can access this via the Active Directory Users And Computers administrative tool. Browse to the RIS server, select Properties, and then choose the Remote Install tab. The Respond to client computers requesting service check box will enable the RIS sever to respond to requests for RIS installations. The Do not respond to unknown client computers check box requires you to prestage computers when this box is checked.This means that there must be an entry in Active Directory in order for the computer to respond to the request for service. Creating an entry is covered later in this section. Clicking Show Clients will present the dialog box shown in Figure 12.46. This will allow you to view and search the RIS clients serviced by this RIS server. Clicking Advanced from the Remote Install tab (see Figure 12.45) will dis- play a group of tabs related to remote installation.The first one we address is the RIS Images tab (see Figure 12.47), which displays all of the RIS images available on the RIS server.You can also add, delete, and modify RIS images from here. In most cases, quite a few images will be available on the RIS server.You can change the properties of an image at this screen as well. www.syngress.com Figure 12.45 RIS Properties 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 626 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 627 Figure 12.48 shows the RIS properties. In this example, we’ve added some descriptive text to the help text associated with the image.You could modify the “friendly description” as well to make the installation more meaningful. Some information about the image itself is also available on this screen. The New Clients tab for the RIS server is shown in Figure 12.49.The new clients screen will control some of the options with regard to how the new clients are configured.You can set the computer naming format from this screen, as well as the location of the client computer account. Figure 12.50 shows the tools that are installed for working with RIS, either from Microsoft or from a third-party vendor.You can set the properties of the tools installed at this screen.You can remove tools from this screen as well. www.syngress.com Figure 12.46 Show Remote Installation Clients Dialog Box Figure 12.47 Images Tab 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 627 628 Chapter 12 • Using IntelliMirror Technologies www.syngress.com Figure 12.48 RIS Image Properties Figure 12.49 New Clients Tab Figure 12.50 Tools Tab 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 628 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 629 Prestaging a Client for RIS Operation In some cases, only certain RIS servers should respond to certain clients.This could be because of network server locations, to manage bandwidth and usage, or because multiple vendors remote installation servers are on the network. Whatever the reason, prestaging clients is a simple process. First, on the RIS server, check the RIS server check box Do not respond to unknown client computers.This will prevent the Remote Installation server from responding to requests from computers that don’t have an account in Active Directory. In order to prestage a client, you need to create a computer account in Active Directory, which you can accomplish by using the Active Directory Users And Computers administrative tool. Open the administrative tool and right-click then select New | Computer (see Figure 12.51). You will see the dialog shown in Figure 12.52, which will allow you to name the computer.Type the name in the box and click Next.This will bring you to the screen shown in Figure 12.53. From here you can choose whether the com- puter will be a managed computer. Most computers on a business network are managed computers. Select whether this computer will be managed (depending on your circumstances) and click Next. Next, you will see a confirmation dialog box. Once you click Finish, the computer account is created in Active Directory, and the computer is ready for Remote Installation. Naming is complete, so click Next and then select Managed Properties. www.syngress.com Figure 12.51 RIS Prestage Computer 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 629 630 Chapter 12 • Using IntelliMirror Technologies www.syngress.com Figure 12.52 Naming Figure 12.53 Managed Dialog 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 630 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 631 Summary Group Policies provide administrators with the ability to control and configure user’s settings, manage user’s data, and perform remote software installation and maintenance. Group Policies require Active Directory.The number and complexity of Group Policy objects can adversely affect network performance and login times. Software distribution by way of Group Policy can reduce the cost of managing installations to many users. Software can be assigned or published.Assigning requires the software to be installed, while publishing makes it available for users to install. Remote Installation Services (RIS) allow you to install an operating system across the network from a RIS server.This can make it very easy for users to install Windows XP without having a deskside support tech present. RIS requires a PXE-enabled network card or RIS boot disk.They also require DHCP and DNS, as well as Active Directory. Remote Installation Services can use a lot of network bandwidth, so plan carefully when using RIS. Solutions Fast Track Group Policies ; Active Directory is required for the use of Group Policies. ; Too many Group Policy Objects can adversely affect network traffic. ; Too many Group Policy Objects can adversely affect logon times. Software Installation and Maintenance ; Active Directory is required for Software Installation and Maintenance. ; DFS (Distributed File System) can help ease network woes. ; Remember that the installation package has to travel across your network. Offline Files and Synchronization ; Active Directory is required for offline files and synchronization. ; Depending on directory size, performing initial synchronization could take a while. www.syngress.com 189_XP_12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 631 [...]... printer If your clients are running Windows XP ,Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000, they automatically download the correct version of the print driver every time they print to the print server .Windows 95 and Windows 98 will automatically install the correct driver the first time they are mapped to the printer However, if the print driver on the server is changed ,Windows 9x clients will continue to use the... Wizard included with Windows XP, as shown in Exercise 13.1 Exercise 13.1 Installing a Local Printer 1 Click Start 2 Choose Printers and Faxes from the menu.This will give you the Printers and Faxes window shown in Figure 13.1 Figure 13.1 The Printers and Faxes Window www.syngress.com 1 89 _XP_ 13.qxd 11/12/01 11:13 AM Page 6 39 Working with Printers • Chapter 13 3 Within the Printers and Faxes window, click... compatibility in the Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings | Local Policies | Security Options www.syngress.com 1 89 _XP_ 12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 633 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 Q: We use system policies on our Windows 95 and NT computers Can I still use them with Windows XP? A: Yes, you can still use the system policies, and you can use the POLEDIT utility to... watching.You can make your local printers available from within a remote session Let me explain Say that you have two computers: one at home named xp- homepc and one at work called xpworkpc.You can connect from xp- homepc to the company network and take remote control of xp- workpc.What happens if you decide to print something from xp- workpc while you have control? It doesn’t do you much good to print something... your network If www.syngress.com 6 39 1 89 _XP_ 13.qxd 640 11/12/01 11:13 AM Page 640 Chapter 13 • Working with Printers you are installing a local printer, you can tell Windows to automatically detect the printer as long as is it is Plug and Play compliant For this exercise, choose Local printer attached to this computer and Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer Click Next to continue.Your... the printer’s properties windows In the following section, we discuss the remaining windows and how to use them to configure your printer.We discuss how to manage jobs that have been submitted to the printer by using the print queue We also look at some of the add-on features for Windows XP printing, such as Simple TCP/IP Services and Web-based printing www.syngress.com 653 1 89 _XP_ 13.qxd 654 11/12/01... installed and will appear in the Printers and Faxes window, as shown in Figure 13.14 Figure 13.12 Completing the Add Printer Wizard Figure 13.13 The Copying Files Window Figure 13.14 The Printers and Faxes Window www.syngress.com 1 89 _XP_ 13.qxd 11/12/01 11:13 AM Page 645 Working with Printers • Chapter 13 Printing to a Local Printer from a Remote Session Remote desktop is a new feature of Windows XP that... network use www.syngress.com 1 89 _XP_ 13.qxd 11/12/01 11:13 AM Page 6 49 Working with Printers • Chapter 13 Connecting to a Network Printer There are two types of network printers: shared local printers and standalone network printers.You saw in the previous section how to share a local printer Shared local printers must be physically connected and installed on the sharing computer, and they must be shared with... printers practically install themselves when you plug them in Another benefit is that with shared local printers, you have a Windows XP machine functioning as the print server.This allows you to install the correct print drivers on the server and clients (Windows 9x, NT, 2000, and XP will automatically install them without any user interaction).The drawback of shared local printing is that it makes the... installation, let’s lay the groundwork with an understanding of Microsoft’s printing terminology.This has changed since Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 Microsoft changed their terminology to better match how people commonly refer to printer components Let’s review what the components were called in NT/2000, and then we explain the new terms It is important to understand both ways, because more than likely you . images of Windows XP. You can find further information on these issues by con- sulting the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, Q 299 316, How to Set up Windows XP Images on a Windows 2000 Server, and Q287546,. practice. www.syngress.com Setting Up Windows XP RIS Images on a Windows 2000 Server To set up Windows XP RIS images on Windows 2000 Server, you must install Service Pack 2 or higher on the Windows 2000 Server. to www.syngress.com/solutions and click on the “Ask the Author” form. 1 89 _XP_ 12.qxd 11/12/01 11:10 AM Page 632 Using IntelliMirror Technologies • Chapter 12 633 Q: We use system policies on our Windows 95 and NT computers.