Windows 2000 Pro Workstations
Images
1) You install win2k normally onto one computer.2) You set up win2k as you wish it to be set up. Install programs, set-up policies, etc.
3) When you're satisfied with the image and are ready to clone it, you install and run Sysprep.
4) Sysprep tells the computer to run the mini-wizard and apply any options you wish when the drive is next booted. Sysprep then deletes itself and shuts the computer down.
5) The disk (once the computer is shut down) is now "spring loaded." Next time you boot it it will regenerate it's SID, expand the primary NTFS partition to fill the entire disk and run the ini-setup wizard. I.e.. DON'T BOOT THIS DISK!!
The spring-loaded disk is then copied byte-for-byte via the slurpdisk "copydisk" command and the resulting imaged disks are ready to go the first time they are booted up. The current master has a big sticky note on it that says something like "Master win2k image. DON'T BOOT THIS DISK!!!"
Network Setup
Windows 2000 computers are actually active participants in the windows domain, as opposed to 98 computers which are merely passive consumers of the domain services. Every windows 2000 box can serve shares and can serve printers and many actually do so. In addition, the windows 2000 NetBIOS implementation features direct "NetBIOS-over-TCP/IP", so SMB sharing on windows 2000 boxes is significantly faster than on 98 boxes.Each windows 2000 box has the option to "Log into RANCH" or to "Log into Local Computer" There is only one account on every local computer, and it is the Administrator account. Exactly the same on every computer. Nobody besides IT (and even then only rarely!) ever logs into the local computer though. Instead, everyone logs into the RANCH domain. As the user logs in to the domain, the win2k box downloads their "profile" directory (from /home/profile on starcrunch) which contains their desktop, start-menu, favorites, application settings, etc. It also maps their respective drives (using the netlogon scripts). This means than no matter what computer a user logs into, their profile "follows" them, i.e., their desktop, start menu, favorites, and basic settings remain the same whether they're on computer A or computer B.
Along with their profile directory being downloaded and their shares being mapped a default share (U:) is mapped to their home directory on starcrunch. Eudora is configured on the win2k image to store its mail on the u:\ drive, so everyone's email is stored on the RAID-5 array on starcrunch! And it's all accessed transparently via the network. Nobody knows the difference.
CategoryITDoc
