network admin questions

[aspenjim]

How do network admins handle stuff like setting up emails for domain users without knowing their login password?

What i do is reset their password to blank and let them know if it's ever different from what they had try a blank password and then reset again.

I know there has to be an easier way. I support a network at a sheriffs dept where there is a lot of movement of users, and it't a pain to follow them around and make the changes, especially in the detension area. I should get brave and learn roaming profiles or folder redirection.

Is there a way to do a runas if you don't know the users password and are the domain admin?

TIA

[cluberti]

If you're talking about Active Directory, no, there's no way to log on as a user or impersonate a user without knowing the password, even as an Admin.

I'm a little confused as to what you're trying to do and why, and why you would need the password. Care to elaborate a bit?

[aspenjim]

It's a 24/7 facility and there are several nitetime users that occassionally I need to logon and change their email server or move a user to another PC. I don't carry a list with their passwords around and don't like staying late or working at nite to make occassional changes. When I need to do this, I just reset their password to a blank pw and let them know that if they can't login, try a blank pw and then I set the reminder to change pw at nect login.

edit... Another thing, like today, I'll be installing a new PC where there are 6 users and having a working roaming profile would make my life easier. I can move their profiles to the server from the old PC, as described in the following link.

http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/wind...g_profiles.html

I really, really need to try this, but I don't want to make myself alot more work while learning and transitioning the way things are now.

Bottom line is, I have several floating users that I get tired of changing emails from PC to PC. I know how to move doc's to the server so that's not a problem, it's the rest of their profiles that I need to learn to make reside on the server.

Incidently, this is a Sheriff's Dept. that I have an independent contractors contract with, so I like to keep my time minimal, In other words, I'm on call and don't work directly for the sheriff's dept.

I also want to disable offline files so logoff's are quick. I know that you do that through GP, but haven't crossed that bridge yet, either. I would ultimately like this to be transparent to the users.

Edited June 12, 2007 by aspenjim

[cluberti]

Is this a custom email system, or something like Notes or Exchange?

[aspenjim]

No, just a local ISP that as users business cards run out they have them printed with the new address... a government address that we have a semi local ISP host. I know all of those passwords as I administer them, so that isn't a problem either. Some users like outlook express and others like Outlook. I konw they should all be on outlook, but I tend to leave things the way they are as long as they work.

I just need to implement roaming profiles and my work would still be cut down immensely. Just reluctant to change until I have somewhat mastered new ways.

Cluberti.... do you use roaming profiles in any of your networks?

Edited June 13, 2007 by aspenjim

[cluberti]

I have in the past, but only after implementing Exchange or an IMAP server for email. Keeping user's email in their profiles sync'ed to a roaming copy is an absolute nightmare.

[aspenjim]

I don't post much in here, but read alot and take what you say as gospel. I thought if the users profile was set not to save locally and the server location was setup right, it would always look to the same place on the server, regardless of which workstation they were on.

The theory sounds good. Do you have any roaming profiles at all? or if it's a nightmare, maybe you don't do them at all?

Edited June 13, 2007 by aspenjim

[cluberti]

I used them, but only after I made sure my users were either using webmail only, or if they used Outlook, that their mailbox was on an Exchange server (and not mail in a .pst). You can use network .pst files, but if you lose connection to the network location the .pst file is on while Outlook is open, you'll get a corrupted .pst file and lost email - not good.

Roaming profles are good, but they do have limitations. I usually configure roaming profiles with redirected shell folders and an Exchange server to cover my bases.

[lingk]

every time i have to switch a users computer out, or reload the os, i something like you do aspenjim with the password. I set there password to something like our company name or something like that, log in as them setup outlook then log off, and set there account to ask for there password at next login. I'm sure you spend enough time on Google you could find a way to do what your trying to do.. that is if I'm fallowing what your trying to do. I'm guess your asking if you can set up there exchange account in outlook with out havening to be logged as the user?

if not, then just ignore what i said, ,lol

[DennisT]

We use roaming profiles and they work great! We redirect My Documents, Desktop, and Application Data. A user's PC can blow up, we replace it with another, they log in and their entire desktop is the same as it was before. All user data is backed up nightly.

We also use DFS shares for their profiles, redirected folders, and home folders. It's reliable, reduces IT support time, and their data is protected.

[adamt]

Roaming profiles aren't great for ALL environments. If you have a large number of users, using large numbers of different machines, profiles can fill the space up very quickly.