roaming profiles

[rodrigo7x]

Hi,

I am trying to create a default user profile in my w2k3 server but have no experience with any server and if anyone is willing to explain in details what I need to do I greatly appreciate it.

I would like to create a profile and store in my server in c:\profiles\default profile . Then I want to create say five users in the server who have the same profile (the same access permissions and icons on their desktops etc). Then I want the users to turn on their pcs and just log in (to their server profile) and use their client pcs with the user account I have in store for them in the server. Is this possible?

I have read about roaming profiles and it seems like what I need. But all the instructions on roaming profiles keep saying to go to the client pc and create a limited user and set the profile settings I want and log off and log in as admin and then go to the user account in management and set the path to the profile path in the server. But this doesn't make sense to me. Will I have to create a user account in every client pc in order for them to use the roaming profile. I thought the purpose of the roaming profile was to create the user account one time and have the server copy it to client pcs?? Could some one please explain?? Thank you.

[NooNoo]

try this article

[rodrigo7x]

Hi Noo Noo,

I read the article but it seems to be missing details I think. In the section of creating a roaming profiles it ends saying that after I create a shared folder on the server with all permissions. Create a user account in the server and link the path to a folder within the shared folder I created with the same username. And hence, a roaming profile. Okay, I have done that but I don't think that is all to it.

say I have two client pcs, client A and client B and of course the server. I created the profile I want to use in client A and copied it to \\server\profiles\test (test is the username for the account). I then went to AD users and computers and in the users folder I created a new user account with the username test and assigned it a password which is the same password I assigned to test when I created that account in client A.

Okay, Now I have the profile saved in the server. But now I want that profile to be copied over to client B (the second computer). How do I do this????
Do I have to create a user account in client B computer and name it test? And then go to properties and set the path to the shared folder on the server? I think that would do it. But isn't this rather repetitive? I would think there would be a way to go on the server and tell it to copy user account name test over to client B, and next time the user turns on client B a new user account will appear in the welcome screen named test, is this possible???

thank you for your response.

[NooNoo]

I think you need to read it slower...

To do so, open the Active Directory Users and Computers console,
right click on a user account, and
select the Properties command from the resulting shortcut menu.
When you do, you will see the user’s properties sheet.
Now, select the properties sheet’s Profile tab.
The very first field on the tab is the profile path.
Enter the user’s profile path as: \\server_name\share_name\user_name. For example, if you created a share named PROFILES on a server named TAZ, then the path to Brien’s profile should be \\TAZ\PROFILES\Brien.
Click OK and then the user’s profile will be roaming starting with the next login.

In other words having set up the profile, the user test just needs to login to client b
You did join the clients to do the domain didn't you?

[rodrigo7x]

Okay, please excuse my truly novice level at this server business. I did create a domain after installing the server OS. I saw a tutorial that showed me how to create a new forest and I called it casamericarealty.com. That's the domain that appears in AD domains and trusts. In the AD users and computers I have a list of folders under this domain. the last one is users folder. That's where I created the test user and linked the path to \\Apache\Profiles\test.

Now, when I created the profile in client a computer I just made a limited user account and named it test and copied to the server in the above path. But I never joined the client a and client b computers to any domain. I honestly don't know how to do that. I read this tutorial on it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295017

But I guess I am doing something wrong because I get an error saying the domain name cannot be found I tried to put in workgroup which is the domain I joined the server to and I also tried to put in casamericarealty.com which is the domain forest name yet those names don't work. Could you guide me as to what I need to type for the computer name (I think client a client b) and the domain name should be with the info I have given you (I thought the domain should be workgroup or casamericarealty.com)?

I do choose "my company uses a network with a domain" right? even though, this is not a company I just want to set it up like it?

Again please excuse my ignorance in all this matters, I really appreciate all your help.

Thanks!

[NooNoo]

start here

[rodrigo7x]

Okay, sorry I see I needed to type casamericarealt somehow the longer version of the domain doesn't fit although that's how it appears in AD. So let me try again. Thanks

[rodrigo7x]

Okay, I think it's working. I logged in to client b pc and put in user name test and password then chose the arrow to log into this (then I got a box saying wait for list to be populated, I got tired of waiting and hit ctr alt delete then CASAMERICA showed up). Then, I clicked it and hit OK. Then it said waiting for profile to be loaded and it took a long time. Then just now, it went in but the bachground I had chosen is not the same it looks like it is not complete. Is it cause I hit ctrl alt delete too early?? It did log in though

[rodrigo7x]

Alright, I logged in three times in the client b computer but each time it was a profile that is not the same as the one I copied to \\Apache\Roaming\test. The second time I logged in it gave me a message saying "could not find the profile in the server trying to log in to a local account". Which I believe is what it does everytime, it cant find the profile on CASAEMRICAREALT so it opens up a local account. Is there anything I have to do on this client b computer to set it right? Or on the server?

I don't have to create the same test account in client b and assign the path to the server right? client b computer should be able to log me in as test user at log in right???

Thanks Noo Noo.

[NooNoo]

Right, it's still not finding the server - did you set up DNS properly?

[rodrigo7x]

I know DNS was setup but I don't know if I did it correctly but I did everything the tutorial said. I just went to manage your server and review the next steps for dns server. It list some things I can do now that dns is setup. The first thing is To configure tcp/ip to use DNS on the client computers. Do I have to follow these steps now? or should I be able to do roaming without that? Thanks Noo Noo, I'm just confused now.

[rodrigo7x]

Hi Noo Noo,
Just wanted to let you know that I kept rejoining the domain on the client computers. I see that it is very difficult for a beginner to input the right names and passwords and domains in the join a domain process. I didn't find a tutorial that accurately teaches that but I did it by trial and error. I see that I had to join the computer to a the casamericarealt domain and then use input the administrator info that has access to join the domain at the prompt, not the roaming user account info that I had typed before. It was tough but a good learning experience.

You know, I created a notepad file on the desktop just to make sure that I was getting the same settings in the two client computers when logging in as test user in the casamericarealt domain. It is there along with all the settings, except the wallpaper. Eventhough if I go to desktop properties, it shows that the moon wallpaper that is store on the server is selected but it doesn't display it in the roaming user accounts upon logging, do you know why????

Hey, you might be thrilled to know that I don't actually have all these pcs. I only have one desktop and a laptop. I installed the server on the desktop and I have vmware fusion on my mac. So I installed two xp pro virtual machines and I am using those to create this "Virtual network". I'm glad it works though, maybe some one can follow this example to learn about server 2003 and domains.

Thanks Noo Noo for all your help.

[NooNoo]

You know there are extensive help and tutorials in the help files that come with 2k3? Also lots of stuff like this as well

[rodrigo7x]

Thank you, those tutorials are real helpful. Thanks for everything.