Microsoft Press Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant ebook
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Figure 11-10: Disk quota entries show current disk space usage on a particular volume as well as applicable quota limits and warning levels.
Creating Disk Quota Entries
You can create disk quota entries for users who have not yet saved data on a volume as well as for users who have already saved data on a volume. This enables you to set custom limits and warning levels for any user as necessary. Usually you'll use this feature when one user frequently stores more information than others do. For example, a graphic designer might have much higher storage needs than a customer-support person does. The good news about custom quota entries is that you can export them to other volumes, which enables you to quickly apply the same set of rules to multiple volumes.
To create a quota entry on a volume, follow these steps:
In Computer Management, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.
On the Quota tab, click Quota Entries. Current quota entries for all users are listed. To refresh the listing, press F5 or select Refresh from the View menu.
If the user doesn't have an existing entry on the volume, you can create one from the Quota menu by selecting New Quota Entry. This opens the Select Users dialog box.
In the Select Users dialog box, type the name of a user in the Enter The Object Names To Select field and then click Check Names. If multiple matches are found, select the desired account and then click OK. If no matches are found, update the name you entered and try again. Repeat this step as necessary and click OK when finished.
Once you've selected a name, the Add New Quota Entry dialog box is displayed. You have several options. You can remove all quota restrictions for this user by selecting Do Not Limit Disk Usage. In addition, you can set a specific limit and warning level by selecting Limit Disk Space To and then entering the appropriate values in the fields provided.
Click OK. Close the Quota Entries dialog box. Click OK on the Properties dialog box.
Updating and Customizing Disk Quota Entries
You can modify and customize disk quota entries for individual users at any time by following these steps:
In Computer Management, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.
On the Quota tab, click Quota Entries. Current quota entries for all users are listed. To refresh the listing, press F5 or select Refresh from the View menu.
Double-click the quota entry for the user. This displays the Quota Settings For dialog box, which is similar to the dialog box shown in Figure 11-10.
To remove all quota restrictions for this user, select Do Not Limit Disk Usage.
To modify the current limit and warning level, select Limit Disk Space To and then enter the appropriate values in the fields provided.
Click OK.
Deleting Disk Quota Entries
When you've created disk quota entries on a volume and a user no longer needs to use the volume, you can delete the associated disk quota entry. When you delete a disk quota entry, all files owned by the user are collected and displayed in a dialog box so that you can permanently delete the files, take ownership of the files, or move the files to a folder on a different volume.
To delete a disk quota entry for a user and manage the remaining files on the volume, follow these steps:
In Computer Management, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.
On the Quota tab, click Quota Entries. Current quota entries for all users are listed. To refresh the listing, press F5 or select Refresh from the View menu.
Select the disk quota entry that you want to delete and then press Del or select Delete Quota Entry from the Quota menu. You can select multiple entries using the Shift or Ctrl key.
When prompted to confirm the action, click Yes. This displays the Disk Quota dialog box with a list of current files owned by the selected user or users.
Use the List Files Owned By selection list to display files for the user whose quota entry you are deleting. You must then specify how the files for the user will be handled. You can handle each file separately by selecting individual files and then choosing an appropriate option. Select multiple files by using the Shift or Ctrl key. The following options are available:
q Show Folders Only Changes the view to show only folders in which the user has files. In this way, you can delete, move, or take ownership of all the user's files in a particular folder.
q Show Files Only Shows all files that the user owns according to the folder in which they were created. This is the default view.
q Permanently Delete Files Select the files to delete and then press Del. When prompted to confirm the action, click Yes.
q Take Ownership Of Files Select the files that you want to take ownership of and then click Take Ownership.
q Move Files To Select the files that you want to move and then, in the field provided, enter the path to a folder on a different volume. If you don't know the path that you want to use, click Browse to display the Browse For Folder dialog box, which you can use to find the folder. Once you find the folder, click Move.
Click Close when you are finished managing the files. Provided that you've appropriately handled all user files, the disk quota entries are deleted.
Exporting and Importing Disk Quota Settings
Rather than re-creating custom disk quota entries on individual volumes, you can export the settings from a source volume and import them to another volume. Both volumes must be formatted using NTFS. To export and then import disk quota entries, perform the following steps:
Start Computer Management. You are connected to the local computer by default. If you want to work with disk quotas on a remote computer, right-click Computer Management in the console tree and then select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, select the computer you want to work with.
In the console tree, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. The volumes configured on the selected computer are displayed in the details pane.
Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the source volume and then select Properties.
On the Quota tab, click Quota Entries. This displays the Quota Entries dialog box.
From the Quota menu, select Export. This displays the Export Quota Settings dialog box. Use the Save In selection list to choose the location to which to save the file containing the quota settings, and then set a name for the file using the File Name field. Next click Save.
Tip
If you save the settings file to a mapped drive on the target volume, you'll have an easier time importing the settings. Quota files are usually fairly small, so you won't need to worry about disk space usage.
From the Quota menu, select Close to exit the Quota Entries dialog box. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
Right-click Computer Management in the console tree. From the shortcut menu, select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, select the computer containing the target volume on which you want to use the exported settings.
Expand Storage and then select Disk Management. Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the target volume and then select Properties.
Click the Quota tab, ensure that Enable Quota Management is selected, and then click Quota Entries. This displays the Quota Entries dialog box for the target volume.
From the Quota menu, select Import. In the Import Quota Settings dialog box, select the quota settings file that you saved previously. Click Open.
If the volume had previous quota entries, you'll have the opportunity to replace or keep existing entries. When prompted about a conflict, click Yes to replace an existing entry, or click No to keep the existing entry. The option to replace or keep existing entrie
s can be applied to all entries on the volume by selecting Do This For All Quota Entries prior to clicking Yes or No.
Disabling Disk Quotas
You can disable quotas for individual users or all users on a volume. When you disable quotas for a particular user, that user is no longer subject to the quota restrictions, but disk quotas are still tracked for other users. When you disable quotas on a volume, quota tracking and management are completely removed. To disable quotas for a particular user, follow the technique outlined in the "Updating and Customizing Disk Quota Entries" section of this chapter. To disable quota tracking and management on a volume, follow these steps:
Start Computer Management. You are connected to the local computer by default. If you want to disable disk quotas on a remote computer, right-click Computer Management in the console tree and then select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, select the computer you want to work with.
In the console tree, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. The volumes configured on the selected computer are displayed in the details pane.
Using the Volume List or Graphical view, right-click the volume and then select Properties.
On the Quota tab, clear the Enable Quota Management check box. Click OK. When prompted to confirm, click OK.
Chapter 12: Configuring and Troubleshooting TCP/IP Networking
This chapter focuses on managing local area connections, which are used to communicate on a network. For local area networking to work properly, you must install networking components and configure network communications using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS). DHCP is used for dynamic configuration of networking and Internet Protocol (IP) address settings. Both DNS and WINS provide name resolution services, with DNS being the preferred service and WINS being maintained for backward compatibility with earlier releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
Navigating Windows Vista Networking Features
The networking features in Microsoft Windows Vista are different from those in earlier releases of Windows. Windows Vista has a new suite of networking tools, including:
Network Explorer Provides a central console for browsing computers and devices on the network
Network And Sharing Center Provides a central console for viewing and managing a computer's networking and sharing configuration
Network Map Provides a visual map of the network that depicts how computers and devices are connected
Network Diagnostics Provides automated diagnostics to help diagnose and resolve networking problems
Before discussing how these networking tools are used, we must first look at the Windows Vista features on which these tools rely, including:
Network Discovery A feature of Windows Vista that controls the ability to see other computers and devices
Network Awareness A feature of Windows Vista that reports changes in network connectivity and configuration
Understanding Network Discovery and Network Categories
The network discovery settings of the computer you are working with determine the computers and devices you can browse or view in Windows Vista networking tools. Discovery settings work in conjunction with a computer's Windows Firewall to either block or allow:
Discovery of network computers and devices
Discovery of your computer by others
Network discovery settings are meant to provide the appropriate level of security for each of the various categories of networks to which a computer can connect. Three categories of networks are defined:
Domain Network Intended as a designation for a network in which computers are connected to the corporate domain to which they are joined. By default, discovery and file sharing are allowed on a domain network, which reduces restrictions and permits computers on the domain network to discover other computers and devices on that network and share files.
Private Network Intended as a designation for a network in which computers are configured as members of a workgroup and are not connected directly to the public Internet. By default, discovery and file sharing are allowed on a private network, which reduces restrictions and permits computers on the private network to discover other computers and devices on that network and to share files.
Public Network Intended as a designation for a network in a public place, such as a coffee shop or airport, rather than for an internal network. By default, discovery and file sharing are blocked on a public network, which enhances security by preventing computers on the public network from discovering other computers and devices on that network. Files and printers that you have shared from this computer cannot be accessed from the network. Additionally, some programs might not be able to access the network.
Because a computer saves settings separately for each category of network, different block and allow settings can be used for each network category. The first time you connect your computer to a network, you'll see a dialog box that allows you to specify whether you are at home, at work, or in a public location. Your selection sets the network category. After that, if you change your network connection or connect to a new network, Windows Vista will try to determine the network category automatically. If Windows Vista is unable to determine the network category, it uses the public network category. If you join a computer to a domain, the private network to which the computer is connected changes to a domain network.
Based on the network category, Windows Vista automatically configures settings that either turn discovery on or off. The On (Enabled) state means:
The computer can discover other computers and devices on the network.
Other computers on the network can discover the computer.
The Off (Disabled) state means:
The computer cannot discover other computers and devices on the network.
Other computers on the network cannot discover the computer.
Working with Network Explorer
Network Explorer displays a list of discovered computers and devices on the network. You can access Network Explorer by clicking Start and then clicking Network. The computers and devices listed in Network Explorer depend on the network discovery settings of the computer.
If discovery is blocked, you'll see a note about this in Network Explorer's notification area, as shown in Figure 12-1. Clicking the warning message and then selecting Turn On Network Discovery enables network discovery and opens the appropriate Windows Firewall ports so that network discovery is allowed. If no other changes have been made with regard to network discovery, the computer will be in the discovery only state. Sharing of printers, files, and media would need to be configured manually as discussed in Chapter 10, "Managing File Security and Resource Sharing."
Figure 12-1: Use Network Explorer to allow network discovery and to browse resources as permitted by the current configuration.
Providing you have appropriate permissions, you can browse any computer or device listed in Network Explorer. Double-click the icon for the computer to access its shared resources. Double-click the icon for a device to access its management interface or browse its resources.
Network Explorer's toolbar provides four options:
Search Active Directory When you have access to a corporate domain, you can click Search Active Directory to display the Find Users, Contacts, And Groups dialog box and then use this dialog box to search Active Directory for users, contacts, groups, computers, printers, shared folders, and other objects. Use the Find selection list to choose the type of resource to search for. Use the In selection list to choose where in the directory to search.
Network And Sharing Center When you want to view network status or manage network settings, click Network And Sharing Center to open Network And Sharing Center. You can work with Network And Sharing Center as discussed in the "Working with Network And Sharing Center" section of this chapter.
Add A Printer Starts the Add Printer Wizard so you can add a local, n
etwork, wireless, or Bluetooth printer.
Add A Wireless Device Starts the Add A Wireless Device To The Network Wizard so you can add wireless devices that were detected but not configured.
Working with Network And Sharing Center
Network And Sharing Center, shown in Figure 12-2, provides the current network status as well as an overview of the current network configuration. You can access Network And Sharing Center by following these steps:
Click Start and then click Network.
In Network Explorer, click Network And Sharing Center on the toolbar.
Figure 12-2: Use Network And Sharing Center to view the network status and details.
Network And Sharing Center has three main areas:
Summary network map Provides a graphical depiction of the network configuration and connections. A normal status is indicated by a line connecting the various network segments. Any problems with the network configuration or connections are depicted with warning icons. A yellow warning icon indicates a possible configuration issue. A red X indicates a lack of a connection for a particular network segment. In Figure 12-2, the computer has a connection to the network but doesn't have a connection to the Internet. Clicking View Full Map opens Network Map, which displays an expanded network view as discussed in the "Working with Network Map" section of this chapter.
Network details Lists the current network by name and provides an overview of the network. The value in parentheses following the network name shows the category of the current network as Domain Network, Private Network, or Public Network. The Access field specifies whether and how the computer is connected to its current network as Local only, Local And Internet, or Internet only. The Connection field shows the name of the local area connection being used to connect to the current network. If you click Customize, you can change the network name, network category (for a private or public network only), and network icon. If you click View Status, you can display the Status dialog box for the local area connection.