Lesson 1:?Monitoring Access to Shared Folders

Windows XP Professional includes the Shared Folders snap-in, which allows you to easily monitor access to network resources and send administrative messages to users. You monitor access to network resources to assess and manage current usage on network servers. You monitor access to shared folders to determine how many users currently have a connection to each folder. You can also monitor open files to determine which users are accessing the files, and you can disconnect users from one open file or from all open files.

After this lesson, you will be able to

• Identify three reasons for monitoring access to network resources
• Identify who can monitor access to network resources
• View and monitor the shared folders on a computer
• View and modify the properties of a shared folder
• Monitor open files and disconnect users from one or all open files

Estimated lesson time: 30 minutes

Understanding Monitoring Network Resources

It is important that you understand why you should monitor the network resources in your computer environment. Some of the reasons it is important to assess and manage network resources are included in the following list:

• Maintenance.??You should determine which users are currently using a resource so that you can notify them before making the resource temporarily or permanently unavailable.
• Security.??You should monitor user access to resources that are confidential or need to be secure to verify that only authorized users are accessing them.
• Planning.??You should determine which resources are being used and how much they are being used so that you can plan for future system growth.

When you add the Shared Folders snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) console, you specify whether you want to monitor the resources on the local computer or a remote computer.

Requirements to Monitor Network Resources

Not all users can monitor access to network resources. Table 15.1 lists the group membership requirements for monitoring access to network resources using the Shared Folders snap-in.

Table 15.1??Groups That Can Access Network Resources

Monitoring Shared Folders

You use the Shares folder in the Shared Folders snap-in to view a list of all shared folders on the computer and to determine how many users have a connection to each folder. In Figure 15.1, the Shares folder has been selected in the Computer Management console tree and all the shared folders on that computer are shown in the details pane.

Figure 15.1??Shares folder of the Shared Folders snap-in

Table 15.2 explains the information provided in the details pane shown in Figure 15.1.

Table 15.2??Fields in the Details Pane for the Shares Folder

Determining How Many Users Can Access a Shared Folder Concurrently

You can use the Shared Folders snap-in to determine the maximum number of users that are permitted to access a folder. In the Shared Folders details pane, click the shared folder for which you want to determine the maximum number of concurrent users who can access the folder. On the Action menu, click Properties, displaying the Properties dialog box for the shared folder. The General tab shows you the user limit. In Windows XP Professional the maximum is 10, but you can set this to a lower value. You can also use the Shared Folders snap-in to determine if the maximum number of users that are permitted to access a folder has been reached.

Modifying Shared Folder Properties

You can modify existing shared folders, including shared folder permissions, from the Shares folder. To change a shared folder's properties, click the shared folder, and then on the Action menu, click Properties. The General tab of the Properties dialog box shows you the share name, the path to the shared folder, and any comment that has been entered. The General tab also allows you to view and set a user limit for accessing the shared folder. The Security tab allows you to view and change the shared folder permissions.

Monitoring Open Files

Use the Open Files folder in the Shared Folders snap-in to view a list of open files that are located in shared folders and the users who have a current connection to each file. You can use this information when you need to contact users to notify them that you are shutting down the system. Additionally, you can determine which users have a current connection and should be contacted when another user is trying to access a file that is in use.

Table 15.3 describes the information that is available in the Open Files folder.

Table 15.3??Information Available in the Open Files Folder

Disconnecting Users from Open Files

You can disconnect users from one open file or from all open files. If you make changes to the NT file system (NTFS) permissions for a file that is currently opened by a user, the new permissions will not affect the user until he or she closes and then attempts to reopen the file.

You can force these changes to take place immediately by doing either of the following:

• Disconnecting all users from all open files.??To disconnect all users from all open files, in the Shared Folders snap-in console tree, click Open Files, and then on the Action menu, click Disconnect All Open Files.
• Disconnecting all users from one open file.??To disconnect users from one open file, in the Shared Folders snap-in console tree, click Open Files. In the details pane select the open file, and then on the Action menu, click Close Open File.

Practice:?Managing Shared Folders

In this practice you use the Shared Folders snap-in to view the shared folders and open files on your server. If there are any open files on your server and you want to disconnect them, use the Disconnect All Open Files selection. This selection will disconnect all users from all open files.

To view the shared folders on your computer

1. Log on as Fred or with a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, and point to All Programs.
3. Point to Administrative Tools and click Computer Management.

   Windows XP Professional displays Computer Management.

   You can also use Computer Management Local that you created in Chapter 3, "Setting Up and Managing User Accounts." It is also listed in Administrative Tools.
4. In the console tree (left pane) of Computer Management, expand System Tools, and then expand Shared Folders.
5. In the console tree, under Shared Folders, click Shares.

Notice that the details pane shows a list of the existing shared folders on your computer.

To view the open files on your computer

1. In the console tree, under Shared Folders, click Open Files.

   If you are working on a computer that is not connected to a network, there will not be any open files because the open files only show connections from a remote computer to a share on your computer.

2. If there are any open files and you want to disconnect them, on the Action menu, click Disconnect All Open Files.
3. Leave Computer Management open and remain logged on as Fred or a user account that is a member of the Administrators group for the next practice.

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

1. Why is it important to manage network resources?
2. On a computer running Windows XP Professional, members of the ___________________________ and _________________________ groups can use the Shared Folders snap-in to monitor network resources.
3. How can you determine what files are open on a computer running Windows XP Professional?
4. Which of the following statements about monitoring network resources are correct? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
   1. You can use the Shared Folders snap-in to disconnect all users from all open files.
   2. You can use the Shared Folders snap-in to disconnect one user from one file.
   3. If you change the NTFS permissions for an open file, the changes affect all users who have the file open immediately.
   4. If you make changes to the NTFS permissions for an open file, the changes do not affect the user who has that file opened until he or she closes and reopens the file.

Lesson Summary

• Monitoring network resources helps you determine whether a network resource is still needed and if it is secure, and it helps you plan for future growth.
• Use the Shared Folders snap-in to monitor access to network resources on local or remote computers.
• Use the Shared Folders snap-in to send administrative messages to remote users.
• In a workgroup, only members of the Administrators group or the Power Users group can monitor resources.
• In a domain, only members of the Administrators group or the Server Operators group for the domain can monitor resources on all the computers in the domain.
• Use the Shares folder in the Shared Folders snap-in to manage shared folders and open files on a computer.