Policy "Path for Manual Update" Support for %LogonServer%

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

The "Path for Manual Update" for loading policies from a named server location does not support the %LogonServer% environment variable.

CAUSE

This functionality was not designed into the base release of Windows NT 4.0.

MORE INFORMATION

In a large multiple master domain model, you would ideally use the Automatic policy update mode. However, in a large environment, the Policy file may become large, and associated performance problems may ensue. Decentralizing the policies would overcome the performance issue, but would be unmanageable in a large environment.

Switching to Manual policy update mode allows you to create policies specific to each resource domain. This works around the potential performance problems but introduces a single point of failure, because the Path for Manual Update must be a hard-coded UNC name to a single specific server location.

Adding support for %LogonServer% in the Path for Manual Update is a better solution, as it removes the single point of failure (assuming the network has more than one logon server), and allows policy processing to be distributed among the logon servers.

RESOLUTION

Either accept the single point of failure that choosing Manual policy update mode for policies entails in the base release, or upgrade to the latest service pack, which enables %LogonServer% to be used within the specified Path for Manual Update.

STATUS

This feature is included in the latest Microsoft Windows NT version 4.00 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K

Keywords          : kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00 ntdomain ntregistry NTSrvWkst kbnetwork kbbuglist kbfixlist
Version           : 4.0
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbservicepack