February 1999

Utility of the Month: The Network Client Administrator

Before you start

The Windows NT network can support many different kinds of client systems. Among them are MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, and Windows NT Workstation. Among the systems, however, only Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation are able to connect to NT Servers out of the box. Included on the Windows NT 4.0 Server CD-ROM you'll find the client software for MS-DOS, OS/2, and Windows for Workgroups. Additionally, you'll also find the complete Windows 95 operating system.

You can use the CD-ROM and the Network Client Administrator utility to install these client software packages. One method of doing this it to create a network installation startup disk. We'll show you how to do this next.

Network installation startup disks

A network installation startup disk is a floppy disk you use to boot the client workstation, connect to the network share containing the client software, and install the software. You must have a bootable floppy disk formatted in MS-DOS before you proceed.

Now, launch the Network Client Administrator from the Administrative Tools sub-menu on the Start menu. When the program executes, it will display a dialog with four choices, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A: The Network Client Administrator makes installing client software easy.

Select Make Network Installation Startup Disk and click Continue to launch the Share Network Client Installation Files dialog box shown in Figure B.

Figure B: Sharing the client software from the CD-ROM takes no hard disk space, but you must leave the install disk in the drive.

Next, you need to decide where you want to share the client install software. If you share the client install software directly from the CD-ROM, you won't need to find 64 MB of free disk space on your server, but you'll have to leave the CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive each time you wish to perform a client install over the network. If you decide to copy the files, you'll need to first find the Clients directory on the CD-ROM. It is located in /CLIENTS directory of the CD. You must point to the /CLIENTS directory, and not any of the underlying sub-directories, even if you only wish to install one kind of client. Once you've copied the files, the program will point to the copied files each time you run it.

After you've determined the share location, click OK to launch the Target Workstation Configuration dialog box. As shown in Figure C, you can either create a 3.5" or 5.25" network installation disk.

Figure C: Select the floppy drive type, the client, and the network adapter, and then click OK.

You can also create either a Windows 95 or Network Client 3.0 for MS-DOS or Windows installation disk. After you choose the client and disk size, you need to find the appropriate network adapter card from the list. If you can't find your client's network adapter card on the list, you will need to use the card's manufacturer's installation program to install the network adapter, as well as the client software.

When you have selected all fields, click OK to launch the Network Startup Disk Configuration dialog box, shown in Figure D.

Figure D: If you use the TCP/IP protocol, you must configure the IP addressing information.

Enter the Computer Name and verify the Network Protocol. If you select the TCP/IP protocol, you must configure the IP addressing information or use DHCP. Next, insert a formatted, high-density, DOS-bootable floppy disk in the floppy disk drive and click OK. You'll then see the confirmation box shown in Figure E. Click OK to create the disk.

Figure E: The confirmation dialog box displays all relevant information; verify that it's correct before clicking OK to continue.

Once you've created the installation startup disk, there are a few things you should keep in mind when using it. First, make sure you have sufficient permission to access the share directory created during the process. Next, make sure you entered a unique machine name for each client you wish to configure. Yes, that means you can't reuse installation startup disks. If you get an out of memory error when trying to install the client software on an MS-DOS system, make sure you're using extended memory, as in EMM386.EXE. Finally, remember that the network adapter software is configured to use the card's default settings. If your client has changed the default settings, you'll need to change them back.

Installation disk sets

Using the Network Client Administrator, you can also create installation disk sets. Using these sets, you can install the network client software without installing over the network. Using this method, you can create installation disk sets for the Network Client for MS-DOS, LAN Manager 2.2c for MS-DOS, and the LAN Manager 2.2c for OS/2. You'll need two DOS-formatted, high-density floppy disks for the DOS client, and each of the LAN Manager software packages will require four formatted disks. You can also make installation disks for the Remote Access Service 1.1a client for MS-DOS and for the upgrade to the Windows for Workgroups client. Each of these packages requires one floppy disk. To create an installation disk set, launch the Network Client Administrator, select Make Installation Disk Set, and click Continue. If you've already copied the Client files to a network share, the Share Network Client Installation Files dialog box will default to the Use Existing Shared Directory option, as shown in Figure F. Click OK to close this dialog box and proceed.

Figure F: If you haven't copied the client software to your local server, you'll need to share the files from the CD, or copy them now.

In the Make Installation Disk Set dialog box, shown in Figure G, select the client software from the dropdown list.

Figure G: You can create installation disks for all of the client software except Windows 95.

Make sure the destination drive letter is correct, and check the Format Disks check box if you wish to format the floppy disks before copying the client software. Insert a floppy disk and click OK to continue. If you're creating a multi-disk set, you'll be prompted to swap floppies. Once the floppies are finished, you can run the setup program from the first floppy of the set on the client system.

Client-based network administration

Many NT administrators prefer not to do the actual administration of their NT networks on the servers themselves. Many times, the actual servers are in a location that's much more secure than their desks. In addition, it can be much faster to use an operating system that's been optimized for desktop applications, such as Windows 95 or Windows Workstation NT 4.0. If you're going to use those operating systems, you'll need to install a special group of administration applications known as the client-based network administration tools. Unfortunately, the applications available differ for each client platform, so you'll have to decide which administration tools you need before deciding which operating system to install on your desktop. Table A lists the administration programs available for Windows NT Workstation 4.0, while Table B lists the programs available for Windows 95.

Table A: Client-based network administration tools for Windows NT Workstation 4.0

Tool	Description
DHCP Manager	Allows you to manage the DHCP service on a Windows NT Server.
Remote Access Administrator	Allows you to administer the Remote Access Service (RAS) on an RAS server.
Remoteboot Manager	Allows you to configure the Remoteboot service.
Server Manager	Allows you to manage Windows NT domains and computers.
Services for Macintosh Manager	Allows you to manage file and print services for Macintosh clients.
System Policy Editor	Allows you to remotely set and edit user configurations and computer settings.
User Manager for Domains	Allows you to manage users, groups, and policies for a Windows NT domain.
WINS Manager	Allows you to mange the WINS service.

Table B: Client-based network administration tools for Windows 95

Tool	Description
Event Viewer	Allows you to view and manage Windows NT Server event logs.
File and Print Services for NetWare	Allows you to manage file and print sharing for NetWare clients.
File Security tab in file property sheet	Allows your Windows Explorer to set Windows NT permissions on NTFS files and folders.
Print Security tab in printer property sheet	Allows your Windows Explorer top set permissions on Windows NT printers.
Server Manager	Allows you to manage Windows NT domains and computers.
User Manager extensions for Services for NetWare	Allows you to create and manage NetWare user accounts.
User Manager for Domains	Allows you to manage users, groups, and policies for a Windows NT domain.

Before you can install either set of tools, you need to first copy and share the software from the Windows NT Server CD-ROM. To do this, launch the Network Client Administrator, select Copy Client-based Network Administration Tools, and click Continue. This will bring up the Share Client-based Administration Tools dialog box shown in Figure H.

Figure H: Copying the client-based administration tools to a network share will enable you to administer your NT servers from NT Workstations and Windows 95 systems.

Select the Copy Files To A New Directory, And Then Share radio button. You'll need 16 MB of hard disk space. Click OK to copy the files. Once they're copied, you're ready to install the software on the clients.

Windows NT Workstation

The Windows NT Workstation install process leaves much to be desired. Not only is it a DOS batch file that doesn't create program icons, it also won't work with Universal Naming Convention (UNC) paths. To install the administration tools on an NT Workstation, log on to the workstation and map a drive to the \\SERVER\SetupAd network share you just created. Next, launch the command console and run the SETUP.BAT program from the \Winnt directory of the drive you just mapped. This will install the tools to your winnt_root\system32 folder, but it won't create any program icons for you.

Windows 95

While not much more graceful, at least the Windows 95 install creates program icons. To install the tools, you need to use the Add/Remove Programs utility of the Control Panel. Launch this utility and select the Windows Setup tab, as shown in Figure I.

Figure I: You need to use the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs utility to install the Server Tools on Windows 95.

Click Have Disk and, in the Install From Disk dialog box that appears, type \\SERVER\SetupAdm\Win95 in the Copy Manufacturer's Files From text box, as shown in Figure J.

Figure J: You can use a UNC path to point to the install files on your NT server.

Select the Windows NT Server Tools check box, as shown in Figure K, and click Install to complete the installation. The install will create a Windows NT Server Tools sub-menu under Programs on the Start menu.

Figure K: Check the check box before clicking Install; the box is unselected by default.

Conclusion

Using the Network Client Administrator utility can simplify a number of client system installations. The client software installation options allow you to install client software, either over the network, or on installation floppy sets. In addition, you can use the utility to share the server administration tools and then install them on either Windows NT Workstation or Windows 95. Any way you look at it, this is a very handy utility.

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