GPO and scripts

[downloadkid]

Morning People, need some help.....
Objective:
I work in a school that has 4 IT suites. We are running win 2K server with XP clients. As it stands the computers are all lumped together in one group, default Domain Computers.
What I would like to do is create 4 OUs one for aech suite / Location and be able to aply GPOs on each of the OUs.
Part of the reason is that I want to be able to assign a printer through the GPO to users loging on in each area. IE someone logging on in Room 1 on a room 1 machine gets linked to the room 1 printer.I have seen scripts that do this from the logon at domain level that recognise comps based on naming convention, so yes I could do it that way.
However in playing with the GPOs I am now focused on understanding why I cna't get it to work.
I have created a bat file that works fine when applied at the domain level to the 'user settings'. This ensures that anyone logging on gets access to the printer.
However if I apply it to the test OU in which I have single computer, then subsequently log on that computer it doesn't work. In the GPO created for the test OU I have applied the script to both the user and computer settings, but still doesn't work, and they are the only changes I have made.
When I run a gpupdate then a gpresult it shows that the domain level GPO and test GPO have been recognised and not filtered so I am at a loss as to why the prinetr is not being given access to.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Many thanks

 

[bofhrevenge2]

Hi downloadkid

The logon script needs to be applied to the OU that contains your users not the OU that contains your computers and it should be set in the user settings not computer settings.

Have a look at the link below this is how i've setup a couple of schools and it works very well.

Thread94-910564

 

[downloadkid]

Afternoon bofhrevenge2, I've tried the script, changing it to suite my needs but when loging on 'case' is an unrecognised command so it falls over....
The simple bat file I have got works just fine but it's not machine specific. I thought that if I created an OU for the different location and in there put the computers I could assign the script to the users part of the OU policy so that people in the office loggged on the correct printer would be assigned....I'm getting the feeling AD doesn't quite follow a straight line of logic.....

 

[downloadkid]

Ok take that back, saved it as a bsat instead of vbs, however doesn't run automatically, so back to square on..
Cheers

 

[bofhrevenge2]

It doesn't really matter what OU the computers are in as the script is attached to the users OU. Group policy set in the users confguration area must be set on the OU where the users reside not where the computer reside. The only time user configuration will affect users when it's applied to a computers OU is if Loopback processing is used. (A feature which is vey handy in a school by the way)


If you logon to the station and double click the script does it work then?

 

[downloadkid]

Oh yes, got it working
Cheers

 

[bofhrevenge2]

Oh good.

Here's some info on Loopback processing which i think you will find handy in a school environment.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/gp/34.asp

 

[downloadkid]

Sods law spent the weekend researching the scripts, configured for the new printer, go in to find the new printer has died!?!?!??!
What make / model printers do you use in your schools, I have a limited budget and high user requirements?
We currently have several magicolour 2200 network printers with 32mb of ram which constantly fall over or the spooler stalls. the demands since buying them a few years ago have grown, its fairly common at the end of a lesson to find 30 kids trying to print out 3 Mb power point presentations. they seems not to be able to cope.
The printer I was hoping to use was the OKI 5400, the quality was good and had many features at a price considerably cheaper then the likes of an HP or Xerox equivilent. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Cheers

 

[bofhrevenge2]

The last school that i worked at used Brother Laser printers but the current school users a mix of HP models. We did have an OKI at one point but it gave me no end of trouble so i stuck with HP as we can get reasonable priced toner and they seem reliable. There are also quite a few places that do recon HP printers we have a few and they seem very good and a fair bit cheeper that new.

 

[meastaugh1]

Totally agree that loopback processing feature is v useful in a school environment.

We used to have brother printers in my school, I've since replaced them with HP as I've found the brother printers to be quite problematic, whereas HP printers are excellent (imho), as long as you've got the driver configured correctly.

 

[downloadkid]

I'm not familiar with the loopback facility, but it olbviously has benefits.....xmas reading?!?!?

I have just mailed Brother....guess I can forget that idea..oh well looks like we'll have to fork out for HP , incidently my first choice, until I looked at the prices!

 

[bofhrevenge2]

We have just ordered a Dell network printer to try as they are doing some education offers here in the U.K, the price is quite good so they might be worth a look.

 

[downloadkid]

Ah I like Dell, funny you should say that I today took delivery of 123 new dell PCs, got a good deal, 3 yr on site, flat panels, xp pro, 512mb ram, 2.8 P4, sound bars etc though I never considered the printers. They've got the contract with county this year to provide the laptops for teachers, little dimensions, quite nice....

 

[bofhrevenge2]

Dell are doing laptops for teachers in your LEA?

Which county just out or curiosity?

 

[downloadkid]

Yep they won the contract with Somerset County Council, last year it was Toshiba. Personally I prefer Dell, I've had an 8500 inspiron forthe last 18 months. actually i bought it from the 'outlet' part of dell. One of the best purchases I've made for a while. Though i have to say the sony's are quite nice too, if a little proprietary....
which LEA are you with?

 

[bofhrevenge2]

I have to agree the Toshibas seem a bit flimsy and don't seem to perform very well, but they are free so you can't argue with that. (Well free to the teachers anyway).

We're under the Derbyshire LEA here in the dizzy heights of Buxton.

 

[downloadkid]

Your link to the LEA is it direct through a DSL connection or do you have to go through another telco?
The reason i ask is that in Somerset we have to go through cable and wireless before gaining access to the LEA network. Causes all sorts of problems and restrictions. My role is to implement and oversee the rollout to who school network, to 2003 server instead of having seperate admin and curriculum networks. Thus far I have removed the old cat5 bacbone replacing it with 8 core fiber [ 2 spare ] and upgraded all the switches to HP pro curve with a lyer 3 switch at the servers. Our 2mb pipeline is via a cable and wireless radio link off the hospital roof....it has varying performance particularly during the summer months when apparently humidity messes with the strength of the signal.
What i am looking to do is dump C&W and replace it with a direct DSL connection via the local exchange via a Cisco router. this way i can finaly give teachers remote access, host our own web server etc. as it stands at the moment we can't even FTP to update the antivirus DAT files....crazy situation.

 

[bofhrevenge2]

Our Broadband is supplied by EMBC they we're setup by the gov a couple of years age, most of the schools in the East Midlands use them. I was under the impression the gov we're providing something similar for all the LEA's.
They provide a firewall service and internet filtering for the kiddies, they also provide an external IP so we can host remote access services.

We moved to 2003 server in the summer and the network has run allot smoother since and it's easier to manage with Group Policy and VB scripts. Joining the admin and curriculum networks has proved to be a bigger headache.

 

[downloadkid]

I'm planing the rollout for Spring half term, fortunately I don't have to worry too much about migrating the curriculum user data as I'm using the guy from county responsable for instigating the whole school network project in Somerset. He has moved to a private firm which i am hiring. My training is in Cisco, my server skills are based firmly in admin.This project has provided me with a steep learning curve which I am enjoying.Forums like this are good as it helps to gel in my mind and apply pratically what I am learning.
The only thing the gov has stipulated as far as I am aware is that all schools are to have a broadband access by the end of 2005. no small task, a lot of the schools in somerset are rural, some with only 80 students at some of the primary schools. they currently have to suffer the indignity of a BRI ISDN connection.

 

[bofhrevenge2]

It's similar around here too some primaries are very remote and only have 56 or 128k ISDN.

I have just found out that EMBC are moving highschools to 8Meg connections though.