Logging into the Domain. Using the Windows Network
A domain is an inter-computer system working on the TCP/IP network protocol. The domain allows computers in the same network to share their hard disk drive resources and grants some additional less important features.
This service mainly offers the option of mapping a home directory located in a server to the user's work computer. The home directory contains the user's files and desktop settings. To achieve this, the users must authorize themselves by a username and password and log into the domain, after which the home directory will be mapped to the user's computer automatically, recognized as an additional hard disk drive.
University staff may have additional rights for manually mapping the shared hard disk drive resources of their own department or some other department.
Many computers in the University’s computer network have been configured to be logged into the domain. The SOLARIS domain has been provided for use by all the people who have a user account in the University‘s computer network.
Why log into this domain?
Your home directory will be automatically mapped as drive H: (H - home). It can be used as a local hard disk drive, meaning that you can freely copy or move files there. The files in the home directory are automatically backed up every night. Please note that the available free room in the home directory is limited.
Your Windows settings are stored in your home directory and therefore they will be used in any computer you use to log into the Solaris domain.
Additionally you may map \\math.ut.ee\programs as P: drive (P - programs). It is a shared drive meant for all users and allows you to run many programmes, such as F-Prot for antiviral protection, PowerArchiver for compressing your files, etc.
Mapping the shared drives
The departments have their own directories in the server. The names of these directories correspond to the names of departments and structural subdivisions (DAUK, DAIT, P2OO). They are visible only to the employees of a specific department or structural subdivision and are meant for internal use. These directories are backed up every night. The directories should be mapped as drive X:, the process of which will be discussed in the next subsection - Using the Windows Network.
Using the Windows Network
Depending on the operating system of your computer your desktop will contain either the icon Network Neighbourhood or My Network Places. These will help you find shared resources from servers and computers in the same local network. The prerequisite for this is that the Client for Microsoft Networks has been installed on the computer.
In the Windows environment it is possible to map your home directory from the server and some additional shared directories from any other workplace computer in the University network without having to log into the domain. To do this, the user should log into his/her computer using the username and password for the central server of the University.
Mapping network drives
To map a network drive, do the following:
1. Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop and select Map Network Drive from the pop-up menu.
2. Select the drive letter (recommended settings: H for your home directory, P for the shared drive from the server, X for the shared directory of the department). The following window will open in a computer with the Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system:
The check in the Reconnect at logon checkbox in this window indicates that from now on the network resource will be always mapped automatically when you log in using your username and password.
The window that will open if you are using the Windows 2000 or XP operating system looks like this:
3. Insert the path. For mapping a home directory it is \\serveriname\username, for example: \\raud\stud33 , for using the shared network drive it is \\math.ut.ee\programs .
4. Click OK or Finish.
The contents of the mapped drive or directory are now visible in the My Computer window, under the letter you have previously selected for it. It is now possible to move files to and from the mapped drive as if it was located in your computer.
The network drive can also be mapped to your computer by using an alternative method. To do this, you have to open the Run command from the Start menu and write the following into the Open text field that will open in a new window:
net use P: \\math.ut.ee\programs
and then click OK.
If the password that you used to log into your computer does not correspond to the password for that username in the server, the server will ask you for your active password:
The network drive will be disconnected automatically if you log out or shut down your computer.
You can also disconnect the network drive manually, by right clicking the My Computer icon and selecting Disconnect Network Drive, specifying a letter and clicking OK.
Shared resources
Before you decide to share a drive or a directory from your computer, consult with the administrator of your computer! Shared drives, directories and printers may make your computer vulnerable to both viruses and hackers.