You can create a default template and assign that to multiple users, but it doesn't force all users to use the same profile (each just gets a copy of the base). You can also use roaming profiles but that just forces the same profile for a user across multiple machines (not for multiple users to a single profile).
Part of the problem with having multiple people share a single profile on Windows is you have things like folder redirection and account SIDs that are tied into the profile... Windows also locks files that are in use so multiple people using a single profile has an issue where what happens if user A is using the profile and user B signs on (more of a problem now that Windows supports multiple simultaneous logins - you can background one login in favor of another). I would think you could hack something where you redirect all their folders to the same location but then you hit that file lock issue (you can redirect appdata, desktop, documents, etc). Doesn't mean it's not possible... just a lot of obstacles to solutions I can think of. If you find a way through GP or through 3rd party software I'd love to know what it is... -- Brett Johnson simpleroute | 1690 Williston Road | South Burlington, VT 05401 tel: 802-578-3983 | email: [email protected] | web: simpleroute.com On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 11:29 AM, Josh Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > Can't you make some sort of default profile template with group > policies or something like that, and then define the profile through > active directory OU's? I haven't touched Windows AD for a while, but I > can double check with my friend who's a Windows admin...*shivers* > > --Josh > > On 7/21/2010 11:20 AM, Brett Johnson wrote: >> Ah my apologies - when I read your original email I thought you were >> looking for an open source alternative to the Windows product that ran >> on Linux (as opposed to an open source alternative for Windows). >> >> I'm not aware of a Windows alternative... >> >> -- >> Brett Johnson >> simpleroute | 1690 Williston Road | South Burlington, VT 05401 >> tel: 802-578-3983 | email: [email protected] | web: simpleroute.com >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 11:15 AM, Bjorn Behrendt >> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> if Windows had a usermod command then that solution might work. >>> For this reason and many others I would rather be managing a linux network, >>> but the reality is that I need to support Windows 7. >>> -bj >>> >>> On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 11:06 AM, Brett Johnson <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>>> What if you created a group and added all users to it. Then you could >>>> create a shared home directory and apply permissions to allow anyone >>>> in that group to use it. Next, use usermod to change each user's home >>>> directory to the new shared location. >>>> >>>> As unix doesn't lock files that are in use, I don't think there would >>>> be a huge issue in having them share it in the way described above... >>>> only thing I can think is that you might hit issues with new file >>>> creation/permission/ownership and with umask you could force group >>>> ownership to have full access to the files... >>>> >>>> Would that work? >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Brett Johnson >>>> simpleroute | 1690 Williston Road | South Burlington, VT 05401 >>>> tel: 802-578-3983 | email: [email protected] | web: simpleroute.com >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 10:51 AM, Bjorn Behrendt >>>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> I am looking for an opensource alternative to Forensit's User Profile >>>>> manager, or another commercial one I found was Zap (which at the moment >>>>> is >>>>> only windows XP). >>>>> In windows every user who logs in gets a cached local profile made for >>>>> them. >>>>> Microsoft has some overcomplicated methods for managing this, but I >>>>> don't >>>>> like them. >>>>> I am just trying to make it so that every user who logs into the windows >>>>> machine uses the same user profile. I have been looking for this >>>>> feature >>>>> for a while now. I have almost come to the conclusion that there is not >>>>> an >>>>> opensoruce version written yet. >>>>> -bj >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 11:07 PM, Anthony Carrico >>>>> <[email protected]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>>> On 07/20/2010 08:52 AM, Bjorn Behrendt wrote: >>>>>>> I just found Forensit's User Profile Manager. They have a feature >>>>>>> where in Windows you can assign a single profile to a group of users. >>>>>>> This saves a lot of time and frustration. I would love to find >>>>>>> (or >>>>>>> make if i knew how) an OpenSource version. It doesn't even need to >>>>>>> be >>>>>>> as fancy, just one check box that forces everyone who logs in to use >>>>>>> 1 >>>>>>> profile. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Any Ideas anyone? >>>>>> I don't think I know what a Windows User Profile is, I'm assuming it is >>>>>> something like Unix group ids, or initial homedir skeleton, etc., but >>>>>> anyway are you looking for something similar to manage accounts on a >>>>>> unix/linux machine, or an open source tool to actually manage a Windows >>>>>> installation? >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Anthony Carrico >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Bjorn Behrendt >>>>> IT Coordinator >>>>> Mount St. Joseph >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> (802) 775-0151 >>>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Bjorn Behrendt >>> IT Coordinator >>> Mount St. Joseph >>> [email protected] >>> (802) 775-0151 >>> > > -- > Josh Smith > Information Security & Forensics > Rochester Institute of Technology >
