Maintaining a Shared Disk

When you share directories on a server's hard disk, it is important for the disk to be well organized. If several people use the same directory for a lot of different

projects, the directory will soon be a clutter of unrelated files. You should spend some time creating and sharing separate directories for different groups of users. If each user or group has a well-defined work area on the hard disk, it will be easier to keep files straight.

Because several people can create files in a shared directory, it is likely that a server's hard disk will fill up much more quickly than a netstation's hard disk would. As administrator, you should closely monitor how much disk space is being used. (The LAN Manager Alerter service automatically tells an administrator when the server's disk is near full capacity.) To conserve disk space, you should encourage users to take inventory of their files from time to time and to delete files they no longer need.

Managing Shared Directories

4

4-5

Finally, it is important to back up all shared directories on a regular basis. You should have a backup copy for each of the server hard disks in case anything happens to the disks. It is also helpful to back up copies of files you no longer want on the hard disk.

For information about creating backups using the BACKUP and RESTORE commands, see the 3+0pen MS OS/2 LAN Manager User Reference.

Sharing Directories

When you share a directory, you make all files and subdirectories of that directory available to specified users of the local area network. You might share a directory to make a group of files available to several users or to give users additional work space.

To share a directory, follow these steps:

1. Select the View menu and choose the This server menu item.

The Resources This Server Is Sharing With the Network dialog box appears.

This dialog box shows all resources currently being shared from your server.

2. Choose the Add share command button.

The What would you like to share? dialog box appears.

3. Select the Disk directory option button.

4. Choose the OK command button.

The Share a Disk Resource With the Network dialog box appears.

T bl a e 4-1"

s

Sharename Specify the sharename you want the new shared directory to have.

Path S~ec.ify the drive letter and path of the directory you are s anng.

Remark Type a descriptive comment for the directory.

Max. users Specify the maximum number of users able to access the directory at one time (you can also mark the No limit check box.)

Password If you are running the server with share-level security, you can type a password for the shared directory in this text box.

6. If you are running the server with share-level security, move to the Permissions check boxes.

Use these boxes to assign access permission for the directory. Press [Space bar] to place an X in an empty check box or to remove an X from a marked check box.

7. Choose the OK command button.

8. If you are running the server with user-level security, the Edit File Permissions dialog box appears.

Use this dialog box to specify which users and groups can use the new shared directory and what kind of permissions they are to have. See Chapter 8:

Managing U ser-Level Security for information on how to actually assign permissions for a shared directory.

Example

Managing Shared Directories

4

4-7

The head of MacroCorp's Public Relations department has asked Mary Sullivan to create a shared directory for the Public Relations staff. Since Public Relations is a fairly security-minded department, Mary decides to create and share the directory on mis, a server running user-level security. This will allow the Public Relations people to assign different pennissions for different users of the shared directory.

Mary's fITst step is to use the MS OS/2 MKDIR command to create a Pubrel directory on the mis server. Next she must share this directory. To do this, she starts the administrator's version of the LAN Manager screen, selects the View menu, and chooses the This server menu item. In the Resources This Server Is Sharing With the Network dialog box, Mary chooses the Add share command button. Then, in the What would you like to share? dialog box, she selects the Disk directory option button.

In the Share a Disk Resource With the Network dialog box, Mary starts fIlling in the text boxes. First she shares the Pubrel directory as pubrel. This means that members of the Public Relations staff will be able to connect to their shared directory by specifying the pathname \\mis\pubrel. Mary types c:\pubrel in the Pathname text box to tell LAN Manager where to fInd the directory on the server's hard drive. In the Remark text box she just types Public Relations. Since mis is running user-level security, there's no need to specify a password. Finally, in the last text box Mary sets the maximum number of users at 20 (there are 15 people in the Public Relations department right now, so 20 gives them a little flexibility.) When Mary chooses the OK command button, the Edit File Permissions dialog box appears on her screen. To fInd out how Mary assigns pennissions for the Pubrel directory, see Chapter 8: Managing User-Level Security.