Setting Up and Managing Network Access for Users

Articles and Tips: tip

01 Mar 1999

A system administrator charged with setting up and managing NetWare 5 access for users ought to be familiar with the following concepts and tasks:

The function of the user object.
How to create and modify a user account using NetWare Administrator.
How to create a user object using ConsoleOne.
How to create a user object using UIMPORT.
How to manage NetWare user licenses.
How to identify the types of network security provided by NetWare.
How to establish login security, including login restrictions for users.

We'll briefly touch on Item 1, and spend the rest of the time in this article on Item 2. The rest of the items in the list will be discussed in future issues of NetNotes.

Function of a User Object

This is pretty basic stuff, but it's important if you're going to be managing users on a NetWare network. A User object represents the people who use your network. User objects are the most fundamental object in NDS.

People have different aspects about them: distinctive hair color, size, facial features. Similarly, User objects are made up of different information about each user's network environment. A User object regulates access to the network and to network services. User objects are associated with login security, NDS security, file system security, and printing security.

User objects can be created and managed using any of the following utilities included with NetWare 5:

NetWare Administrator. NetWare Administrator is a Windows-based utility that lets you create and modify objects in the NDS tree. This NetNote will deal with the NetWare Administrator only.
ConsoleOne. ConsoleOne is a Java-based utility that enables you to create users objects through a browser.
UIMPORT. UIMPORT is DOS-based and enables you to import users from a database application to NDS.

Creating and Modifying User Accounts with NetWare Administrator

NetWare Administrator lets you perform all necessary functions related to the creating and administering of User objects. With NetWare Administrator, you can perform the following tasks: create, delete, modify, rename, and move.

Creating a User Account. Through NetWare Administrator, you create objects that represent users and you enter detailed property information for them that represents the needs of the users.

To create a user account using NetWare Administrator:

Log in and launch NetWare Administrator.
Move to the container you want to create the user object in.
Choose Object|Create and select User object class.
Enter a login name and the user's last name (this is required, for obvious reasons).
Indicate if you want to copy Template object property values.
Create a user home directory (not required).
Complete the creation process.

The Template Object. You can use the template object to create users that have similar characteristics. The template contains default information that you can apply to user objects that you create to give them default property values, such as phone number, and account restrictions. Multiple template objects can exist in the directory.

You can copy the Template object to a User object you are creating, thereby copying all property values within the Template object to the new User object. This is especially helpful when you need to create a series of users with similar property values.

The properties of the User objects created with a Template object can be changed by altering the Template object with the Details on Multiple Users option. This feature allows global changes, such as a company address or fax number, to be made in one place and passed on to all User objects. The Template object maintains a link with the User objects created with it. When a change is made to the Template object properties using the Detail on Multiple Users option, the change is also made to the associated User objects' properties.

You can create a Template object in the same way you create any other NDS object:

Move to the container you want the User object created in.
Create a Template object with the properties you need.
Begin creating a User object.
Select the option to use a Template object.
Complete the object creation process.

The Admin Object. The Admin object is the only default user account. It is created when NDS is installed for the first time. It has the authority to manage all aspects of the network and is the primary User object for initial network setup. Keep in mind, though, that you are not limited to one object with supervisory authority. You can create additional User objects with the same rights as the Admin object.

The Admin object is fundamentally a User object; it can be deleted or modified and it can have its security access revoked. However, you should never delete or modify the Admin object unless you know that additional user objects have the same rights.

Modifying User Accounts

You can modify user accounts individually or as a group using the Details on Multiple Users option.

To modify individual user accounts: Select Object|Details. Some properties, such as username, last name, and password, can only be changed on an individual basis.

To modify multiple user accounts: Select Object|Details on Multiple Users. This option can be used to change the User objects associated with other objects.

For example, if you select an organization chart, you can change all the User objects contained in the organization unit. The same is true of group and template objects.

* Originally published in Novell AppNotes

Disclaimer

The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.