Lesson 2: Planning Shared Folders

When you plan shared folders, you can reduce administrative overhead and ease user access. You can organize resources that will be shared and put them into folders according to common access requirements. You can also determine which resources you want shared, organize resources according to function and use, and decide how you will administer the resources.

Shared folders can contain applications and data. Use shared application folders to centralize administration. Use shared data folders to provide a central location for users to store and gain access to common files. If all data files are centralized in one shared folder, users will find them easily. You will be able to back up data folders more easily if data folders are centralized, and you will be able to upgrade application software more easily if applications are centralized.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Plan which shared folder permissions to assign to user accounts and groups for application and data folders.

Estimated lesson time: 5 minutes

Application Folders

Shared application folders are used for applications that are installed on a network server and can be used from client computers. The main advantage of shared applications is that you don't need to install and maintain most components of the applications on each computer. While program files for applications can be stored on a server, configuration information for most network applications is often stored on each client computer. The exact way in which you share application folders will vary depending on the application and your particular network environment and company organization.

When you share application folders, consider the points in Figure 15.3. These points are explained in more detail as follows:

Create one shared folder for applications and organize all of your applications under this folder. When you combine all applications under one shared folder, you designate one location for installing and upgrading software.

Assign the Administrators group the Full Control permission for the applications folder so that they can manage the application software and control user permissions.

Remove the Full Control permission from the Everyone group and assign the Read permission to the Users group. This provides more security because the Users group includes only user accounts that you created, whereas the Everyone group includes anyone who has access to network resources, including the Guest account.

Assign the Change permission to groups that are responsible for upgrading and troubleshooting applications.

Create a separate shared folder outside your application folder hierarchy for any application for
which you need to assign different permissions. Then assign the appropriate permissions to that folder.

Figure 15.3 Creating and sharing application folders

Data Folders

Users on a network use data folders to exchange public and working data. Working data folders are used by members of a team who need access to shared files. Public data folders are used by larger groups of users who all need access to common data.

When you use data folders, create and share common data folders on a volume that is separate from the operating system and applications. Data files should be backed up frequently, and with data folders on a separate volume, you can conveniently back them up. If the operating system requires reinstallation, the volume containing the data folder remains intact.

Public Data

When you share a common public data folder, do the following:

Use centralized data folders so that data can be easily backed up.

Assign the Change permission to the Users group for the common data folder (see Figure 15.4). This will provide users with a central, publicly accessible location for storing data files that they want to share with other users. Users will be able to gain access to the folder and read, create, or change files in it.

Figure 15.4 Public data and working data shared folders

Working Data

When you share a data folder for working files, do the following:

Assign the Full Control permission to the Administrators group for a central data folder so that administrators can perform maintenance.

Share lower-level data folders below the central folder with the Change permission for the appropriate groups when you need to restrict access to those folders.

For an example, see Figure 15.4. To protect data in the Accountants folder, which is a subfolder of the Data folder, share the Accountants folder and assign the Change permission only to the Accountants group so that only members of the Accountants group can gain access to the Accountants folder.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned that you use shared application folders to centralize
administration and make it easier to upgrade application software. When you use shared application folders, you should assign the Administrators group the Full Control permission for the applications folder so that members of this group can manage the application software and control user permissions. You should also
remove the Full Control permission from the Everyone group and assign Read
permission to the Users group. This provides more security because the Users group includes only user accounts that you created, whereas the Everyone group includes anyone who has access to network resources, including the Guest account.

You also learned that you use shared data folders to provide a central location for users to store and gain access to common files. When you use data folders, create and share common data folders on a volume that is separate from the operating system and applications. Data files should be backed up frequently, and with data folders on a separate volume, you can conveniently back them up.