Inside Windows Server 1002003 [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Quotas

Windows 2000 came out with a file system feature that many administrators had waited a long time to see: the capability to limit the disk space assigned to a user based on a set of rules established by the administrator. In other words, quotas.

Unfortunately, this first attempt at quota management by Microsoft left a lot to be desired. It had several fundamental flaws:

• Finally, the quota system lacks an enterprise management interface. The quota management console does permit you to copy individual quota settings from one volume to another, but there are no centralized tools that permit you to manage quotas for an entire system, perhaps with settings stored in Active Directory.

I would like very much to tell you that Microsoft resolved all these deficiencies in Windows Server 2003. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Rather than spend a lot of time covering quota management as it is implemented in Windows Server 2003, let me refer you to a few third-party Storage Resource Management (SRM) products that do a better job of managing disk space:

• StorageCentral SRM from Precise Software, www.precise.com. This is the leading quota management product for Windows 2000. It can define quota settings for users and groups, target limitations by file type, and has a raft of reports.




• Quota Server from Northern Software, www.northernparklife.com. This product has the most on-screen features but is a little more difficult to manage in an enterprise than the Wquinn product.




• Quota and File Sentinel from NTP Software, www.ntpsoftware.com. The interface of this product is more difficult than the others to use and manage. Look for an upgrade between when I'm writing this and when Windows Server 2003 is released.

These tools carry a fairly hefty price tag, but when you compare that to the cost of purchasing, installing, and backing up more storage, you may find them to be more than cost effective.