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Lesson 3: Sharing a Folder Using the Shared Folders Snap-In

You can use either the Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in to share an existing folder or to create a new folder and share it on the local computer or on a remote computer. You can also modify the shared folder and NTFS permissions when you share the folder.

After this lesson, you will be able to

• Share a folder by using the Shared Folders snap-in.
• Stop sharing a folder by using the Shared Folders snap-in.

Estimated lesson time: 15 minutes

From either the Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in, you can run the Create Shared Folder wizard to create a new folder and share it. When you use the Shared Folders snap-in to share an existing folder or to create a new shared folder, Windows 2000 assigns the Full Control shared folder permission to the Everyone group by default. You can also assign NTFS permissions when you share the folder. Table 20.4 describes the basic share permissions you can assign to a newly created shared folder when you use the Create Shared Folder wizard.

Table 20.4 Basic Share Permissions

NOTE

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Using either the Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in is the only way to create a shared folder on a remote computer. Otherwise, you need to be physically located at the computer where the folder resides to share it.

Practice: Creating a Shared Folder

In this practice, you will use the Shared Folders snap-in to create a new shared folder on your computer.

1. In the console tree, under Shared Folders, click Shares.
2. On the Action menu, click New File Share.

The Create Shared Folder wizard starts.

3. In the Create Shared Folder wizard, type C:\Library in the Folder To Share box.
4. Type Library in the Share Name box.
5. Click Next.

A message box appears asking you whether you want to create C:\Library.

6. Click Yes.

The Create Shared Folder wizard displays a final page of four basic share permission options. These options are described in Table 20.4 earlier. You can use one of the basic share permissions or you can create custom permissions.

7. Click Finish to accept the default permissions.

A Create Shared Folders dialog box appears, telling you that the share has been successfully created and asking whether you want to create another shared folder.

8. Click No.

You can also use the Shared Folders snap-in to stop sharing a shared folder.

1. In the console tree, under Shared Folders, click Shares.
2. Select the Library folder in the details pane.
3. On the Action menu, click Stop Sharing.

A message box appears asking whether you are sure you want to stop sharing the folder.

4. Click OK.

The Library share disappears from the list of shared folders.

5. Close the Computer Management window.

CAUTION

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If you stop sharing a folder while a user has a file open, the user might lose data.

Sharing a Folder on a Remote Computer

If you want to share a folder on a remote computer, you run the MMC and add the Shared Folders snap-in to it. When you add the Shared Folders snap-in, point it to the remote computer on which you want to create and manage shared folders.

You can create a Shared Folder console to use on a remote computer, as follows:

1. On the Start menu, click Run, type MMC and then click OK.

A custom console appears.

2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-In.

The Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box appears.

3. In the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box, click Add.
4. In the Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box, click Shared Folders and then click Add.

The Shared Folders dialog box appears. See Figure 20.3.




Figure 20.3 The Shared Folders dialog box, which allows you to specify a remote computer


5. In the Shared Folders dialog box, select Another Computer and then type in the name of the remote computer.

NOTE

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If you select the Allow The Selected Computer To Be Changed When Launching From The Command Line check box, you can choose which
remote computer on which you want to create and manage shares. If you don't select this check box, the console is always directed to the same remote computer.

1. Click Finish.
2. Close the Add/Remove Snap-In and Add Standalone Snap-In dialog boxes.

NOTE

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If you want to create and manage shared folders on remote computers and you aren't in a domain, you must create the same user account with the same password on each computer. In workgroups, you don't have a central database that contains all user accounts; instead, each computer in the workgroup has its own local security database. For more information on local security databases, see Chapter 10, "Setting Up and Managing User Accounts."

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned that you use the Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in to share an existing folder or to create a new folder and share it on the local computer or on a remote computer. You can set the shared folder and NTFS permissions when you share the folder. The Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in is the only tool available in Windows 2000 that allows you to create a shared folder on a remote computer.

You also learned that to create and manage shared folders on a remote computer, you create a custom console using the MMC and add the Computer Management snap-in or the Shared Folders snap-in. When creating a custom console for creating and managing shares on remote computers, you can specify one remote computer or you can allow the remote computer to be specified when the custom console is launched.