Chapter 23 - System and Remote Administration Tools

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This chapter describes the Microsoft Windows 98 management tools that allow you to configure and manage your own computer, manage remote computers, and monitor network statistics. This chapter also includes information about other system management products and technologies.

See Also

  • For more information about system policies, see Chapter 8, "System Policies." 

  • For more information about security issues, see Chapter 9, "Security." 

  • For more information about device management, see Chapter 24, "Device Management." 

  • For more information about System Monitor, see Chapter 26, "Performance Tuning." 

Overview of System and Remote Administration Tools

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Businesses need the ease-of-use, productivity, and cost benefits of personal computers, but they also want the control of mainframe computing. In today's distributed environments, the distinction between systems and network management disappears, and management issues are more difficult to resolve.

The system management tools and agents provided with Windows 98 support system management in three areas:

  • Operating system software, including drivers, system services, and user interface components. These require system software distribution, system and user configuration management, security, and data backup. 

  • Hardware, including the computer's motherboard, add-in cards, hard disk and CD-ROM drives, monitors, tape drives, pointing devices, and keyboards. 

  • Application software that must be licensed and installed. 

Windows 98 also provides registry-based support for remote management of configuration settings for hardware and software settings — either on individual computers or on multiple computers (through system policies) on the network.

The remote management tools provided with Windows 98 make it easier for you to identify and solve problems encountered by users without dispatching support personnel to make changes at the users' work sites. The tools include System Policy Editor, Registry Editor, System Monitor, and Net Watcher.

You can enable remote administration capabilities on a computer as part of the process for installing Windows 98 from custom scripts. For more information, see Appendix D, "Msbatch.inf Parameters for Setup Scripts."

You can manage file systems remotely by browsing specific computers in Network Neighborhood, as described in "Using Network Neighborhood" later in this chapter.

Windows 98 also provides an agent for Microsoft Network Monitor and a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent for administration with SNMP system management products, as described in "Using Microsoft Network Monitor" and "Using an SNMP Agent" later in this chapter.

Figure 23.1 provides an overview of system and remote administration.

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Figure 23.1 System and remote administration overview 

The following sections summarize features in Windows 98 that support system and remote management on corporate networks.

Security for system logon and resource access. Administrators can take advantage of centralized user accounts on Windows NT or Novell NetWare networks to restrict network logon and access to shared resources on computers running Windows 98. Windows 98 provides password caching to make it easier for users to manage connections to password-protected resources yet also allows network administrators to restrict users' capabilities. Consequently, administrators can enforce strict security policies. For information, see Chapter 9, "Security."

User profiles. When user profiles are enabled, individual users and desktop configurations are available wherever they log on to the network. This solution permits multiple users to share one computer and "roving" users to log on to other networked computers while maintaining their personal settings. Administrators can also enforce a mandatory user profile, which can be useful for managing a common desktop for novice users. For information, see Chapter 7, "User Profiles."

System policies. Administrators can use system policies to specify required system settings and to restrict network access, security privileges, and system settings from a convenient central source. Policies can be specified for groups, for specific users, and for multiple computers, providing administrators significant control over users' ability to configure computer and desktop settings. For information, see Chapter 8, "System Policies."

Remote administration. Built-in capabilities for remote administration assist administrators in managing networking computers from a central location, reducing the burden of supporting system configuration and troubleshooting on the corporate network.

Backup capabilities. Windows 98 includes an improved version of the Microsoft Backup utility. The improved version supports a wider range of backup devices than the Windows 95 backup utility. For information about Microsoft Backup, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."

Windows 98 registry. In Windows 98, the operating system collects information about the hardware, system configuration settings, and applications and stores it in the registry. The Windows 98 registry is a structured database that consolidates configuration and status information for hardware and software components. As a result, this information is available to system management applications, ensuring flexible system management capabilities. For information, see Chapter 31, "Windows 98 Registry."

Configuration Tools in Windows 98

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Microsoft Windows 98 includes several tools and built-in features that make it easy to configure hardware and software on a computer.

Automatic hardware detection. Hardware designed to work with Windows 98 is virtually self-configuring. When you run Windows 98 Setup, an automatic hardware detection routine determines the hardware components that are installed. Whether your system includes Plug and Play – compliant or legacy components, Windows 98 can automatically detect and configure them.

Configuration wizards. Windows 98 includes wizards for installing new hardware; adding modems, infrared devices, scanners, digital cameras, and printers; installing applications; and tuning up your system. These tools lead you through the steps for configuring the new component on a computer.

Point and Print. When you copy a printer icon from the server's window to your Printers window or desktop, Windows 98 automatically installs the correct printer driver and configures the network connection to a network printer.

Control Panel options for system configuration. Control Panel includes several tools for configuring various parts of your system. Table 23.1 describes some of these tools.

Note The tools in Control Panel vary depending on the setup of your computer.

Table 23.1 Control Panel tools 

Icon

Description of tool

 

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Accessibility Options. Use this tool to adjust keyboard, sound, display, mouse, and general options to make Windows 98 easier to use for individuals with disabilities. For information, see Appendix H, "Accessibility."

 

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Add New Hardware. Use this wizard to configure newly installed hardware through detection or by selecting the corresponding driver from a list. For information, see Chapter 24, "Device Management."

 

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Add/Remove Programs. Use this wizard to install a program from a setup disk. You can also remove any application installed with this tool, add components from the Windows 98 compact disc, or create a new startup disk. For information, see Chapter 25, "Application Support."

 

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Date/Time. Use this tool to change date, time, and time zone settings for your computer. For information, see Help.

 

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Display. Use this tool to change background and screen saver choices. Modify settings for on-screen fonts, colors, color palette, active desktop, and so on. For information on configuring the display, see Chapter 24, "Device Management" and Chapter 30, "Hardware Management."

 

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Fonts. Use this tool to view installed fonts or install new fonts. For information, see Chapter 11, "Printing, Imaging, and Fonts."

 

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Game Controllers. Use this tool to add, remove, or change settings for game controllers. For information about game controllers, see Chapter 24, "Device Management," and Chapter 30, "Hardware Management."

 

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Infrared. Use this tool to configure and monitor infrared communication. (This is available to users who have infrared devices on their computers.) For information about Infrared devices, see Chapter 19, "Remote Networking and Mobile Computing."

 

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Internet. Use this tool to change your Internet settings. For information about the Internet, see Chapter 20, "Internet Access and Tools."

 

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Keyboard. Use this tool to change options for the style of keyboard you use and for the rate at which the characters you type are displayed. (The appearance of the icon might be different, depending on the type of keyboard used.) For information, see Help.

 

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Modems. Use this wizard to add a new modem. You can also use this tool to configure or diagnose installed modems. For information, see Chapter 21, "Modems and Communications Tools."

 

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Mouse. Use this tool to change mouse or pointer options. (The appearance of the icon might be different, depending on the type of mouse used.) For information, see Chapter 24, "Device Management."

 

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Multimedia. Use this tool to change options for audio playback and recording, MIDI output and schemes, and compact disc playback volume. Use the Advanced properties to install or configure multimedia hardware, drivers, and codecs. For information, see Chapter 12, "Multimedia."

 

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Network. Use this tool to configure network hardware and software. For information about networks, see Chapter 14, "Introduction to Networking Configuration."

 

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Passwords. Use this tool to change passwords and set security options. For information about passwords, see Chapter 9, "Security."

 

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Power Management. Use this tool to change power management settings. For information about power management, see Chapter 24, "Device Management."

 

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Printers. Use this tool to configure existing printers or add a new printer. For information, see Chapter 11, "Printing, Imaging, and Fonts."

 

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Regional Settings. Use this tool to change how numbers, currencies, dates, and times are displayed on your computer. For information, see Help.

 

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Scanners and Cameras. Use this tool to install, remove, or change properties for a scanner or a digital camera. (This is available to users who have scanners or digital cameras on their computers.) For information, see Help.

 

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Sounds. Use this tool to create or modify sound schemes. (This is available to users who have sound cards on their computers.) For information, see Help.

 

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System. Use this tool to view general information about your computer. Use Device Manager to list or configure hardware properties. You can also list, copy, or rename hardware profiles and view performance status settings. For information, see Chapter 24, "Device Management."

 

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Telephony. Use this tool to configure telephony drivers and dialing properties. For information about telephony, see Chapter 21, "Modems and Communications Tools."

 

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Users. Use this tool to set up and manage multiple users on your computer. For information, see Chapter 7, "User Profiles."

Setting Up Remote Administration

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This section provides details about how to set up remote administration after Windows 98 has been installed.

To take advantage of the remote administration capabilities of Windows 98, you should do the following:

  • Enable remote administration and user-level security on every computer that you will administer remotely. If you want to administer a remote computer using System Policy Editor, Registry Editor, or System Monitor, the Microsoft Remote Registry service must be installed on both your computer and the remote computer. Although the remote computer requires user-level security, it does not also require file and printer sharing services. 

    Optionally, install the SNMP agent or the Microsoft Network Monitor agent if required for your administrative tools. For information, see "Monitoring Your Network" later in this chapter. 

  • Run a common network protocol, such as the Microsoft version of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange (IPX/SPX) – compatible protocol, or NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI). 

  • Train help desk personnel on System Monitor if they will use it. They should understand what each measurement provided by System Monitor means and what course of action is required in response to these measurements. For information, see Chapter 26, "Performance Tuning." 

  • Train help desk personnel on what problems can be identified and repaired by using System Policy Editor or Registry Editor. 

Table 23.2 describes what you need to set up on the remote computer to complete an administrative task.

Table 23.2 Remote computer setup requirements 

Remote administration task

Requirement on the remote computer

Browse and manage shared resources on a remote computer by using Net Watcher.

Enable user-level security, remote administration, and file and printer sharing services; grant remote administration privileges to the network administrator.

Manage the file system of a remote computer by using Net Watcher.

Enable user-level security and remote administration; grant remote administration privilege to the network administrator.

Edit a remote computer's registry by using Registry Editor or System Policy Editor.

Enable user-level security and remote administration, and install Microsoft Remote Registry service.

Monitor performance of a remote computer by using System Monitor.

Enable user-level security and remote administration, and install Microsoft Remote Registry service.

Granting remote administration privilege gives a person full access to all shared resources on the system (including the ability to add and remove other remote administrators). Granting or removing access to remote administration capabilities for a user does not take effect until the next time the user connects to the computer running Windows 98.

When remote administration is enabled on a computer, two special shared directories are created:

  • Admin$ gives administrators access to the file system on the remote computer. 

  • Ipc$ provides an interprocess communication (IPC) channel between the two computers. 

Important If you enable user-level security by using the Network option in Control Panel or in a setup script, remote administration is enabled automatically for the Domain Administrator group on a Windows NT domain. On a Novell NetWare network, the Supervisor account (for version 3.x) or the Admin account (for version 4.0) is enabled automatically. For more information, see Chapter 9, "Security."

If you want to enable user-level security without automatically enabling remote administration, you can use system policies to enable the User-level access control option. In this case, you must enable remote administration manually by using the Passwords option in Control Panel on each individual computer.

To enable remote administration manually

  1. In Control Panel, double-click Passwords, and then click the Remote Administration tab. 

  2. Make sure the Enable remote administration of this server check box is selected. 

  3. If the computer is configured for share-level access control and you have configured file and printer sharing, the following dialog box appears. Specify the password for remote administration. 

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    If the computer is configured for user-level access control, the following dialog box appears. Click Add, and add the appropriate administrators. Then click OK

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To install the Microsoft Remote Registry service

  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click Add.

  2. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click Service

  3. In the Select Network Service dialog box, click Have Disk

  4. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the path to the Tools\Reskit\ Netadmin\Remotereg directory on the Windows 98 compact disc, and then click OK.

  5. In the Install From Disk dialog box, click OK

  6. In the Select Network Service dialog box, click Microsoft Remote Registry, and then click OK

  7. If you are prompted to specify the location of additional files, specify the path to the Windows 98 source files on a shared network directory or on the Windows 98 compact disc. 

For more information about installing the Microsoft Remote Registry service and enabling remote administration by using setup scripts, see Appendix D, "Msbatch.inf Parameters for Setup Scripts."

Technical Notes on the MS Remote Registry Service

  • You must also install the Remote Registry service on the administrator's computer to ensure that the Winreg.dll file is in the Windows System directory on that computer. 

  • Make sure that both the administrator's and the user's computers have at least one protocol in common. That can be Microsoft NetBEUI, Microsoft TCP/IP, or the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol (with or without the network basic input/output system [NetBIOS]). 

Using System and Remote Administration Tools

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The tools and agents that network administrators can use for system management are available from various installation sources. Tools come with Windows 98 that help you manage your system, and several other system and remote management tools are available from Microsoft. This section describes how to access the management tools in Windows 98 and where to find tools available from other sources.

Setup installs Registry Editor, the utility used to modify the registry, and Registry Checker, a utility that backs up and, if necessary, fixes the registry. The following tools are also installed during Windows 98 Setup: Disk Defragmenter, DriveSpace 3, and ScanDisk, as described in Chapter 10, "Disks and File Systems."

Microsoft Backup can be installed optionally from the Windows 98 installation compact disc. For more information about Microsoft Backup, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."

Some agents and tools are provided on the Windows 98 compact disc. Users can install these agents and tools directly from the compact disc, or the administrator can copy the software to the shared network directory that contains the Windows 98 source files. This software can be installed from custom setup scripts during Windows 98 installation or by using Control Panel after Windows 98 has been installed.

The following tools are available only in the Tools\Reskit\Netadmin directory on the Windows 98 compact disc. You can run these tools directly from the compact disc or install them locally by using the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel:

  • Password List Editor (in the Pwledit subdirectory), as described in Chapter 9, "Security." 

  • System Policy Editor (in the Poledit subdirectory), as described in Chapter 8, "System Policies." 

The following agents and services are available only in the Tools\Reskit \Netadmin directory on the Windows 98 compact disc. You can install them on a local computer by using the Network option in Control Panel.

For remote administration:

  • Microsoft Remote Registry service (in the Remotreg subdirectory) 

  • Microsoft SNMP agent (in the Snmp subdirectory) 

  • Microsoft Network Monitor agent (in the Netmon subdirectory) 

Note Both System Policy Editor and Registry Editor allow you to gain access to a remote computer's registry. However, System Policy Editor allows you to gain access to only a subset of keys, whereas Registry Editor allows you to gain access to the entire registry. This means that to use Registry Editor, users may require significantly more training. Also, remember that some changes made to the registry on a remote computer require the user to shut down and restart the computer, whereas other changes take effect immediately. As a rule, if you must restart the computer when changing a setting by using Control Panel or other tools, you must restart it when directly changing that setting in the registry.

This section discusses how to control remote registries; view a remote computer; and use Net Watcher, Network Neighborhood, and various agents. It also describes other system management tools and technologies. In addition to the tools discussed in this section, you can use other system management tools provided by Microsoft or by other vendors to remotely administer computers running Windows 98. Such tools include the following:

  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 

  • Novell NetWare Management System (NMS) 

  • Hewlett-Packard Open View for Windows 

  • Intel LANDesk 

  • IBM LAN NetView 

  • Sun NetManager 

Controlling Remote Registries with System Policy Editor

When you run System Policy Editor in registry mode, you have direct, real-time access to the registry for a local or remote computer. This section discusses how to gain access to the registry on a remote computer by using System Policy Editor. You can also use System Policy Editor to create, edit, and manage system policies to control system settings for multiple computers on the network. For information about installing and using System Policy Editor, see Chapter 8, "System Policies."

As with Registry Editor, most of the changes you make with System Policy Editor in registry mode modify the remote registry as soon as you save the changes. These registry changes apply to the user or to the computer. Some of them require the user to log off and then log back on to take effect.

To edit the registry on a remote computer by using System Policy Editor
  1. In System Policy Editor, click the File menu, and then click Connect

  2. In the Connect dialog box, type the name of the computer you want to administer remotely, using the name for that computer as it appears in the Network option in Control Panel. Windows 98 connects to the registry on the specified computer (assuming you have appropriate permissions). 

    The title bar of System Policy Editor shows whether you are viewing a local or a remote registry. 

  3. Make changes by using the methods described in Chapter 8, "System Policies." 

After you have made a connection to the remote computer, you can use System Policy Editor to modify user and computer properties just as you would on a local computer.

Controlling Remote Registries with Registry Editor

You can use Registry Editor to read and write values directly in the registry. You can read settings, create new keys and entries, or delete existing keys. Registry Editor should be used only by those who have appropriate access rights to identify and correct problems. You can also use Registry Editor to solve a problem on a remote computer running Windows 98. To solve a problem on a remote computer running Windows 98, you might need to gain access to the entire registry for the computer. In this case, you should use Registry Editor, because System Policy Editor allows access to only a subset of registry settings.

Note To use Registry Editor to edit the registry on a remote computer, the Microsoft Remote Registry service must be installed on the remote computer, as described in "Setting Up Remote Administration" earlier in this chapter.

To edit the registry on a remote computer by using Registry Editor
  1. In Registry Editor, click the Registry menu, and then click Connect Network Registry.

  2. In the Connect Network Registry dialog box, type the name of the computer you want to administer remotely. 

    Windows 98 adds the contents of the remote registry below the contents of the local registry.

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  3. Make changes by using the methods described in Chapter 31, "Windows 98 Registry." 

Viewing a Remote Computer with System Monitor

System Monitor is a tracking tool that monitors the real-time performance of various computer components, functions, and behaviors and displays the results in graphs or charts. You can use System Monitor to troubleshoot performance problems by monitoring virtual device drivers across the network. System Monitor can provide you with performance information from many system components, including the file system and network clients. This information is useful in locating bottlenecks and solving other performance problems.

With the appropriate administrative privileges, you can use System Monitor over the network to track the performance of remote computers. To monitor more than one computer simultaneously, you can start multiple instances of System Monitor and connect to the appropriate computers.

For more information about installing and using System Monitor, see Chapter 26, "Performance Tuning."

Note To use System Monitor to connect to a remote computer, the Microsoft Remote Registry service must be installed on the remote computer.

To view performance data on a remote computer by using System Monitor
  1. In System Monitor, click the File menu, and then click Connect.

  2. In the Connect dialog box, type the name of the computer, and then click OK

Using Net Watcher

If you use file and printer sharing services, you can use Net Watcher to create, add, and delete shared resources on remote computers, and to monitor and manage connections to shared resources. This is especially useful when you need to know who is connected to a computer and which files are open.

Note If you are not using file and printer sharing services, you can skip this section.

Net Watcher includes a set of icons that make it easy to do the following:

  • Add a shared resource or stop sharing a resource. 

  • Show all shared resources, connected users, and open files. 

  • Close files users have opened. 

  • Disconnect a user. 

To install Net Watcher
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click the Windows Setup tab. 

  2. Click System Tools, and then click Details

  3. Select the Net Watcher check box, and then click OK

To connect to a remote computer by using Net Watcher
  1. On the Start menu, click Run, type netwatch in the Open box, and then click OK. 

  2. On the Administer menu, select Select Server, and then type the name of the computer you want to connect to. 

  3. Type the password for remote administration on the computer you are connecting to. 

    The password depends on the type of security used on the remote computer, as follows:

    • For share-level security, the password is the Remote Administration password specified in the Passwords option in Control Panel. 

    • For user-level security, the password is the one for an Administrator account specified in the Passwords option in Control Panel. 

When using Net Watcher to view a remote computer, consider the following constraints:

  • The remote computer must be running file and printer sharing services.

  • If your computer uses share-level security, you can use Net Watcher to connect only to other computers that use share-level security. However, if the computer uses user-level security, you can use Net Watcher to connect to any other remote computers running file and printer sharing services. The pass-through server or domain does not have to be the same for the two computers. 

  • For computers running File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks, you can use Net Watcher to connect only to other computers running File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks. The pass-through server does not have to be the same for the two computers. 

  • On a NetWare network, you cannot use Net Watcher to close documents on remote computers. You can, however, use Net Watcher to disconnect users. 

Tip You can prevent a user from sharing files, although the user must have file and printer sharing services running to allow remote administration. To do this, set the system policies named Disable File Sharing Controls and Disable Print Sharing Controls. Disabling these options by using system policies does not remove the file and printer sharing services, whereas using the Network option in Control Panel does disable the service.

To share a resource on a remote computer by using Net Watcher
  1. To connect to a remote computer, follow the procedure "To connect to a remote computer by using Net Watcher" earlier in this section.

  2. On the View menu, click By Shared Folders

  3. On the Administer menu, click Add Shared Folder

  4. In the Enter Path dialog box, type the drive and complete path of the resource that you want to share, and then click OK.

Using Network Neighborhood

Another way to use System Policy Editor, Registry Editor, System Monitor, or Net Watcher remotely is to right-click the remote computer from within Network Neighborhood.

To manage remote computers in the local workgroup by using Network Neighborhood
  1. In Network Neighborhood, right-click the icon of the computer you want to administer, and then click Properties

  2. In the computer's Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab. 

  3. Click the button for the remote management task you want to perform, as described in the following list.

    Option

    Description

    Net Watcher 

    Runs the Net Watcher tool and automatically connects to the specified computer. 

    System Monitor 

    Runs the System Monitor tool and automatically connects to the specified computer. 

    Administer

    Opens a folder on the desktop for the specified remote computer and allows you to gain access to the remote computer's hard disk drive. 

Scheduling Tasks

The Scheduled Task Wizard lets you run useful utilities and routine tasks at regular intervals. You can set the tasks to run at times that are most convenient for you.

Once you have a task scheduled, an icon appears in the Windows taskbar.

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Note If you are upgrading a Windows 95 computer on which System Agent is installed, the System Agent tasks are inherited by the Scheduled Task.

The Scheduled Task Wizard is automatically installed when you install Windows 98. The executable file, Mstask.exe, is located in your \Windows \System folder.

To schedule tasks
  1. Double-click My Computer, and then double-click Scheduled Tasks. 

  2. Double-click Add Scheduled Task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. 

  3. Click Next, and then enter the information as prompted by the wizard. 

Configuring the Scheduled Tasks

Each task in Scheduled Tasks can be reconfigured once it has been set up in the Scheduled Task Wizard.

To change the configuration for a scheduled task
  1. Double-click My Computer, and then double-click Scheduled Tasks. 

  2. Double-click the task you want to reconfigure. 

    The following information describes the three tabs that you can use to reconfigure each task:

    • Task provides the source location of the program. 

    • Schedule provides options to configure the frequency, date, and time that the program should be run. 

    • Settings provides options to configure when to delete or stop the program, and how to run the program if the computer is idle, is in use, or has Power Management options enabled. 

Technical Notes on Scheduled Tasks

Consider the following issues when you are using Scheduled Tasks:

  • During Suspend mode, the computer can perform tasks in Scheduled Tasks only if it has Advanced Power Management (APM) version 1.2 or Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). Check for this in Device Manager, Systems, Devices in Control Panel. 

  • Tasks are stored as a JOB file in the \Windows\Tasks folder. This file can be copied and pasted to different machines. 

  • A task must be sage-aware in Task Scheduler; otherwise, the task will open and wait for OK to be clicked. A task is sage-aware if it displays a Settings button in its user interface. All Microsoft disk utilities are sage-aware. 

Using Windows Script Host

The Windows Script Host (WSH) is a language-independent scripting host that enables scripts to be executed directly on the Windows desktop or command console, without the need to embed the scripts in an HTML document. You can run scripts directly from the desktop simply by clicking on a script file, or from the command console. WSH provides a low-memory scripting host that is ideal for noninteractive scripting needs, such as logon scripting or administrative scripting.

For more information about the WSH, see the following Web site:

Using MS Management Console

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is a general-purpose management display framework for hosting administration tools built by Microsoft and third parties. It is provided in the Windows 98 implementation for compatibility with Windows NT. MMC is task-focused. It is implemented with an object architecture, which gives MMC the foundation for its modularity and customizability and provides administrators with the flexibility to build and distribute task-oriented tools from modular components called snap-ins.

MMC can be used from within an existing enterprise console or can launch enterprise consoles. Unlike enterprise consoles, MMC imposes no protocol dependencies or object repositories; these remain the responsibility of each snap-in. Working within the MMC, the administrator can use a series of snap-ins to create task-oriented administrative displays customized to provide the appropriate management functions. Snap-ins can work independently or act to extend functionality of other snap-ins. Allowing administrators to create their own views and removing technology discipline boundaries, makes it possible to create a display of network, system, and user information — providing a single point of management that is integrated, comprehensive, and easy to use.

For more information about the Microsoft Management Console, see the following Web sites:

Using Other Management Tools

Microsoft has launched an initiative called the Zero Administration Initiative for Windows. Zero Administration Initiative for Windows (ZAIW) encapsulates many technologies, some of them already available and some under development. It equates to establishing a management infrastructure in Microsoft Windows, exposing the infrastructure, and building the tools to use it.

Zero Administration Initiative for Windows includes infrastructure components, such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM), and management tools, such as Systems Management Server and Microsoft Management Console (MMC). This section describes technologies that combine to provide the Zero Administration Initiative for Windows. It also describes the Internet Explorer Administration Kit Profile Manager, which ships as a Resource Kit tool.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit Profile Manager

After you create a custom Windows 98 Active Desktop and Active Channel configurations on your computer, you can use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) Profile Manager to import the custom configurations and deploy them to users or workgroups.

You can also use IEAK Profile Manager to:

  • Specify system policies and restrictions, such as whether users can close toolbars or modify their Start menus, and additional options, such as proxy settings. 

  • Customize additional components of the Internet Explorer browsing software, such as Outlook Express and Microsoft NetMeeting. 

  • Package these and additional applications that you want to distribute to users or workgroups into files that can be downloaded, distributed on floppy disk or compact disc, or installed by Active Setup. 

  • Deploy updates to Active Desktop and Active Channel configurations when a user starts the Internet Explorer browsing software, or at scheduled intervals, using automatic browser configuration. 

  • Set up and maintain software distribution channels, which you can use to distribute new applications or software updates. 

For more information about setting up the Active Desktop, see Chapter 6, "Configuring the Active Desktop and Active Channels."

The Internet Explorer Administration Kit provides extensive details, procedures, and technical discussions about planning, creating, and deploying custom configurations, creating software distribution channels, and using the Profile Manager.

The IEAK ships as a tool on the Windows 98 Resource Kit compact disc.

For more information about the IEAK, see the Windows 98 Resource Kit compact disc. See also the following Web sites:

Systems Management Server

Systems Management Server is a systems management application for medium and large organizations that require a highly scalable and extensible management infrastructure for the management of distributed Windows-based systems. Providing automated software and hardware inventory, software distribution, and remote diagnostics, Systems Management Server integrates with leading enterprise management platforms while also providing an integration point for a range of third-party management applications.

For more information about Microsoft Systems Management Server, see the following Web site:

Web-based Enterprise Management

Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM) is a collection of technologies designed to facilitate management of the enterprise. These technologies were developed by a group of companies and are intended to work independently of their vendors, protocols, and management standards. Typically, enterprise management has been tied to different protocols for different disciplines; for example, SNMP for network management. WBEM assumes that management problems are task-oriented and require tools that work together to provide a single management methodology. The WBEM technologies are strongly influenced by advancing Internet technology, which has opened up a new perspective on system management.

For more information about WBEM, see the following Web sites:

Windows Management Instrumentation

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provides the basis for instrumentation in future Windows environments. Close coupling of WMI with services developed to conform to the Web-based Enterprise Management initiative will allow Microsoft to simplify instrumentation and provide consistent, open access to management data. WMI is a set of extensions to the Win32 Driver Model (WDM) and provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components can provide information and notification.

For more information about WMI, see the following Web site:

Monitoring Your Network

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This section describes the following tools for monitoring your network:

  • The Network Monitor protocol and agent, which you can use with System Monitor to obtain network statistics. 

  • An SNMP agent that allows you to monitor, from an SNMP console, remote connections to computers running Windows 98. 

Using MS Network Monitor

The Windows 98 compact disc includes a protocol driver and an agent for Microsoft Network Monitor. The protocol driver provides performance counters that can be viewed by using System Monitor if you want to assess certain network traffic statistics for network driver interface specification (NDIS) version 5.0 protected-mode network adapters. The Network Monitor Agent, which runs as a Windows 98 service, works with the protocol driver for use with the Microsoft Network Monitor application. You can use this application to detect and troubleshoot problems on LANs, WANs, and Microsoft Remote Access Service (RAS) connections.

Note The Network Monitor application is provided with Microsoft Systems Management Server, a client-server system that allows administrators to perform key management functions for distributed computers from a central location.

Installing the Network Monitor Agent and Driver

When you install the Network Monitor Agent, the protocol driver is also installed automatically. You must have both the agent and the driver installed if you want to use the agent with Network Monitor to conduct remote captures of network traffic to and from a computer running Windows 98.

However, if you want only to view the performance counters in System Monitor and you want to prevent anyone from gaining access to the local computer by way of the Network Monitor Agent, you can choose to install only the protocol driver.

Note The Network Monitor application uses NetBIOS to control the remote-capture computer. If you are using the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol to connect the agent and manager computers, you must enable NetBIOS support for IPX/SPX.

To install the Microsoft Network Monitor Agent on a single computer
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click Add

  2. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click Service

  3. In the Select Network Service dialog box, click Have Disk

  4. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the path to the Tools\Reskit \Netadmin\Netmon directory on the Windows 98 compact disc, and then click OK

  5. In the Select Network Service dialog box, select Microsoft Network Monitor Agent from the Models list, and then click OK

To install only the Microsoft Network Monitor protocol driver
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click Add

  2. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click Protocol

  3. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, click Have Disk.

  4. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the path to the Tools\Reskit \Netadmin\Netmon directory on the Windows 98 compact disc, and then click OK

  5. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, select Microsoft Network Monitor Driver from the Models list, and then click OK

Running Network Monitor Agent

You can run Network Monitor Agent as a service, or you can start and stop the agent as an executable application.

To start Microsoft Network Monitor Agent
  • On the Start menu, click Run, type nmagent in the Open box, and then click OK

Network Monitor Agent is removed from the system each time you log off and must be restarted for each user who logs on if the agent is not scheduled to run as a service.

To run Network Monitor Agent as a service
  1. In Registry Editor, select the following registry key: 

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices 

  2. On the Edit menu, select New, and then click String Value

  3. Type a label for the value name, such as nmagent, and then press ENTER. 

  4. On the Edit menu, click Modify

  5. In the Value Data box, type nmagent.exe

  6. Click OK

If Network Monitor Agent has been started as a service, it continues to run after a user logs off. You can, however, type a command to stop running the agent, whether the agent was started as a service or run from the command prompt.

To stop Microsoft Network Monitor Agent
  • On the Start menu, click Run, type nmagent -close in the Open box, and then click OK
Configuring the Network Monitor Driver

You can configure options for Network Monitor by defining properties for the Network Monitor protocol driver.

To configure the Microsoft Network Monitor protocol driver
  1. Make sure that Network Monitor Agent is not running and that System Monitor is not monitoring the performance statistics provided by the Network Monitor protocol driver. 

  2. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then double-click Microsoft Network Monitor Driver

    In the Microsoft Network Monitor Driver Properties dialog box, click the Password tab. You can define the password that users must specify to capture data, view capture files, or access the computer remotely. The following options are available:

    • If you want to change any previously defined password, type a password in the Old Capture Password area. 

    • If you want to define a password to restrict users to viewing only previously saved capture files by using the Microsoft Network Monitor application, type a password in the Display Password area. 

    • If you want to define a password to authorize users to connect to the computer and capture files by using the Microsoft Network Monitor application, type a password in the Capture Password area. You can define only one password for all network adapters on a computer with multiple adapters. 

    • If you want to allow free access to the computer by anyone running the Microsoft Network Monitor application, make sure the No Password check box is selected. 

  3. If the computer has more than one network adapter, click the Describe tab, and then select the network adapter you want to monitor.

    You can also define a description for each network adapter in this dialog box, so that the administrator running the Network Monitor application can determine which adapter to select. 

  4. Click the Advanced tab. In the Value box, type the user name to be shown when an administrator running the Network Monitor application selects the Identify Network Monitor Users command.

    This additional information, which is similar to a comment, is not updated or changed if another user logs on to this computer. 

Using an SNMP Agent

For networks that use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for system management, Windows 98 includes an SNMP Agent that conforms to the SNMP version 1 specification. This agent allows you to monitor, from an SNMP console, remote connections to computers running Windows 98. After this agent has been installed, you do not need to make any other modifications to client computers to use SNMP.

Installing MS SNMP Agent

The SNMP Agent is implemented as a Win32-based service and works using Windows Sockets over both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX. The extension agents are implemented as Win32 dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). (For more information about writing SNMP management information bases [MIBs] under Windows 98, see the Microsoft Windows Platform Software Development Kit.) The configuration information for the RFC 1156 extension agent is placed in the registry under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \System \CurrentControlSet \Services \SNMP \Parameters 

To install Microsoft SNMP Agent
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click Add

  2. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click Service

  3. In the Select Network Service dialog box, click Have Disk.

  4. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the path to the Tools\Reskit \Netadmin\SNMP\ directory on the Windows 98 compact disc, and then click OK

  5. In the Select Network Service dialog box, select Microsoft SNMP Agent from the Models list, and then click OK

    If you are prompted to specify the location of additional files, specify the path to the Windows 98 source files on a shared network directory or on the Windows 98 compact disc. 

Configuring MS SNMP Agent

Use System Policy Editor to set the following policies for the computer:

Policy

Description

Communities

Specifies one or more groups of hosts to which this computer belongs for purposes of administration using the SNMP service. These are the communities allowed to query the SNMP Agent.

Permitted Managers

Specifies Internet Protocol (IP) or Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) addresses allowed to obtain information from an SNMP Agent. If this policy is not selected, any SNMP console can query the agent.

Traps for Public Community

Specifies trap destinations, or IP or IPX addresses of hosts in the public community to which you want the SNMP service to send traps.

Internet MIB (RFC 1156)

Allows you to specify the contact name and location if you are using Internet MIB.

If you want to configure the Windows 98 SNMP Agent to send traps to a community other than the public community, you must either edit the registry directly or add a new system policy.

To add SNMP communities by editing the registry
  1. In Registry Editor, select the following key: 

    Hkey_Local_Machine \System \CurrentControlSet \Services \SNMP \Parameters
    \TrapConfiguration 

  2. On the Edit menu, select New, and then click Key

  3. Type the name that you want to specify for a new community. 

    Create a new string value for each console to which SNMP should send traps:

    • The first value name should be 1, the second value name should be 2, and so on. 

    • The value data must be the IP or IPX address of the SNMP console to which traps will be sent. 

    • You can use Registry Editor to create new string values or to modify the string value by using commands on the Edit menu. 

The following screen shows an example of what the registry should look like after adding a new community named Prv1.

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To add SNMP communities by using system policies
  1. Start a text editor, and open the Windows.adm file in the INF subdirectory of the Windows directory.

    Add an entry in the section named CATEGORY !!SNMP, specifying the following new values:

    • Name Of New Policy, which defines the text that you want to appear in System Policy Editor for this policy. You do not need to include "!!" if you use quotation marks around the name. The "!!" string is used only for Windows 98 localization, and the strings are defined at the bottom of Windows.adm.

    • Name Of New Community, which defines the name of the community for** **which you are adding support. 

The following shows the complete syntax for this entry:

POLICY "Name Of New Policy"
KEYNAME
System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SNMP\Parameters
\TrapConfiguration\Name Of New Community
PART !!Traps_PublicListbox LISTBOX
VALUEPREFIX ""
END PART
END POLICY

Note The registry key and value names are case-sensitive. Also, the registry key name (System\...\Name Of New Community) must be one continuous line in the Windows.adm file.

For example, the following adds a policy for a community named Prv1:

POLICY "Traps for Prv1 Community"
KEYNAME
System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SNMP\Parameters\TrapConfiguration\Prv1
PART !!Traps_PublicListbox LISTBOX
VALUEPREFIX ""
END PART
END POLICY

After editing and saving Windows.adm, you can see this new policy by running System Policy Editor and selecting the Computer policy under Network named SNMP. You can use this policy exactly as you would use the policy named Traps for Public Community.

Removing Remote Agents and Services

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You can remove any agent that runs as a network service and that appears in the Network option in Control Panel. To do this, select the agent, and then click Remove.

You can use System Policy Editor to turn off services by setting system policies or by using registry mode to modify a computer's registry. To do this, in the computer properties, click System. Then delete the services you no longer want under the Run and Run Services policies.

You can remove some agents, such as the SNMP Agent, only by modifying the registry. For a single computer, you can do this by using either Registry Editor or System Policy Editor. The following registry keys list the services running on the computer:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Run 

Additional Resources 

For more information about

See this resource

Profile Manager 

Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit

Microsoft Management Console

https://www.microsoft.com/management/default.mspx  
https://msdn.microsoft.com/  

Windows Management Instrumentation and Windows Script Host

https://www.microsoft.com/management/default.mspx  

Systems Management Server

https://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.asp  

Internet Explorer Administration Kit 

https://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp  
https://www.microsoft.com/windows/ieak/default.asp  

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