Academic Computing Services
QUICK STUDY #9
March 2001

Mapping an RCS Drive on a PC

The RCS server sambasrv connects Windows machines to the networked campus printers, and to files and directories on the Rensselaer Computing System (RCS). Through sambasrv, it is possible to map network drives, both to your personal file space on RCS and to RCS public directories, so that they appear as additional drives on your personal computer.

If you acquired a laptop through Rensselaer's Mobile Computing Program, or are using one of the PCs in the public labs, you can map a network drive simply by double-clicking on the RCS File and Print icon on the machine's desktop. (For those users who do not have the RCS icon, instructions on how to include one on their desktop appear later in this document.)

Before You Begin...

Before you can map a network drive, you must complete some preliminary configuration by following the steps below. (Students who acquired laptops as part of the Mobile Computing Program should note that these three steps have already been done for them.)

• Install an Ethernet card (available at the Campus Computer Store).
  
• Configure your computer for network access by installing and configuring Microsoft's TCP/IP protocol. (Please refer to Quick Study #12, Installing and Configuring a TCP/IP Stack: Dynamic and Static IP Addresses, for more help with this; this document is available at the VCC Help Desk, and on-line at http://www.rpi.edu/Computing/Docs/docs.html.)
  
• Update the registry. You can do this on-line by first going to the URL http://www.rpi.edu/dept/acs/consult/pc.software/ibm/, clicking on the link for the appropriate operating system (win98, winnt, win2000, or winme), and then downloading the appropriate file from the list below. Save this registry to the desktop, then double-click on it.

  /sambasrv/98_PlainPassword.reg
  /NT4_PlainPassword.reg
  /Win2000_PlainPassword.reg
  /sambasrv/ME_PlainPassword.reg
  

Mapping a Network Drive

1.

Ensure that you're connected to the campus network. (The easiest way to do this is to verify your PC's IP configuration by running winipcfg: Open the Start menu and select the Run... option. A separate Run window will appear. Next, enter winipcfg in the Open field of the Run window, and click the OK button. An IP Configuration window, containing adapter address, IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway information, will appear. If these values appear as zeroes, click the Release button, and then the Renew button. If address information still does not appear, try using a different port with your laptop, or use another public PC, to make sure you have a good network connection.)

2.

Be sure that you have supplied your RCS userID and password in the Windows login dialog box, which appears at Windows startup.

3.

Right-click on either the My Computer or Network Neighborhood icon on your PC's desktop.

4.

Select the Map Network Drive... option from the pop-up sub-menu that appears.

5.

In the Map Network Drive window that appears, type in the desired network path; for example, to connect to RCS public space, type $\backslash\backslash$sambasrv$\backslash$public in the Path: field. (To connect to your RCS home directory, type $\backslash\backslash$sambasrv$\backslash$userID) in the Path: field, replacing userID with your RCS userID.) In either case, do not select the Reconnect at logon option.

6.

The system may prompt you to enter a password in order to connect to either the public space or your own RCS home directory space. If so, enter your RCS password and click on the OK button. For security reasons, do not select the Save this password in your password list option.

Creating a Desktop Shortcut to RCS File and Print Sharing

If you wish, you can use the GETSMB program to map your RCS home directory and various public directories, via sambasrv, as easily as you can on a Mobile Computing Program laptop or from a public PC. To do this:

1.

Map a network drive to $\backslash\backslash$sambasrv$\backslash$public, then double-click on the dept, cis, software, and getsmb folders.

2.

Double-click the appropriate folder for your machine's operating system: Win95, Win98, or WinNT.

3.

Create a new folder named getsmb on your PC, then copy the contents of the appropriate folder in /dept/cis/software/getsmb to that new getsmb folder on your machine. (The easiest way to copy this is to right-click on the source folder and select the Copy option, then right-click on the destination folder and select the Paste option.)

4.

Create a shortcut on your desktop that points to the *.exe file in your getsmb folder. To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop, select the New option, and then select the Shortcut option. In the window that appears, click on the Browse... button and go to the getsmb folder you just created, and click on the getsmbXX.exe file to select it. Click on the Next button, enter a name for your shortcut, and click on the Finish button.

5.

If you wish to change the default icon for your getsmb shortcut, right-click on the icon, and select the Properties option from the pop-up sub-menu that appears. Click on the Shortcut tab, and then the Change Icon... button. For a great selection of alternative icons, enter C: $\backslash\backslash$windows$\backslash$system$\backslash$shell32.dll in the File name: field. Left-click on the new icon you want, and then click OK.

About this document ...

Published by Academic Computing Services, RPI, Troy, NY 12180