changing user profiles

[knowledgeisnetworkin]

A user has a laptop that he uses on the network which is joined to a domain. And when the user goes home he also uses the same laptop on his home network which is a workgroup. Normally he would have to take himself off the domain and join the workgroup when he goes home, and vice versa when he gets to work. Is there a way to have two seperate profiles to have him joined to a domain in one evironment, then his other profile joined to his home workgroup environment.


Thanks

 

[bcastner]

There is no reason to use anything but the existing Domain logon at the home network site, unless he is using a Windows Domain at home.

All the resources of a Windows workgroup are available to the user with his corporate Domain logon, and are browseable, mappable, and net use 'able.

If he is using a Windows Domain at home, you will need to use a third-party utility to make the change, and be certain the user is made a member of the Domain Administrators Group on both sites. Some possibilities:

http://www.netswitcher.com

http://www.mobilenetswitch.com/

 

[bcastner]

Note too, that the user at the logon screen can always scroll the list of Domains and select to do a local console logon.

 

[knowledgeisnetworkin]

bcastner,

How would this be possible ? If the laptop is a member of a domain, can you still see computers on a workgroup ?

Lets just say you had your basic hub and you connected 4 pcs to that hub in a workgroup called 'test'. Now I take this laptop configured to be in a domain and add it to the hub. Are you saying that I could still see the pc's in the 'test' workgroup and work within that 'test' environment ?

 

[knowledgeisnetworkin]

bcastner,

Even if the user is logged on locally, your computer domain doesnt change. your still configured to be in a domain.

 

[bcastner]

When you logon with your normal Domain logon in a workgroup setting you are using an XP feature called "cached credentials." With cached credentials there is no necessity for a Domain authentication.

The reason that My Network Places can enumerate Workgroups is that, assuming Netbios over TCP/IP is enabled, in the absence of a WINS or DNS server XP will use the Computer Browser service to enumerate available Workgroups.

Moreover, it is not at all unusual to see Domain settings that also have additional Workgroups, all of which can be enumerated along with any Domain connections.

A Workgroup has no authenticating authority. All that is required for a Domain workgroup to participate in a Workgroup off-site is for the user to recognize that the Network model used is that of the traditional Win2k security model, or in XP terms, Simple File Sharing is disabled.

The local account logon is available on a Domain computer as long as the Domain Administrators have not removed all local accounts. At the logon screen under Domain: is a scrollable window that if scrolled will show the option of the local logon account "This computer."

 

[mkirkaero]

I have a laptop and do the exact thing you are talking about.

When I go home I logon without changing from domain to local machine.

I map a shared folder on my home PC to my laptop with no problems and my broadband connection is a non issue, via wireless or ethernet to my router.

I kept looking for security and authentication reasons as to why it would not work before I tried it, and it turned out to be nothing.

I have had a harder time connecting to some broadband ISP's

 

[bcastner]

mkirkaero,

Because of the Protected Storage service of XP, the cached credentials feature prevents any authentication issue.

You go guy, because that is exactly how I handle this issue for a great deal of notebooks.

There is absolutely no reason for a Domain-set notebook to revert to a Workstation setting. There are hundreds of reasons no to do so, including reverting back to the Domain requires substantial Network Administrator assistance and/or the granting of Domain Administrator rights to the client user. Netither circumstance is necessary or desirable.

It can be a convenience, and a necessity if flipping between Domains, to use third party utilities. It is sometimes necessary to use Netsh.exe features if DHCP is sluggish or reluctant, or if flipping between static IP and DHCP determined IPS for the client workstation when flipping between Domain and Workgroup settings:

. the underlying issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;167014&Product=win2000

. Non-third-party native resolutions:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;283676

Using Netsh.exe:
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