Resources

The term "NetMan Desktop Manager resources" as used in this manual most often refers to all of the users and workstations that use your NetMan Desktop Manager system. The first time a user or station connects to NetMan Desktop Manager, a new data record is created in the NetMan Desktop Manager database. Other NetMan Desktop Manager resources include: Groups and profiles: for systematic grouping of users and stations. Global permissions: for defining permissions to run specific scripts and actions. Access time definitions: for specifying time intervals during which access to certain scripts and actions is granted or denied. Protocol definitions: for defining links to the NetMan Desktop Manager protocol association feature. Licenses: for limiting the number of simultaneous instances of a given application, or the number of users that can run it. Resources and their properties are described in detail in the following:

User

Every user that logs on to your NetMan Desktop Manager system is automatically added to the database. The format of the user database entries is: domain\user. Users are managed in the NetMan Center. There you also create new users. The advantages of creating a user yourself are:

•You can configure the user account in advance, before the user logs on to NetMan Desktop Manager for the first time.

•You create a user account that has no corresponding network account, for example to have the NetMan access control program assign a user name based on IP address or host name.

 

You edit existing users in the NetMan Center. From the NetMan Center, you open the resource editor by editing existing users and creating new users manually. For more information on working with the Resource Editor, see "Resource Editor“.

In addition to the user name, there is a wide range of other data pertaining to a user that you can store in NetMan. One important item is the user ID, which designates the user's data record in the database and is used for data logging purposes within NetMan Desktop Manager. Other information includes the following:

•Membership in NetMan profiles

•Membership in NetMan groups

•Language

•NetMan startup and shutdown scripts

•Allocated collections

•Maximum number of sessions

•Contact details

•NetMan autostart scripts

•(Object) properties

•Description

 

For details on user information, including which items are required and which are optional, see "User“.

Stations

Every station that logs on to your NetMan Desktop Manager system is automatically added to the database. The stations are identified by DNS name. If the DNS name cannot be detected, the IP address is registered instead. If no IP address can be discovered, the computer name is registered. Stations are managed in the NetMan Center. From the NetMan Center, you open the resource editor by editing existing stations and creating new stations manually. The advantage of creating a station account yourself is that you can configure it in advance, before the station logs on to NetMan Desktop Manager for the first time. For more information on working with the Resource Editor, see "Resource Editor“.

In addition to the station ID, there is a wide range of other data pertaining to a station that you can store in NetMan. One important item is the station ID, which designates the station's data record in the database and is used for data logging purposes within NetMan Desktop Manager. Other information includes the following:

•Membership in NetMan profiles

•Membership in NetMan groups

•NetMan startup and shutdown scripts

•Allocated collections

•Station specifications

•Autostart scripts

•Properties (object)

•Description

 

NetMan Desktop Manager automatically analyzes some of these items, such as MAC address, IP address and operating system, and displays the info on the Data page. These values are also itemized on the Properties page and can be referenced in a Script, for example using a Read Properties Action.

For details on what items of information about stations you can enter and which data about the station is automatically stored by NetMan Desktop Manager, see "Stations“.

Groups

Both users and stations can be assigned membership in NetMan Groups. These are proprietary groups in NetMan Desktop Manager. They are used primarily for allocation of 'execute' permissions in scripts. For more details, see "Groups“.

Profiles

Both users and stations can be assigned membership in NetMan profiles. These profiles are disjunctive groups; in other words, a given user or station can belong to only one profile. This can help maintain clarity with settings such as Startup and Shutdown Scripts, so you can see at a glance what setting is applied to what object. For more on NetMan profiles, see "Profiles“.

Global permissions

Global permissions are a form of access permissions. They are defined by one or more logical expressions. You can combine object-specific permissions with conditions to create global permissions. These can be used, for example, to regulate the execution of Scripts or of individual Actions within Scripts. For details on creating global permissions, see "Create Global Permissions“.

Time definitions

Access time definitions define intervals of time during which access is granted or denied. In other words, a time definition is a time-specific permission. These can be used to regulate the execution of scripts, or of individual actions within scripts. For details on creating access time definitions, see "Create Access Time Definitions“.

Protocol definitions

A protocol definition is a collection of protocols that are linked to specified programs or scripts by the NetMan Desktop Manager protocol association feature. The protocol association intercepts a protocol call, such as "mailto", for example, and opens it with the program defined in your protocol definition. Protocol definitions are managed globally in the NetMan Center. They are allocated in the NetMan Settings. For details on creating and allocating protocol definitions, see "Create Protocol Definitions“.

Process configurations

You use process configurations to define the system environment for specific processes. In detail, you specify the number of available processor cores and the process priority. You also select whether you only want to use the configuration in a remote session. You can use process configurations, for example, to relieve your remote desktop session hosts by limiting resource-hungry applications. For details on creating user profiles, see "Create Process Configurations“.

Licenses

Licenses are a NetMan Desktop Manager mechanism for maintaining compliance with your end-user licensing agreements when your applications run in a Remote Desktop environment. Licenses are managed in the NetMan Center. You also create new licenses there. Alternatively, you can also create licenses while working in the Script Editor, for example when you are configuring a program action. For details on creating and allocating licenses, see "Allocate Licenses“.