2.21. USE
The USE mode connects a
computer to a shared resource, disconnects a computer from a shared
resource, or lists the shared resources. When used by itself, this mode
displays the status, local drive letter, remote UNC source, and the
network type of any drives the local system uses. This mode uses the
following syntax:
NET USE [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename[\volume]
[password | *]] [/USER:[domainname\]username] [/USER:[dotted
domainname\]username] [/USER:[username@dotted domainname] [/SMARTCARD]
[/SAVECRED] [[/DELETE] | [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]]
NET USE {devicename | *} [password | *] /HOME
NET USE [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]
NOTE
There's a
lack of consistency between Windows and the Net Use utility when working
with printers. If you create a connection to a drive using the standard
Windows techniques, you'll see it in the list when you use the Net Use
command. However, if you create a connection to a printer, the printer
doesn't show up in the list, even if you ensure the printer has an LPT
port connection. Any printer connections that you create using Net Use
do show up in the list, but these connections don't show up in the
Printers and Faxes folder. Generally, you'll want to work with printers
in Windows unless you have a need for a printer connection in a batch
file for script.
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
devicename
Specifies a
name to connect to the resource or specifies the device that you want to
connect. The two device types are disk drives (D: through Z:) and
printers (LPT1: through LPT3:). (It's theoretically possible to create
printer connections up to LPT9: even though Microsoft only documents
connections up to LPT3:.) Type an asterisk (*) instead of a specific device name to assign the next available device name to a device.
\\computername
Specifies the
name of the computer that controls the shared resource. Make sure you
enclose the computer name, including the backslashes, in double quotes
when the computer name has a space in it. You may use any computer name
from 1 to 15 characters long.
\sharename
Specifies the
sharename for the resource you want to use. This entry is the same as
the name that appears in Network Neighborhood.
\volume
Specifies a
NetWare volume on the server. You must have the correct software
installed on your system to access the NetWare volume. In most cases,
this means you'll have Client Services for NetWare or Gateway Services
for NetWare installed to connect to the NetWare servers.
password
Defines the password used to access the shared resource, which isn't necessarily the same as the local password.
*Produces a prompt
for the password. The system displays a dialog box that shows the
password as a series of asterisks instead of using cleartext at the
command line. Using this feature can help you maintain the security of
passwords used on your system.
/USER
Specifies that the
utility uses a different username than the current username to make the
connection. The username can take a number of forms as shown by the
command line syntax. In addition, you can provide alternative
credentials, such as smart cards.
domainname
Defines the domain
name to use for the logon. If you omit the domain name, then the utility
uses the currently logged in domain. You may also use a dotted form of
the domain name, which looks much like the domain names for the
Internet, when working with Active Directory.
username
Specifies the username to use to log into the remote system.
/SMARTCARD
Specifies that the connection relies on the credentials stored on a smart card.
/SAVECRED
Specifies
that the connection should save the username and password. The utility
ignores this command line switch unless the connection requires a
username and password for access.
/HOME
Connects the user
to their home directory. This command line switch only works when the
user account has a home directory specified.
/DELETE
Deletes the connection from the list of persistent connections. The connection becomes unusual as soon as the command completes.
/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}Sets the state of
the persistent network connection. When set to YES, the utility saves
all connections as you make them and restores them at the next logon.
When set to NO, the utility doesn't save any new connections. However,
the utility still restores any existing connections during the next
logon even if you set this command line switch to NO. Use the /DELETE command line switch to remove any persistent connections you no longer need.
2.22. USER
The USER mode works
with user accounts on the network. You can change local user accounts or
specify that you want to change the user information on the domain. The
utility displays a list of current users when you use the USER mode
alone. The names appear in three columns and the output doesn't include
any additional information. The USER mode only works on servers
(machines that have the Server service running). This mode uses the
following syntax:
NET USER [username [password | *] [options]] [/DOMAIN]
NET USER username {password | *} /ADD [options] [/DOMAIN]
NET USER username [/DELETE] [/DOMAIN]
NET USER username [/TIMES:{times | ALL}]
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
username
Specifies the name
of the user account that you want to add, delete, modify, or view. The
user account name can contain up to 20 characters.
password
Specifies the
password used to access the user account. A password must satisfy all
logon requirements for the machine, including the minimum and maximum
length requirements set with the Net Accounts command. A password can contain up to 14 characters.
*
Produces a prompt for the password. The system displays a dialog box
that shows the password as a series of asterisks instead of using
cleartext at the command line. Using this feature can help you maintain
the security of passwords used on your system.
/DOMAIN
Performs the
requested task on the domain controller of the current domain instead of
the local machine. You must have the rights required to make user
account changes on the domain controller to use this command line
switch.
/ADD
Adds the user account to the user accounts database.
/DELETE
Removes the user account from the user accounts database.
/TIMES:{times | ALL}Specifies the
times that the user can log into the system. The option requires
specific intervals or the keyword ALL, which means that the user has no
time restriction.
options
Specifies one or more specialized options that the mode uses when working with a particular user.
The options require a
little more explanation. You use the options to change the way that the
USER mode handles specific users. The following list describes each of
the options.
/ACTIVE:{YES | NO}Activates or deactivates the account. The user can't access the server when the account is inactive. The default setting is YES.
/COMMENT:
"text"Provides a comment
for the user's account. You can use a maximum of 48 characters to
describe the user or the user's role. Always enclose the comment in
quotes.
/COUNTRYCODE:
nnnDefines a
three-digit country code for the user. The country code tells
applications how to implement language support for the user. In
addition, the country code affects how Windows displays help and error
messages. Use a value of 0 to signify the default country code.
/EXPIRES:{date | NEVER}Defines an
expiration date for the user account. The default setting of NEVER keeps
the account active forever. The form of the date depends on the country
code; it's usually mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy. You can use a number for
months, abbreviate them with three letter codes, or spell them out. The
year can appear as a two- or four-digit number. Always use slashes and
not spaces to separate the date elements.
/FULLNAME:
"name"Specifies the
user's full name for the account. The full name is the user's given
name, rather than the account name used for logging into the system.
Enclose the name in quotes.
/HOMEDIR:
pathnameDefines a home
directory for the user. The path must exist. You must supply an absolute
path and it's always a good idea to include the drive letter.
/PASSWORDCHG:{YES | NO}Specifies whether the user can change their own password. The default setting is YES.
/PASSWORDREQ:{YES | NO}Specifies
whether the user account must have a password associated with it. The
default setting is YES. Creating a user account without a password, even
on a stand-alone machine, is an invitation to invasion by a cracker. In
fact, you should change your password relatively often to ensure that
crackers have short-term use of your machine even if they do guess your
password.
/PROFILEPATH[:
path]Sets the path for the user's logon profile. You can learn more about user logon profiles at http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm.
/SCRIPTPATH:
pathnameDefines the location
of the user's logon script. The logon script controls actions the
machine takes as part of setting up Windows for the user after the user
logs into the system.
/TIMES:{times| ALL}Defines the user's
logon hours. A user can't log onto the system outside of these hours.
You express the times as starting day, ending day, starting time, and
ending time. The system limits you to using one-hour increments for the
time. You can spell days out or abbreviate them. The times can appear in
12- or 24-hour format. Supplying a value of ALL as input means that the
user can always log into the system. Likewise, a blank value means the
user can never log into the system. Separate the day and time values
using commas. Create multiple entries by separating the day and time
groups with semicolons.
/USERCOMMENT:
"text"Defines a user
comment for the user account. The comment should describe the user or
the user's role within the organization. Create useful comments that
describe the user in such a way that it's easier to identify the user in
a large organization.
/WORKSTATIONS:{computername[...] | *}Defines up to eight
computers that the user can use for login purposes. If this command line
switch doesn't include a list, or the list is an asterisk (*), then the
user can log in from any computer.
2.23. VIEW
The VIEW mode displays a
list of shared resources on a computer. When you use this mode without
any command line switches, it displays all of the machines on a network
or domain. This mode uses the following syntax:
NET VIEW [\\computername [/CACHE] | /DOMAIN[:domainname]]
NET VIEW /NETWORK:NW [\\computername]
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
\\computername
Specifies the
computer whose resources you want to view. The default output includes
the sharename, resource type, used as information, and comment.
/DOMAIN:
domainnameSpecifies the domain
for which you want to view the available computers. The utility
displays the current domain or local network when you omit this command
line switch.
/NETWORK:NW
Displays the
list of available servers on a NetWare network. The utility displays the
resources available on a particular computer when you include the
computername argument.
/CACHE
Displays the
offline client caching settings for the resources on the specified
computer. The output includes the sharename, resource type, used as
information, and the caching setting.
Your hard drive
is probably loaded with a wealth of undocumented utilities. In many
cases, these undocumented utilities are gold for anyone working at the
command line. The SHRPubW is one of those undocumented Microsoft
utilities that can make a difference in many cases. The command line
interface for this utility is SHRPubW /s
ComputerName, where ComputerName
is the name of a computer on the network. You must always include the
/s command line switch, which causes the utility to share a folder on
the target computer. In all cases, this utility starts the Create a
Shared Folder Wizard. Follow the prompts and you'll end up with a shared
folder on your machine or any other machine you designate.
This utility has a number
of interesting uses. One of the most interesting uses is sharing a
folder on Windows XP Home machines. The graphical interface doesn't
provide any means of performing this task. However, Windows XP Home does
include this utility, so you can still share folder with this operating
system.
Another
interesting use for this utility is to share folders on other machines.
For example, if you're a network administrator and want to share a
folder on your server without walking over to it, you can start this
utility with that server's name. The utility helps you set basic share
security and the user sees the new share immediately.
