Alternatives to Net Use

[Smithers]

I'm rewriting a small utility app that, amongst other tasks, copies files
from the local machine to servers on the local network. The existing
implementation executes a batch file that executes the "net use" command to
map a drive to each destination server/share. The program then tests via "if
(File.Exists())" to ensure that the mappings were successful.

I'd like to find a better way to copy the files out to the servers... and
eliminate the batch file and "net use" altogether if possible.

Is there an easier way to map drive letters than via batch file and net use?

Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

I'm developing this with .NET 3.5 beta 2, C#, and the app is to run on
Windows Server 2003.

Thanks!

[Ignacio Machin \( .NET/ C# MVP \)]

Hi,

"Smithers" <[e-mail] in message
news:O4**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

I'm rewriting a small utility app that, amongst other tasks, copies files
from the local machine to servers on the local network. The existing
implementation executes a batch file that executes the "net use" command
to map a drive to each destination server/share. The program then tests
via "if (File.Exists())" to ensure that the mappings were successful.

I'd like to find a better way to copy the files out to the servers... and
eliminate the batch file and "net use" altogether if possible.

You do not need to have the share mapped to the machine, you can simply use
an UNC like "\\servername\share\file"

[Peter Duniho]

Smithers wrote:

Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

Yes. Just specify the filename with the UNC server name. So, if you
have \\server\share mapped to d: and would normally copy to the filename
"d:\myfile.dat", instead use the filename "\\server\share\myfile.dat".

Pete

[Larry Smith]

I'm rewriting a small utility app that, amongst other tasks, copies files

from the local machine to servers on the local network. The existing
implementation executes a batch file that executes the "net use" command
to map a drive to each destination server/share. The program then tests
via "if (File.Exists())" to ensure that the mappings were successful.

I'd like to find a better way to copy the files out to the servers... and
eliminate the batch file and "net use" altogether if possible.

Is there an easier way to map drive letters than via batch file and net
use?

Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

I'm developing this with .NET 3.5 beta 2, C#, and the app is to run on
Windows Server 2003.

A mapped drive is simply an alias for a UNC (Universal Naming Convention)
name. Just use the UNC name instead (which is cleaner anyway). IOW, if drive
"Z:" is mapped to \\ServerName\ShareName then the command:

copy YourFile Z:\SomeFolder

is the same as:

copy YourFile \\ServerName\ShareName\SomeFolder

[Smithers]

What about authentication?
IIRC when I wrote version 1 of this utility a few years ago (and similar
apps over the years before), I had to go with mapping a drive letter because
with [net use] I could specify login credentials ("connect as user");
whereas going with a UNC assumes that the source is authenticated to the
destination (or is otherwise trusted).

-S
"Peter Duniho" <Np*********@NnOwSlPiAnMk.comwrote in message
news:13*************@corp.supernews.com...

Smithers wrote:

>Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

Yes. Just specify the filename with the UNC server name. So, if you have
\\server\share mapped to d: and would normally copy to the filename
"d:\myfile.dat", instead use the filename "\\server\share\myfile.dat".

Pete

[Peter Duniho]

Smithers wrote:

What about authentication?

Don't know. That is, not without using "net use". Maybe .NET provides
a mechanism, but I'm not aware of it.

IIRC when I wrote version 1 of this utility a few years ago (and similar
apps over the years before), I had to go with mapping a drive letter because
with [net use] I could specify login credentials ("connect as user");
whereas going with a UNC assumes that the source is authenticated to the
destination (or is otherwise trusted).

You can use "net use" without mapping a drive letter to authenticate
yourself.

Of course, even better is configuring the network so that you don't need
authentication. If you have an NT domain set up, this is as simple as
setting the access rights for the share to include the logged-in user
that will be accessing the share.

If you don't, you can achieve the same thing by making sure the server
computer has a user with the same name and password as that used on the
client computer used to connect. There might be some security setting
you have to configure to enable this behavior; I don't recall off the
top of my head whether this works by default.

Barring any of that, executing a "net use \\server\share
/user:<username/password:<password>" will authenticate you for the
share, and then you can use the UNC paths without any trouble. You can
do this from a command prompt manually or programmatically.

Pete

[Smithers]

Great feedback (as usual). Thanks!

-S
"Peter Duniho" <Np*********@NnOwSlPiAnMk.comwrote in message
news:13*************@corp.supernews.com...

Smithers wrote:

>What about authentication?

Don't know. That is, not without using "net use". Maybe .NET provides a
mechanism, but I'm not aware of it.

>IIRC when I wrote version 1 of this utility a few years ago (and similar
apps over the years before), I had to go with mapping a drive letter
because with [net use] I could specify login credentials ("connect as
user"); whereas going with a UNC assumes that the source is authenticated
to the destination (or is otherwise trusted).

You can use "net use" without mapping a drive letter to authenticate
yourself.

Of course, even better is configuring the network so that you don't need
authentication. If you have an NT domain set up, this is as simple as
setting the access rights for the share to include the logged-in user that
will be accessing the share.

If you don't, you can achieve the same thing by making sure the server
computer has a user with the same name and password as that used on the
client computer used to connect. There might be some security setting you
have to configure to enable this behavior; I don't recall off the top of
my head whether this works by default.

Barring any of that, executing a "net use \\server\share /user:<username>
/password:<password>" will authenticate you for the share, and then you
can use the UNC paths without any trouble. You can do this from a command
prompt manually or programmatically.

Pete

[Smithers]

Quick followup:
Is it possible to issue a "net use" without putting it in a batch file and
launching that via Process.Start?

The end result I'm after is having the destination server name\share names
listed in App.config. Then at runtime I check to see if I can access each
share prior to attempting to copy files. IF the share is not accessible,
then I'm wanting to issue the net use to attempt to authenticate. Only after
that fails would the logic give up. I don't want to have to go with a batch
file if possible as I implement the net use portion of this.

Thanks!

"Peter Duniho" <Np*********@NnOwSlPiAnMk.comwrote in message
news:13*************@corp.supernews.com...

Smithers wrote:

>What about authentication?

Don't know. That is, not without using "net use". Maybe .NET provides a
mechanism, but I'm not aware of it.

>IIRC when I wrote version 1 of this utility a few years ago (and similar
apps over the years before), I had to go with mapping a drive letter
because with [net use] I could specify login credentials ("connect as
user"); whereas going with a UNC assumes that the source is authenticated
to the destination (or is otherwise trusted).

You can use "net use" without mapping a drive letter to authenticate
yourself.

Of course, even better is configuring the network so that you don't need
authentication. If you have an NT domain set up, this is as simple as
setting the access rights for the share to include the logged-in user that
will be accessing the share.

If you don't, you can achieve the same thing by making sure the server
computer has a user with the same name and password as that used on the
client computer used to connect. There might be some security setting you
have to configure to enable this behavior; I don't recall off the top of
my head whether this works by default.

Barring any of that, executing a "net use \\server\share /user:<username>
/password:<password>" will authenticate you for the share, and then you
can use the UNC paths without any trouble. You can do this from a command
prompt manually or programmatically.

Pete

[Chris Dunaway]

On Aug 20, 1:45 pm, "Smithers" <[e-mail]:

What about authentication?
IIRC when I wrote version 1 of this utility a few years ago (and similar
apps over the years before), I had to go with mapping a drive letter because
with [net use] I could specify login credentials ("connect as user");
whereas going with a UNC assumes that the source is authenticated to the
destination (or is otherwise trusted).

-S

"Peter Duniho" <[e-mail] in message

news:13*************@corp.supernews.com...

Smithers wrote:

Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

Yes. Just specify the filename with the UNC server name. So, if you have
\\server\share mapped to d: and would normally copy to the filename
"d:\myfile.dat", instead use the filename "\\server\share\myfile.dat".

Pete

You can impersonate a user using code like this:

http://tinyurl.com/2jfc37

Chris

[clintonG]

Smithers needs to delve into Microsoft's PowerShell which was developed to
do tasks exactly the same as those discussed in this news article.
PowerShell uses the .NET Framework to abstract away the complexity and need
to write lots of code in the same manner we learned the framework does for
us with its thousands of methods of classes.

<%= Clinton Gallagher
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/
"Smithers" <[e-mail] in message
news:O4**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

I'm rewriting a small utility app that, amongst other tasks, copies files
from the local machine to servers on the local network. The existing
implementation executes a batch file that executes the "net use" command
to map a drive to each destination server/share. The program then tests
via "if (File.Exists())" to ensure that the mappings were successful.

I'd like to find a better way to copy the files out to the servers... and
eliminate the batch file and "net use" altogether if possible.

Is there an easier way to map drive letters than via batch file and net
use?

Is there a way to copy files without mapping a drive letter at all?

I'm developing this with .NET 3.5 beta 2, C#, and the app is to run on
Windows Server 2003.

Thanks!