Ranger profiles and RRG files

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Question

How do RRG files and Ranger profiles work?

Symptoms

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Cause

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Resolution

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Instructions

Ranger Profiles and registry keys

 

The actual registry files used to implement registry changes configured with Ranger profiles are stored in the RangerControl directory.

 

The files are RangerReGistry files (RRG's), and all have a structured filename:

x.nameOStype.rrg
where:
x - G for group
C for computer

 

Name - is a group name or a computer name?

OSType - 9x for 95,98,and ME
NT for NT4 and 2000

 

eg: g.staff9x.rrg (meaning registry settings to apply to members of the Staff group when they log on to a 9x based computer).

 

Each time RangerAdmin is saved, these files are updated. Backups of the previous versions are automatically saved each time as RRB files.

Format of RRG files

Each file contains registry keys in a similar format to those exported from registry editor.

 

Since these keys are merged programmatically via Ranger, their syntax can be modified slightly to add functionality.

Additional RRG syntax rules can be found in the following document:

Reg File Symbols.doc

 

RRG files also allow the deletion of registry keys by prefixing the key name or value with a "-".

Note: When creating RRG files, create them as text files and change the extension. Renaming an exported "reg" registry file from RegEdit and removing the "REGEDIT 4" or "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00" header is not always reliable, as RegEdit files can contain invisible codes that are not compatible as text files. This has been reported specifically for Windows 2000 "." files.

Merging RRG files when logging on

When a user logs on, a number of RRG files may be merged depending on the system's configuration, the user's group and machine operating system. The Preshell9X.rrg or PreshellNT.rrg files are always merged automatically. These allow system wide registry changes to be made for each user whenever they log on.

Manually merging registry keys

All registry changes are normally handled automatically from within Ranger's programs. However, the stand-alone program RgrRegUp.EXE is designed to allow manual use of RRG files.

Syntax: RgrRegUp.EXE RRGfilename

eg: RgrRegUp.exe test.rrg

RgrRegup can be found in the server's Ranger directory.

Testing

Logon as the account and check the changes