Ranger for Networks: User Account Management

 

Managing Network Users


A critical activity performed in education networks is user account management. Proportionally, education networks have a higher number of users compared to other network types. It is common for secondary schools and colleges to have in excess of several thousand user accounts to manage. Given this, a considerable amount of time is spent performing related tasks such as creating user home folders, setting permissions, changing passwords and other house keeping duties. To this end, Ranger Account Manager was developed to simplify and automate these numerous time intensive tasks.


Key Features


Import


Import takes an export file from a registration database and uses this to automatically create the user accounts in Active Directory. It then performs a number of associated tasks including creation of the users' home and profile folders with appropriate security permissions.


Modify


Modify allows you to view or change one or more users' properties within Active Directory. Values which are common to all users are displayed and the option is given for different values to be overridden and applied to users being edited.


Configuration Templates


Configuration Templates are used to capture common settings which are typically shared between large sets of users. These templates therefore can aid user creation and modification by removing the large quantity of bulk data entry usually associated with such tasks.


User settings are split into three distinct template types: Account, Storage and Security.


Change Password (Staff Mode)


Cut down interface for non-admin users providing only the functionality needed to change users passwords.


Name Generation Schemes


During create user, certain account properties are automatically completed by deriving their value from other information entered. For example, the users' logon name can be generated from their given name and surname. The composition of the these values is defined by Name Generation Schemes.


User Home Area


When a new user is created a storage folder is made for them within a predefined location. The path to this folder is saved in the users account properties along with a network drive letter. Work subject folders can also be created helping users to save and find their work.


Advanced Find


Advanced find allows you to query Active Directory for users or groups and then by selecting from the search results you can add them to a list of users you wish to work with. Queries can contain mutiple search filters to help focus the search results.


Importing Users


drive security

Staff Mode


staff mode