On Wed, May 07, 2003 at 11:15:54AM -0400, Brian White wrote:
> Here's the problem...
> 
> I'm using Amanda to archive all of the computers on our network, including
> the WinXP workstations and WinXP laptops.  However, since Amanda runs during
> the evening (to minimize network bandwith impact, etc., etc.) it is often
> unable to find the laptop computers at that time simply because they've been
> taken home by their owners.
> 
> What is the best way to deal with a situation like this?

Brian,

The way we deal with Windows machines in general here at the CSB is to
utilize a Samba server with roaming profiles configured.  Each Windows
machine is a member of our Samba domain and each Windows user has a unix
user account.  His roaming profile is stored in a ~/windows directory.
This means that our unix home directory backups also grab the user's
windows profile, including the Documents and Settings folder in XP which
contains My Documents, etc.  We treat the operating system and
applications installed on any given Windows workstation or laptop as
disposable.  So long as we can backup the data we can return the machine
to full functionality after a disk crash.

HTH,

Brandon D. Valentine
-- 
Systems Administrator
Center for Structural Biology
Vanderbilt University