Network Bootdisk drive mapping probs W2K3

[Jeffrey Yadzinski_2]

First the environment:

RDM Server is ML370 running Windows 2003 Server Standard.

I have tried multiple bootdisks, nics and drivers all with the same outcome.

Everytime I try to:
net use f: \\RDM Server\express
it gives me Access Denied, no matter what password I try. I have tried local vs. domain accounts, and setting the permissions of the folder every which way from Sunday.

I believe the problem is the Local Policy Settings of W2K3, with the digitally signing communications feature. I have disabled that, as well as all other security settings for the LOCAL machine. Is there any way around this if it is being populated by the Global Policy? This is driving me crazy. Even if I do a PXE boot, it still needs to map to this share for Altiris. I am at the point of rebuilding the RDM server to a W2K server instead of W2K3, but thought I would ask the forum before I took that drastic of a step. Please help! How is everyone else doing this?

Thanks in advance.

[Gordon Leonard]

I can't think of any reason why the RDP server *must* be a member of the domain. You may want to go back to 'WORKGROUP' and make sure digitally signing is off - if you have a global policy turning this on the DOS client will not be able to attach.

[Jeffrey Yadzinski_2]

So, in other words, if Security refuses to change the Group policy, OR if they will not agree to put the server in a seperate OU in which the Group Policy does not affect the RDM server, i am out of luck. Hmmmm.. I cannot imagine everyone has the digitally signing turned off. Also, I found nother setting of interest... LAN Manager authentication level. The GP is pushing down, "send NTLM responses only". I am betting this is the reason, as DOS does not support NTLM, only LM. I also noticed that regardless of whether it is W2K or W2K3, the Global Policy is hitting the security settings, and I still get the same result, so rebuilding the server to W2K won't help. Am I assuming correct, BEFORE I go to Security and ask for special considerations for RDM?

[Gordon Leonard]

Don't know if you have seen this:

http://www.altiris.com/support/forum/Framesearch.aspx?vpath=/aexkb/public%20articles/6.x/deployment%20solution/kb/hd_68595_4.htm&art=AKB5366&source=Altiris%20Helpdesk&artID=22204&refpara=1023452&key=digitally+signing+&fname=Invalid+password+when+connecting+to+the+eXpress+share+in+Windows+2003

[Jeffrey Yadzinski_2]

I have seen that, and that is actually what turned me to rebuilding the server W2K. However, I tested this by putting a generic share on an existing W2K server and using a generic network boot disk, so I could attempt a net use back to the W2K generic share. This gave the same error, indication either the GP was affecting not only W2K3 servers, or that it was the LAN Manager Authentication Level, which is a policy in both W2K and W2K3. Ugh. What a pain. Why isn't there a bootdisk out there that can utilize NTLM? You would think with all the "hackers" out there, this would have been a primary target.