Map a network space to a Windows Drive in a scheduled job (script)?

Question

I need to map to a network space a mapped drive such as S: for some other jobs. My box is Windows Server 2008. In Windows Server 2008, I can create a scheduled task with a bat job, and I can specify it runs when Windows is reboot or Log on without specified user. It like a service with local system. The bat contains net cmd to map the drive:

net use S: \\netdrive1\space1 pwd /user:oneUser

Then I reboot the box. It looks like that the scheduled job did run. I can check from the Task Scheduler job's history. However, the S: drive cannot be mapped. If I just run the bat from the command line. It works fine. It seems that I have to log on the box to make the mapped drive. Not sure if it is possible to let Windows to run the job as local system when it reboots to make the drive available?

For my case, the network drive is at a Unix box.

As I mentioned above, I have some other dependency scheduled jobs under Windows local system. Therefore, I have to make the network space available without any user log on.

Answer 1

Mapped drives are only available to an interactive session. You can't map a drive while running as a service, you need to use UNC paths.

Answer 2

You're stuck in a bit of a quandary... the scheduler is executing your bat file in "administrator mode" which doesn't really affect the user-mode environment. I know that sounds odd, but my own testing shows that it might as well be 2 separate user environments. You might want to try running a quick & dirty vbs script in the user profile's startup folder... and see if that does what you want.

set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set objNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
do while true
  objNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "S:", "\\netdrive1\space1", false, "oneUser", "pwd"
  WScript.Sleep(12000)
loop

If the drive doesn't get unmapped... this will throw an error the next loop around when it tries to re-map the drive... unless you catch the error... or do a quick & dirty

On Error Resume Next

before the loop.

You can adjust the sleep time as needed... or do some more advanced time/date checking mechanism... but this should give you the idea.

Answer 3

net use S: \\netdrive1\space1 pwd /user:oneUser /persistent:yes

That might do away with the need for the scheduled task but I'm not sure if it will maintain the connection without a user logon.

UNC paths in your application is a much better way than mapping the drive so if possible you should do that instead.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490717.aspx

EDIT

This is not very elegant but it might work (completely untested)

NET USE \\netdrive1\space1 /USER:oneUser pwd && PUSHD \\netdrive1\space1
COPY C:\path\to\files\*.dat Z:\
POPD && NET USE \\netdrive1\space1 /DELETE

Try that as your batch file. What's happening is NET USE authenticates the user against the share, PUSHD automatically mounts the drive to a drive letter (in reverse order so assuming no other drives are mounted, which there isn't in this case, it will be Z:). Copy the files then kill the connection to the share. I have no idea if this will work without interactive login session but it's worth a shot.

Answer 4

Have you considered using a UNC path instead of trying to map a drive letter? In 98% of cases using \\server\share\ wherever you spot a s: causes no problems.