Understanding Shares
A share is simply a folder that is made available to other users using the network. Each share has the following elements:
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Share name: The name by which the share is known over the network. To make the names compatible on older computers, stick to eight-character share names whenever possible.
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Path: The path to the folder on the local computer that's being shared, such as C:\Accounting.
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Description: A one-line description of the share.
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Permissions: A list of users or groups that have been granted access to the share.
When you install Windows and configure various server roles, special shared resources are created to support those roles. Don't disturb these special shares unless you know what you're doing. Table 17-3 lists some of the more common special shares.
| Share Name | Description |
|---|---|
| drive$ | The root directory of a drive |
| ADMIN$ | Used for remote administration of a computer and points to the operating system folder (usually, C:\Windows) |
| IPC$ | Used by named pipes, a programming feature that lets processes communicate with one another |
| NETLOGON | Required for domain controllers to function |
| SYSVOL | A required domain controller share |
| PRINT$ | Used for remote administration of printers |
| FAX$ | Used by fax clients |
Open table as spreadsheet | Tip | Some special shares end with a dollar sign ($). These hidden shares aren't visible to users. However, you can still access them by typing the complete share name (including the dollar sign) when the share is needed. For example, the special share C$ is created to allow you to connect to the root directory of the C: drive from a network client. You wouldn't want your users to see this share, would you? (Of course, shares such as C$ are also protected by privileges so that if an ordinary user finds out that C$ is the root directory of the server's C: drive, he still can't access it.) |
