One potential disadvantage of sharing local resources is that if many users happen to be accessing files on your system at the same time, your system's performance might degrade significantly. At such times, you might find it helpful to know who's doing what with your shared resources. The Shared Folders tool serves this purpose. Shared Folders not only shows you who's connected to what, but it also lets you add shares, delete shares, and disconnect users. Clearly, you don't want to disconnect someone who has a valid reason to access one of your shared folders, but you might want to sever a connection that has been left open inadvertently.
To use the Shared Folders tool:
The Computer Management console appears. (Computer Management is also accessible from the Administrative Tools folder in Control Panel.)
As shown in Figure 9-9, the Shared Folders tool contains three subfolders that provide information about your shared folders: Shares, Sessions, and Open Files.
Figure 9-9. The Shared Folders tool lets you see which of your shared resources is being used by whom. The Connected Time column shows how long a connection has been open.
Introducing Computer Management and Microsoft Management ConsoleThe term console is often applied to Computer Management because this program is the central tool for administering the computer, much as the traditional mainframe computer operator's display or console is the central location for administering the mainframe. This console is preconfigured with commonly used administrative too3ls for Windows 2000, and can be customized into various consoles to be used by those with special needs. Customization can involve adding new tools (also called snap-ins because they can be added, or snapped into, the main console) or by removing or deleting features of existing tools. Different users can be given access to particular custom consoles (known as Microsoft Management Consoles or MMCs), which makes it easier for the users to find the set of tools most relevant to their needs.