Network Logon Administration Tool


Summary

What is NLAT

Requirements:

Start up configuration:

How tasks mechanism works:

The Administration Tool:

Download

Installation

Ready to run tasks list

ScreenShots

Authors, Contributions and Acknowledgements

License


What is NLAT

NLAT is a tool that let you easily admin few tasks while logging in a Samba PDC, performing a set of operation you otherwise have to complete manually on each PC. NLAT is particulary useful in medium size and large size networks.

The whole system is composed by:

- an agent that is automatically loaded during the client logon into a PDC.

- a GUI that is used by the network administrator, for viewing reports and for quickly manage tasks executed by remote clients

- a PostgreSQL relational database where all data are stored.

Tasks are merely "executables" (.exe, .com, .bat, .cmd, ...) which have been related to the some properties described below.

NLAT stores a PDC logons log-file for each connection (with date and time, user name, netbios name, ip address..) and an alternate log which is optional for each executed tasks (where it is reported execution date and time, ip address, username).

NLAT has also a built-in task, for create and keep update a map of software installed on each client. Other ready-to-run task samples are available in the tasks section. Everyone who makes a nice task is encouraged to post it here.


Requirements:

1. Of course you need a full working Samba PDC, with all your win32 clients logging into it. ;-)

2. You need a working postgresql database server. (PostgreSQL is a very good RDBMS present in most of Linux distros).

What is not required: This software does't require any set up on your win32 clients. OS supported for win32 clients are: Win9x, WinMe, Win2k, WinXp. Since now, I never tryied on WinNT clients.


Start up configuration:

Agent and GUI Admin Tool are configured by a “configuration.ini” file placed in their own directory. In this file you can specify database connection parameters (database name, host name, user name and password). I suggest you to use the default user (named "logger") which has been properly defined with a minimal set of privileges. In the same file you can set your organization name that will be showed by the agent during its execution (if you choose to have the agent visible). Moreover you can set a “Delay-time” to delay agent execution during PDC logon: this is particulary useful to make the win32 GeUserName() API correctly working . I usually set this parameter between 10 and 20.

Last but not least you can choose to hide the agent window.

Additional information (eg. about tasks, logs, etc.) are managed into the postgresql database.


How tasks mechanism works:

In a few words, during PDC logon the win32 clients run an agent that connects to a database and evaluates each task in a tasklist. Each task can be executed regarding its filter properties, that are usually based on some runtime client conditions (eg. running operative system , user performing PDC logon, client IP address, etc..).


Each tasks has the following properties:

Information properties (for identify a task)


Filter properties


Running properties: (to control tasks behaviour)


The Administration Tool:

The Administration Tool is used by network administrators for manage the tasks. It works in a different disk directory, with a different “configuration.ini” file. When running this tool, you should log with a username with more privileges than “logger” (for instance "postgres" or - better - a custom username you set up). Login name and password will be required by a modal window. You can set up a default username in the configuration file.


Download:

The project is hosted on sourceforge and can be downloaded here.


INSTALLATION:


  1. Create a postgresql database for nlat, and then run jobs.sql
  2. Set up a Samba PDC, and make sure all your clients join the domain
  3. Make a new share, called NLAT, for instance:
        [NLAT]
                comment = Net Logon Administration Tool
                path = /export/home/nlat
                read only = Yes
                write list = theos
                browseable = No
  1. Put the content of deploy directory into your \\%LOGONSERVER%\NLAT
  2. Edit both configuration.ini and configuratore/configuration.ini
  3. Make sure your Samba netlogon.bat will call the agent \\%LOGONSERVER%\NLAT\LDomain.exe, for instance:
set LOGONSERVER=\\NIC2SAMBA
@net time \\nic2samba /set /yes
START \\nic2samba\nlat\LDomain.exe
Ready to run tasks list
(on construction..)
There is a builtin fuction to get filled a database table with the software installed on your windoze clients. Simply put the CHKSW keyword in the Run field. You can combine this with the always working FILTER and RUNNING properties.
(on construction..)
ScreenShots
Setting tasks properties...
How many copies of Eudora are installed in your Network?
What kind of software runs on a given client?
What users have been logged with this client, and when?
When a user has accessed my domain, and which PC has used?
What kind of tasks have been executed on this client, and when?
Authors, Contributions and Acknowledgements
The software has been developed thanks to the kwnoledge freely distributed over the net and the Free Software / Open Source model, so thank you to everyone who is working with this philosophy. Contributions to this project are really welcomed: either coding, web designing, English spell and grammar checking, new tasks examples are needed, so feel free to contact me: Matteo Cavalleri, theos [at ] bp [dot ] Lnf [dot ] it .
License
The software is released “as is”, on the Gnu Public License.