Understanding the Detection of User's Logged-in Computers

Goverlan detects the logged-in workstations of a user by querying proprietary data generated by the Goverlan Agents. This data resides in the roaming profiles of users. If your users are not configured with a roaming profile path, you must configure a Goverlan Central Data Repository for this feature to work.

Goverlan Central Data Repository

If your users are not configured with a roaming profile, you must configure a Central Data Repository for Goverlan to store data into. A Central Data Repository is simply a shared data folder on a server.

1. Select a file server which is readily accessible from your user's workstations.

2. Create a data folder with a name of your choosing.

3. Configure the NTFS permission so that Authenticated Users have Read/Write access to the folder.

4. Share the folder and set the Permission to Full Control for Everyone.

Once you have created the share, you must distribute this Goverlan Central Data Repository path to all of your machines. You can do so by using the Goverlan Group Policy Administrative Template as follows:

1. If you have not done so yet, upload the Goverlan Administrative Template to your Active Directory (see: Distributing Settings Using a Group Policy Object).

2. Open the Group Policy Editor for your domain and expand to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Goverlan Universal Settings > Goverlan Management Console Settings.

3. Double click on the Application Directory: Central Data Repository.
   
   

4. Enable this setting and configure the Application Data Repository value to the UNC path of the central data share.

Once the setting has been distributed to all of your machines, the Goverlan Agents automatically use the Central Data Repository path to store login information and you should see data being populated into that directory.

FAQs

• How much disk space / network bandwidth does this feature require?
  The amount of data transferred and stored is less than 5KB per user account. So there is minimal impact on network bandwidth and disk usage.

• I have some users configured with a roaming profile and some without. Will this still work?
  Yes. Goverlan will only use the Central Data Repository if the user is not configured with a roaming profile. If a roaming profile path is detected, it is used instead.
   

• I have configured a Goverlan Central Data Repository but I still can't detect a user's logged-in workstation.
  
  Do the following test:

• 1. On the client machine, open a command prompt and execute a gpupdate in order to force a GPO distribution.
     Open the registry editor and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\PJ Technologies\Goverlan Universal Settings\GMC and confirm that the ApplicationCentralDataRepoDir value exists and points to the appropriate path.

  2. On your machine, open a command prompt and execute a gpupdate in order to force a GPO distribution and open Regedt32 to confirm again that the ApplicationCentralDataRepoDir has been configured.

  3. Open Goverlan and un-install/re-install the Goverlan Agents on the client machine.

  4. Open the Goverlan Central Data Repository location and confirm that a new directory exists for the currently logged-in user on the client machine.
     
     If you see data being populating, Goverlan should be able to detect this user's logged-in workstation. If you still can't detect a user's logged-in workstation, contact Support@goverlan.com.
      

Working with DFS & Terminal Services Profiles

If your user accounts are configured with a roaming profile path or a home directory drive map which points to a DFS share, Goverlan will not be able detect the logged-in workstations unless you enable DFS Shares Detection.

1. Select View >> Options.

2. Select the Administration & Diagnostics category > Users View.

3. Under the Users View, activate Enable DFS shares detection.
   
   

4. Additionally, if your users have a Terminal Services Profile Path configured, activate: Enable Terminal Services Profiles Path.

Manually adding a computer to a user

If the automatic detection of logged-in computers cannot be used, you need to manually insert the assigned computer to a user's account. To do so, select the Logged-in Workstations icon of a user, right click on the mouse and select Manually insert a computer to user... This feature can also be activated by pressing the [Insert] key from the keyboard.

Enter the computer name or IP address and click on OK. Goverlan automatically verifies if the user is indeed logged-into the specified machine. If the user was not found to be logged-in on the specified machine, Goverlan displays a warning message.

Goverlan can remember user assigned computers so that it is automatically inserted the next time you double click on the Logged-in Workstations icon of the user. If you do not want Goverlan to remember the inserted computer object, disable the Remember this computer for this user option.

User Assigned Computers Cache

To view the assigned computer cache, click on the View / modify cache link.

Use the cache manager window to view and update the assigned computer cache. Note: Only one computer can be entered for a user.

Note: The Machine Cache is stored in XML format in a file called GovUMACcache.dat located in the C:\Document And Settings\USERID\Application Data\Goverlan directory of your profile.

Keywords: Goverlan cannot auto-detect the logged-in computer(s) of 'xxx' because the user's account is not configured with the required settings to activate auto-detection.