Check access permissions on shares

by Scott Lowe MCSE | Mar 08, 2005 8:00:00 AM

Tags: Servers, PRODUCTIVITY, Scott Lowe MCSE, Server Share Check, Microsoft Windows, permission, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server, server, Windows Server 2003 Tips Newsletter

3 comment(s)

Takeaway: Learn to use the Server Share Check utility from the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. This utility helps streamline permissions problems when they overlap between shares and NTFS.

Stay on top of the latest WS2K3 tips and tricks with our free Windows Server 2003 newsletter, delivered each Wednesday. Automatically sign up today!

With permission sets often overlapping between shares and NTFS, permission problems can sometimes be tricky to track down. In an effort to provide some simplicity while still maintaining some semblance of security, some organizations just provide Full Access permissions for shares and limit individual NTFS permissions.

Organizations that aren't comfortable with this approach need tools to help them along the way. One of the tools from the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit, Server Share Check, can help in these efforts.

Server Share Check lists all shares from a specified server. It also enumerates the users and groups that have access as well as the level of access that each has.

Server Share Check also works on Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines. You can download the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit from Microsoft's Web site. The filename is Srvcheck.exe.

Keep in mind that this tool only displays unhidden shares. The four possible sharing permissions listed are No Access, Read (read files and execute programs), Change (read, execute, modify, and delete items), and Full Control.

Here's an example:

C:\>srvcheck \\w2k3

\\w2k3\tsclient
                Everyone                Read

\\w2k3\HelpDesk
                Everyone                Read

\\w2k3\webdev
                W2K3\user1           Full Control
                Everyone                Read

3 comment(s)