>>There is a third category of information that needs to be stored: Info specific to the network site, that you do not want to have to re-apply to each machine when something changes. This may include stuff like site license information, system wide defaults, UNC paths to files, etc.
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>>This sort of information is not always necessary - but it is occasionally needed (especially for licensing schemes which may depend upon an unlock code that changes the max user count). Now, some may argue that a table is a better place to store that info - but table or text file the need is there for such information to be placed on the network.
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>>Watcha think?
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>There are system-wide defaults, certainly, but on each station, or for each user, depending on how system-wide settings relate to the current environment, there must be at least a pointer to an extrnal configuration thing - table, text file, ancient Babylonian with clay tablets. That thing pointer should reside in the registry of each child (user or station, depends on philosophy).
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>My instinct is to want to have a DCOM-based configuration owner/manager; sessions are established locally, the DCOM server is contacted, the user is authenticated and the server hands the station information on the hows and wheres of the data to use. It can also be used to verify the app components are current - it's the wise old owl that knows about the state of the system software and data.
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>This mechanism does several things. First, it's a way of providing a central control mechanism. It actively manages the configuration - the user does not have a direct line to the configuration detail, reducing the risk of the enduser tromping on the info with Word. The security context of the configuration detail can be different than the general data file permissions.
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>This is theory, not practice. Your turn. Bitches/gripes/complaints?

My, my. This seems a little like telephone tag.

Although the DCOM suggestion seems extreme, it IS a solution to the problem. MicroSoft has provided wonderful solutions for 2/3rds of the typical environment - user settings and machine settings in the registry. Now, if they could only map this wonderful solution to the other third - I'd LOVE to see a network registry!!! Perhaps this is analogous to Novells NDS - actually - NDS is exactly that!!!

Ooops - make that 2/4ths - I completely forgot about the extranet! Now what?!?!?