Introduction

Very few companies are running Windows 2000 as their only operating system. Most companies are running a mixed environment of Windows 2000 Server and Windows NT 4.0 Server on their servers and a mixture of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, and Windows 2000 Professional on their desktops. It is not uncommon for companies to run UNIX servers and Novell NetWare servers as well. Some are using Macintosh client computers, especially for their graphics departments.

From a security standpoint, it is important for us to know how older operating systems work in the areas of authentication and file security. We would like to believe that everyone is using only Windows 2000 Professional for clients, but we would be foolish to do so. Security concerns have changed a great deal since the introduction of Windows 95. We must pay special attention to local security and authentication security. The best security is achieved when we run Windows 2000 exclusively. By running other systems, especially Windows 95 and Windows 98, we weaken network security every time a client logs in. In this chapter, you learn how to make Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0 more secure when they authenticate to a Windows 2000 domain.

If you have ever supported a hybrid network like the one described, you know what a headache it can be. The most difficult part of a hybrid network is getting all the clients to work correctly. Usually your servers don t have to talk to...