The Microsoft Mangement Console in Windows 2000

Microsoft^® Windows 2000 Knowledge Center

Using
The Microsoft Management Console
Step-By-Step

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Setting The Console File Options

If you are a network or site administrator and have the need to create console files for other users, especially those that may not be under your immediate supervision, you might find it useful to prevent those users from modifying or customizing those console files. The Console's Menu Options dialog box allows you to do just that.

To set console file options

In the main console, click Console to open the Console menu, then select Options.

Figure 1 - Console Menu

This will open the Options window for your console with the default Console mode in Author mode. See Figure 2.

Figure 2 - Options Menu
Now click the down arrow for the Console mode drop-down box and select User Mode–limited access, single window. This will prevent a user from adding new snap-ins to the console file or rearranging the existing windows and snap-ins. See Figure 3.

Figure 3 - Changing the Console mode

If you need more information on the various user modes, click here.
Now would be a good time to change the console name from whatever it was originally to something else so that you don't restrict your original console. In our case, we changed ours from Comp_mgmt to New_comp_mgmt. Now click Apply and then click OK to continue.
Now Save the console file. The changes will not take effect until the console file is opened again. Your new console, with restrictions, is all set to go!

Notes about Modifying Console Files:

After you've saved a console file in any mode other than Author mode, the Console menu is no longer visible, even to administrators. This prevents the user from changing the options. To modify a console file, open a command-prompt window and type mmc /a. The /a switch sets Author mode, overriding any User mode setting, and opens the console window, from which you can open any console file and make changes.

It should be obvious to you that this is but one example of how you can use the Microsoft Management Console to group information and functionality that previously would have required opening a Control Panel option in addition to two separate administrative tools. The new modular design of the of Microsoft Management Console makes it extremely easy for system administrators and network developers to create snap-in applications in order to ease the administrative task load.

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