How to access a server without entering a domain for a username

I have two computers, client and server. The client is running Windows 2000
Professional and is in a workgroup, say "MyWorkgroup". The server is running
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and is in a domain, say "MyDomain".
From the client, I want to access resources on the server without specifying
any domain, i.e. not using the format domain\username or the UPN format for
the username.

What I did was that I created a local user on the client with the same
username and password as a domain user on the server. Then I tried to access
resources on the server, let's say a share folder on the server that can be
accessed by all domain users, from the client using Windows Explorer by
entering just the username and password. I saw the request came over to the
server with the correct username and password. However, the server posts an
account logon failure event into the EventLog, because it doesn't know to
look for that username in the server's domain. If I type in domain\user and
the password, I get to the share folder fine, but if I just type in the
username without the domain and then the password, it fails. Is there a way
in Windows to tell it to look for users on the server's domain if one is not
specified?

This is a scenario I want to get it to work such that I can later
programmatically access resources (like share folder, SQL Server, etc.) on
the server from the client by only providing a username and password that has
a corresponding domain user on the server with exactly the same username and
password.

On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 20:55:04 -0800, "CyberDigger"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have two computers, client and server. The client is running Windows 2000
>Professional and is in a workgroup, say "MyWorkgroup". The server is running
>Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and is in a domain, say "MyDomain".
>From the client, I want to access resources on the server without specifying
>any domain, i.e. not using the format domain\username or the UPN format for
>the username.

Put the two systems in the same domain (a less reliable trick is using
a workgroup the same name as the domain name).

Jeff

Jeff,

Thanks for the reply. But that's the constraint. I am not allowed to put
them in the same domain or workgroup.

CyberDigger

"Jeff Cochran" wrote:

> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 20:55:04 -0800, "CyberDigger"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I have two computers, client and server. The client is running Windows 2000
> >Professional and is in a workgroup, say "MyWorkgroup". The server is running
> >Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and is in a domain, say "MyDomain".
> >From the client, I want to access resources on the server without specifying
> >any domain, i.e. not using the format domain\username or the UPN format for
> >the username.
>
> Put the two systems in the same domain (a less reliable trick is using
> a workgroup the same name as the domain name).
>
> Jeff
>

CyberDigger wrote:
> Jeff,
>
> Thanks for the reply. But that's the constraint. I am not allowed
> to put them in the same domain or workgroup.

I think you're out of luck, then. You have domain security in place for a
reason.

>
> CyberDigger
>
> "Jeff Cochran" wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 20:55:04 -0800, "CyberDigger"
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>> I have two computers, client and server. The client is running
>>> Windows 2000 Professional and is in a workgroup, say "MyWorkgroup".
>>> The server is running Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and is
>>> in a domain, say "MyDomain". From the client, I want to access
>>> resources on the server without specifying any domain, i.e. not
>>> using the format domain\username or the UPN format for the username.
>>
>> Put the two systems in the same domain (a less reliable trick is
>> using a workgroup the same name as the domain name).
>>
>> Jeff

There's really no other way to do what you're asking. The security principal
"username" is not the same as the principal "domainname\username." When you
present "username" to a resource, the resource will only check its local
account database. Since there is no account "username" in that local database,
authentication fails. You will have to supply the full "domainname\username"
since that is, in fact, the actual name of the security principal you want
to authenticate.

Steve Riley
(E-Mail Removed)



> Jeff,
>
> Thanks for the reply. But that's the constraint. I am not allowed to
> put them in the same domain or workgroup.
>
> CyberDigger
>
> "Jeff Cochran" wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 20:55:04 -0800, "CyberDigger"
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> I have two computers, client and server. The client is running
>>> Windows 2000 Professional and is in a workgroup, say "MyWorkgroup".
>>> The server is running Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and is in
>>> a domain, say "MyDomain". From the client, I want to access
>>> resources on the server without specifying any domain, i.e. not
>>> using the format domain\username or the UPN format for the username.
>>>
>> Put the two systems in the same domain (a less reliable trick is
>> using a workgroup the same name as the domain name).
>>
>> Jeff
>>