Share publishing essentially creates an AD object for a shared folder to allow users to easily locate and search for the share. The published share is simply a reference to an existing shared folder, share publishing will not create the initial share. We will walk through creating a simple file share, publishing the share in AD and see how users can find them.

Creating a Basic Share

Right click on the folder, click the sharing tab and select “Share”.

We will now have the option to configure access and basic permission settings.

Done

 Publishing an Existing Network Share

Share publishing is done in ADUC. Enter an OU and selection New>Shared Folder.

We can now create an object name for the share and enter the UNC path.

You can make searching for the share easier by adding keywords.

Finding a Published Share

Users can search for published shares. You can find the Search AD button under “Network”.

Make sure you are searching for shared folder objects.

 

A user does not need to know the UNC path or share name. They can search by keyword.

The user can now open the shared folder or map it as a network drive.