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File Redirection and Roaming Profiles

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by jeaster 1 view

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I am running Win 2K Server, SP4, with Win XP Clients. The users have roaming profiles. I want to redirect the My Docs folder so that the documents do not transit accross the LAN with the profile. I have tried using GPO, by doing a basic redirection of the My Docs folder to \\servername\users$\%username%. This is on the GPO for a single OU, with all the users in it. However, when I log in, it does not appear to work. When I look on the server, all the docs are still in the profile, and none in the users directory? What am I doing wrong? Do I need to make this policy part of the default Domain GPO? I though OU superceded domain in the hierarchy?

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by d.walker5

When roaming user profiles are used, only the network path to the My Documents folder is part of the raoming profile, not the My Documents folder. Therefore, its contents do not have to be copied back and forth between the client computer and the server each time the user logs on of off.

Hope this helps.

by tictag

You are correct in that OU policy takes precedence over Domain policy (unless the No Override setting is applied at any higher policy and there is a policy conflict).

Folder redirection is well reported in the application event log; check this out for common errors (usually DNS resolution problems).

Remember to ensure the ?Move the contents of My Documents to the new location? setting on the folder redirection is checked.

Points to note:
1. Aside from the initial transfer of the entire profile during a roaming profile configuration, documents are not transferred upon each logon, only the changes between the local profile cache and the server are transferred (during ?synchronisation?)
2. Be wary of the ?Grant the user exclusive rights to the My Documents folder? setting. There is a FAR MORE elegant approach discussed in Microsoft?s KB.
3. The folder redirection policy cannot be set by standard GP refresh (every 90 minutes) or by using SECEDIT. The user must, logoff/logon.
4. Remember that in order to reverse the affects of this policy you CAN NOT just delete the policy, YOU MUST make the policy no longer applicable by removing the policy filtering options in the Security tab e.g. remove the ?APPLY? permission to ?Authenticated Users?

Regards,
Tictag.

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