cephal0pod
asked on
Folder Redirection: Local Caching of My Documents
Hi,
I have a roaming profile.
I've set up a policy to redirect my 'My Docs' to a sharepoint. This works fine - I see 'My Docs' and it looks local, but anything I add to it is actually copied to the network point I've defined.
However, If I disconnect from the network, log in using my cached profile, and open 'My Docs' I can see local copies of the all the files I created on that machine. Is there a way to prevent this happening? (i.e. to ensure that files saved in 'My Docs' are *only* stored on the network).
(Reason for asking is this: If I connect to a computer using the cached profile I only see files created on THAT PARTICULAR COMPUTER. If I am a roaming user and have created (say) 100 documents using a number of machines, I do not want to log on without a network (e.g. to a laptop) and see 10, or 20, or 50 of these documents - I want to see either all of them (in which case I'd use offline folders) or none of them. Seeing just a selection of them will thoroughly confuse me :)
Cheers for any thoughts...
Matt
I have a roaming profile.
I've set up a policy to redirect my 'My Docs' to a sharepoint. This works fine - I see 'My Docs' and it looks local, but anything I add to it is actually copied to the network point I've defined.
However, If I disconnect from the network, log in using my cached profile, and open 'My Docs' I can see local copies of the all the files I created on that machine. Is there a way to prevent this happening? (i.e. to ensure that files saved in 'My Docs' are *only* stored on the network).
(Reason for asking is this: If I connect to a computer using the cached profile I only see files created on THAT PARTICULAR COMPUTER. If I am a roaming user and have created (say) 100 documents using a number of machines, I do not want to log on without a network (e.g. to a laptop) and see 10, or 20, or 50 of these documents - I want to see either all of them (in which case I'd use offline folders) or none of them. Seeing just a selection of them will thoroughly confuse me :)
Cheers for any thoughts...
Matt
ASKER
Thanks for your reply,
Yep - folder redirection is working.
I've considered deleting cached copies of roaming profiles, but this wouldn't work in my environment. People need profiles in case they are working offline.
The only thing I want to avoid caching is mydocs. However I cannot find a way to prevent documents created in mydocs on a particular machine from always being available on that machine.
I think I'm going to have to make mydocs available offline. (I can explain to my users why the have no docs when offline, or why they have all their docs. I can't see how to tell 'em that they'll have a random selection of docs, dependent on which computer they created them on... )
Matt
Yep - folder redirection is working.
I've considered deleting cached copies of roaming profiles, but this wouldn't work in my environment. People need profiles in case they are working offline.
The only thing I want to avoid caching is mydocs. However I cannot find a way to prevent documents created in mydocs on a particular machine from always being available on that machine.
I think I'm going to have to make mydocs available offline. (I can explain to my users why the have no docs when offline, or why they have all their docs. I can't see how to tell 'em that they'll have a random selection of docs, dependent on which computer they created them on... )
Matt
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Computer101
E-E Admin
Computer101
E-E Admin
chepal0pod should provide his solution for a refund, this question is worthy of being PAQ'd
You must provide feedback to MSgeek prior to me handleing
Computer101
E-E Admin
Computer101
E-E Admin
A request has been made to change the grade; The expert feels the current grade does not fit the criteria of the intended
guidelines. Those guidelines can been seen at https://www.experts-exchange.com/help/Closing.htm#7 If there is no response in 72
hours, I will review this question and grade accordingly..
Chmod
Community Support Moderator @Experts Exchange
guidelines. Those guidelines can been seen at https://www.experts-exchange.com/help/Closing.htm#7 If there is no response in 72
hours, I will review this question and grade accordingly..
Chmod
Community Support Moderator @Experts Exchange
Alright Chmod :) <I am taking my gloves off and rolling up my sleaves>
The only item I left out here is a detail with regad to EFS. It is a major pain in the a**! If your users do not backup their keys and their profile gets corrupt there is nothing you can do to recover those files other than spending a fortune to have them unencrypted!
There is an answer in the following KB http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302093 You can implement EFS on the laptops and copy files to the server. The problem with the default behavior in this scenario is the file stays encrpted when moved to the server and the key stays with the laptop (which could be stolen.) Without a backup key the data is useless. With the registry edit in the KB I just posted you can change the setting so when the encrypted file is copied from the laptop to the server it is automatically without intervention decrypted.
IMHO..This is a killer way to close this question. MSGeek
The only item I left out here is a detail with regad to EFS. It is a major pain in the a**! If your users do not backup their keys and their profile gets corrupt there is nothing you can do to recover those files other than spending a fortune to have them unencrypted!
There is an answer in the following KB http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302093 You can implement EFS on the laptops and copy files to the server. The problem with the default behavior in this scenario is the file stays encrpted when moved to the server and the key stays with the laptop (which could be stolen.) Without a backup key the data is useless. With the registry edit in the KB I just posted you can change the setting so when the encrypted file is copied from the laptop to the server it is automatically without intervention decrypted.
IMHO..This is a killer way to close this question. MSGeek
MSGeek,
(Taking gloves off also)
As this is my expert area, you are correct.
Duck for the left hook coming. The EFS is a very complex issue and sometimes goes aver the heads of those that ask. Sometimes we have to way both sides, but agree with this grade upgrade. Sometimes we have to explain ourselves.
C101
(Good job)
(Taking gloves off also)
As this is my expert area, you are correct.
Duck for the left hook coming. The EFS is a very complex issue and sometimes goes aver the heads of those that ask. Sometimes we have to way both sides, but agree with this grade upgrade. Sometimes we have to explain ourselves.
C101
(Good job)
Great post btw,
C101
C101
Thanks. I agree with EFS being a complex issue. I have seen the effects of poorly implemented EFS and lack of Keys being backed up. You should read and document everything you can get your hands on before implementing it and have an established practice to back up EFS keys.
Thanks Chmod & Computer101 for all your time.
Thanks Chmod & Computer101 for all your time.
ASKER
Morning all,
OK, here's the reason why I gave MSgeek an 'average' kind of grade:
I think what you suggested as an answer was that I could avoid the problems I described by using local profiles rather than roaming ones. This would keep all the mydocs files on the local machine as requested and I could then use a policy to sync those files with the network or to change other settings.
This is a good answer for a situation where the user has only one machine. My question related to a situation where a user logs onto X machines. I wanted to ensure that he would always see the same files in his mydocs. I could do this by creating local profiles on all of the machines and then downloading mydocs each time, but I don't see how that differs from using offline files as I suggested!
So, yeah, points for an fairly good answer, but not the highest grade because I thought that it left parts of the question unanswered...
Matt
OK, here's the reason why I gave MSgeek an 'average' kind of grade:
I think what you suggested as an answer was that I could avoid the problems I described by using local profiles rather than roaming ones. This would keep all the mydocs files on the local machine as requested and I could then use a policy to sync those files with the network or to change other settings.
This is a good answer for a situation where the user has only one machine. My question related to a situation where a user logs onto X machines. I wanted to ensure that he would always see the same files in his mydocs. I could do this by creating local profiles on all of the machines and then downloading mydocs each time, but I don't see how that differs from using offline files as I suggested!
So, yeah, points for an fairly good answer, but not the highest grade because I thought that it left parts of the question unanswered...
Matt
Matt.. Thanks. Having read your last post and re-read your previous posts I am a little unclear (not your fault.) It seems you want users profiles to be roaming and cached with the exception of the contents of My Documents. If that is the case and they login off site on a laptop and want to access their documents and they have somehow been removed, how am I as a user going to work?? If you can clarify this point perhaps I can assist further. MSGeek
ASKER
Hi,
Msgeek, I think the key thing is this:
* If my user is working offline and can see all his my documents, then brilliant :)
* If they can see none of their mydocs, then that's fairly OK as well - I can explain this to them and find a workaround.
The real pain is if they're offline and can see *some* of their mydocs. So for example, John Smith wants to do some work on the trainride home. He is in the office and checks in his mydocs and sees that he has most of the stuff he wants already there. He copies over a couple of extra files and leaves the office. On the train (so offline) he goes to mydocs and sees maybe 40% of the files that were there when online... How shitty is that?
Anywise, this isn't really a big issue, and I don't reckon I'm going to find an elegant solution, so I reckon we should call it quits on this one!
Cheers for your help though :)
Matt
Msgeek, I think the key thing is this:
* If my user is working offline and can see all his my documents, then brilliant :)
* If they can see none of their mydocs, then that's fairly OK as well - I can explain this to them and find a workaround.
The real pain is if they're offline and can see *some* of their mydocs. So for example, John Smith wants to do some work on the trainride home. He is in the office and checks in his mydocs and sees that he has most of the stuff he wants already there. He copies over a couple of extra files and leaves the office. On the train (so offline) he goes to mydocs and sees maybe 40% of the files that were there when online... How shitty is that?
Anywise, this isn't really a big issue, and I don't reckon I'm going to find an elegant solution, so I reckon we should call it quits on this one!
Cheers for your help though :)
Matt
No worries..
One thing you could try is using xcopy to synchronize the folders instead of offline files feature. With the included switches you can recurse and copy at login anly those files from the laptop My Documents that have changed (have the archive atrribute on) to the network and run a batch file doing the same when they are ready to pack up and head out. It is pretty fast once you have the bulk of the documents moved over. It wouldn't work on a roaming profile. You could always use local profiles as mentioned earlier and then have mandatory roaming profiles for select users. It could get ugly. I'll leave it at that unless this sparks something on your end. MSGeek
One thing you could try is using xcopy to synchronize the folders instead of offline files feature. With the included switches you can recurse and copy at login anly those files from the laptop My Documents that have changed (have the archive atrribute on) to the network and run a batch file doing the same when they are ready to pack up and head out. It is pretty fast once you have the bulk of the documents moved over. It wouldn't work on a roaming profile. You could always use local profiles as mentioned earlier and then have mandatory roaming profiles for select users. It could get ugly. I'll leave it at that unless this sparks something on your end. MSGeek
There is a Group Policies you can enable to prevent caching of roaming profiles. System - Logon - Delete cached copies of roaming profiles.