Enable roaming profiles and folder redirection...

I currently have everyones My Documents saved on the network.
Everyone has a "U" drive mapped to their \\server\servershare\%username%\My
Documents folder.

I'm trying to figure out how to keep XP from pulling the users My Documents
over to the workstation.

If I do roaming profiles would I leave the users My Documents where they
are, on U:

I would think to store the users profile in \\server\servershare\%username%

Any advice on how to reduce the amount of data being updated on the
workstation every time someone logs in?

Thanks

Kelvin

Kelvin wrote:
I currently have everyones My Documents saved on the network.
Everyone has a "U" drive mapped to their
\\server\servershare\%username%\My Documents folder.

I'm trying to figure out how to keep XP from pulling the users My
Documents over to the workstation.

What exactly do you mean by "pulling" ? If you're using folder redirection,
the data lives on the server. Perhaps you have offline files enabled? If so,
I'd disable them. There's no value in having them on LAN-connected computers
& they can cause problems.

You can do that in group policy...post in
microsoft.public.windows.group_policy for more specific help with that.


If I do roaming profiles would I leave the users My Documents where
they are, on U:

Yes - and I'd also redirect Desktop & Application Data.

I would think to store the users profile in
\\server\servershare\%username%

No - it would have to be \\server\anothershare\%username%.

Any advice on how to reduce the amount of data being updated on the
workstation every time someone logs in?

Keep the profiles tiny & don't use offline files.

Thanks

Kelvin

Here's my boilerplate on roaming profiles....

********************
General tips:

1. Set up a share on the server. For example - d:\profiles, shared as
profiles$ to make it hidden from browsing. Make sure this share is *not* set
to allow offline files/caching! (that's on by default - disable it)

2. Make sure the share permissions on profiles$ indicate everyone=full
control. Set the NTFS security to administrators, system, and users=full
control.

3. In the users' ADUC properties, specify \\server\profiles$\%username% in
the profiles field

4. Have each user log into the domain once - if this is an existing user
with a profile you wish to keep, have them log in at their usual
workstationand log out. The profile is now roaming.

5. If you want the administrators group to automatically have permissions to
the profiles folders, you'll need to make the appropriate change in group
policy. Look in computer configuration/administrative templates/system/user
profiles - there's an option to add administrators group to the roaming
profiles permissions. Do this *before* the users' roaming profile folders
are created - it isn't retroactive.

********************
Notes:

Make sure users understand that they should not log into multiple computers
at the same time when they have roaming profiles (unless you make the
profiles mandatory by renaming ntuser.dat to ntuser.man so they can't change
them, which has major disadvantages),. Explain that the 'last one out wins'
when it comes to uploading the final, changed copy of the profile. If you
want to restrict multiple simultaneous network logins, look at LimitLogon
(too much overhead for me), or this:
http://www.jsifaq.com/SF/Tips/Tip.aspx?id=8768

********************
Keep your profiles TINY. Via group policy, you should be redirecting My
Documents (at the very least) - to a subfolder of the user's home directory
or user folder. Also consider redirecting Desktop & Application Data
similarly..... so the user will end up with:

\\server\users\%username%\My Documents,
\\server\users\%username%\Desktop,
\\server\users\%username%\Application Data.

[Alternatively, just manually re-target My Documents to
\\server\users\%username% (this is not optimal, however!)]

You should use folder redirection even without roaming profiles, but it's
especially critical if you *are* using them.

If you aren't going to also redirect the desktop using policies, tell users
that they are not to store any files on the desktop or you will beat them
with a
stick. Big profile=slow login/logout, and possible profile corruption.

********************
Note that user profiles are not compatible between different OS versions,
even between W2k/XP. Keep all your computers. Keep your workstations as
identical as possible - meaning, OS version is the same, SP level is the
same, app load is (as much as possible) the same.

*********************
If you also have Terminal Services users, make sure you set up a different
TS profile path for them in their ADUC properties - e.g.,
\\server\tsprofiles$\%username%

********************
Do not let people store any data locally - all data belongs on the server.

********************
The User Profile Hive Cleanup Utility should be running on all your
computers. You can download it he
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

********************
Roaming profile & folder redirection article -
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/art...rver-2003.html