Folder redirection

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justmark

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Okay, I'm just trying to get a handle on this...

We have Folder Redirection set up with a GPO, using \\%HOMESHARE%%HOMEPATH%
to redirect our users' My Documents to a network share area. We also have
Offline Files configured to synchronize their files.

From what I can see (and maybe this is by design), it appears that opening a
document in My Documents is actually opening it live from the server rather
than locally? In addition My Documents Properties states that the target
folder location is \\server\etc. rather than a local folder.

I guess I don't understand what's happening here. I'd assume that you'd
want My Documents to be an actual local folder and then replicate to the
server, not actually work live from the server and replicate back down?

What concerns me is that recently we had some network issues that took the
file server offline and when it went, everybody lost their documents. In my
mind, that shouldn't have happened.

Can anybody direct me to a good source of info on setting up offline folders
and redirection and file servers? I want to fix this if it's not right.

Thanks!
Mark
 
RE: Folder redirection

Your issue is your folder redirection/synching... you have to choose either
or... I would use roaming profiles w/ redirection...

"justmark" wrote:

> Okay, I'm just trying to get a handle on this...
>
> We have Folder Redirection set up with a GPO, using \\%HOMESHARE%%HOMEPATH%
> to redirect our users' My Documents to a network share area. We also have
> Offline Files configured to synchronize their files.
>
> From what I can see (and maybe this is by design), it appears that opening a
> document in My Documents is actually opening it live from the server rather
> than locally? In addition My Documents Properties states that the target
> folder location is \\server\etc. rather than a local folder.
>
> I guess I don't understand what's happening here. I'd assume that you'd
> want My Documents to be an actual local folder and then replicate to the
> server, not actually work live from the server and replicate back down?
>
> What concerns me is that recently we had some network issues that took the
> file server offline and when it went, everybody lost their documents. In my
> mind, that shouldn't have happened.
>
> Can anybody direct me to a good source of info on setting up offline folders
> and redirection and file servers? I want to fix this if it's not right.
>
> Thanks!
> Mark
 
RE: Folder redirection

"R. Paulson" wrote:

> Your issue is your folder redirection/synching... you have to choose either
> or... I would use roaming profiles w/ redirection...


What I want (and maybe that does it?) is to have everybody work from local
files, but have those automatically sync to their network shares so that we
can keep backups for them. The sync should be automatic, either when they
startup or shutdown.
One potential problem I see with this (just occurred to me) is that we use
shadow volume copy in case they want to roll back to a version they'd
produced a couple of hours ago. Not sure if I could take that from them now
that they have gotten used to it (we take a snapshot every hour).

Mark
 
Re: Folder redirection

justmark <justmark@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> "R. Paulson" wrote:
>
>> Your issue is your folder redirection/synching... you have to choose
>> either or... I would use roaming profiles w/ redirection...
>
>
> What I want (and maybe that does it?) is to have everybody work from
> local files,

Why?

> but have those automatically sync to their network
> shares so that we can keep backups for them. The sync should be
> automatic, either when they startup or shutdown.
> One potential problem I see with this (just occurred to me) is that
> we use shadow volume copy in case they want to roll back to a version
> they'd produced a couple of hours ago. Not sure if I could take that
> from them now that they have gotten used to it (we take a snapshot
> every hour).
>
> Mark

You're introducing a lot of complexity, not to mention places for error, by
having your LAN-connected users on Offline Files. I disable it. I don't even
like it for laptop users...I have seen far too many people lose data. I want
users accessing files off the server, and from nowhere else. It keeps things
a lot simpler and more efficient. Unless you're working on 10BT networking
with hubs, accessing an ancient server with slow drives, there's no real
point to "working locally", I think.
 
Re: Folder redirection

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
> >
> > What I want (and maybe that does it?) is to have everybody work from
> > local files,
>
> Why?

We have engineers using AutoCAD with really, really big files and for some
reason (we haven't yet identified), their connections sometimes break and
they lose what they've been working on. One problem, I believe, may be our
network design: we have a "file server" with an HBA card (2Gbps) connected
to a SAN. So when they're working live off of the server, the path to the
actual files seems to be a bit too far removed. That SAN is increasingly
holding more and more of our production work and is accessed constantly for a
lot of things. That's my hunch anyway...
 
Re: Folder redirection

justmark <justmark@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
>>>
>>> What I want (and maybe that does it?) is to have everybody work from
>>> local files,
>>
>> Why?
>
> We have engineers using AutoCAD with really, really big files and for
> some reason (we haven't yet identified), their connections sometimes
> break and they lose what they've been working on. One problem, I
> believe, may be our network design: we have a "file server" with an
> HBA card (2Gbps) connected to a SAN. So when they're working live
> off of the server, the path to the actual files seems to be a bit too
> far removed. That SAN is increasingly holding more and more of our
> production work and is accessed constantly for a lot of things.
> That's my hunch anyway...

Ah. Gotcha. Well, in an ideal world, your network & server wouldn't be a
bottleneck here - but I do understand those pesky Autocad files.

I still say Offline Files is de debbil.
 
Re: Folder redirection

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
>
> Ah. Gotcha. Well, in an ideal world, your network & server wouldn't be a
> bottleneck here - but I do understand those pesky Autocad files.
>
> I still say Offline Files is de debbil.


You ain't seen nuthin' 'til you've seen our .pst files problem! LOL...
 
Re: Folder redirection

justmark <justmark@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
>>
>> Ah. Gotcha. Well, in an ideal world, your network & server wouldn't
>> be a bottleneck here - but I do understand those pesky Autocad files.
>>
>> I still say Offline Files is de debbil.
>
>
> You ain't seen nuthin' 'til you've seen our .pst files problem!
> LOL...

Ah, now you've got me all riled up.

IMHO, PST files have no business in a corporate environment, period. I
disable them as far as I can with group policy, including disabling
autoarchive. Ugh.

See
http://www.exchangefaq.org/faq/Exchange-5.5/Why-PST-=-BAD-/q/Why-PST-=-BAD/qid/1209
 
Re: Folder redirection

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
>
> Ah, now you've got me all riled up.
>
> IMHO, PST files have no business in a corporate environment, period. I
> disable them as far as I can with group policy, including disabling
> autoarchive. Ugh.

Yeah, I hear you :-(
But when you're supposed to fix problems without changing things, it's hard...

<<bangs head against wall again>>
 
Re: Folder redirection

justmark <justmark@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
>>
>> Ah, now you've got me all riled up.
>>
>> IMHO, PST files have no business in a corporate environment, period.
>> I disable them as far as I can with group policy, including disabling
>> autoarchive. Ugh.
>
> Yeah, I hear you :-(
> But when you're supposed to fix problems without changing things,
> it's hard...

Yep. Maybe you could keep track of all the time you spend working with PST
file related issues and hand it to your boss...as well as giving them a copy
of the PST=BAD page.

> >
> <<bangs head against wall again>>

Being a consultant has its advantages. I can usually choose to avoid working
in environments where they won't listen to reason. Also, I'm extremely
bossy. :)
 
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