Desktop Redirection Per Class?

Hi,

I support many small primary schools, most have Windows Server 2003 / XP Domains. Most currently don't have any desktop redirection and ones that do redirect all students login's to one folder on the server. I was asked today if I could organize the desktop icons in Class 1 of one of my schools, they don't have any redirection currently (Due to a large number of laptops), so I am looking for idea's of how you guys do this?

Currently the school in question has class accounts, not per pupil. Class 1 which I am intending to more to redirected first don't tend to use laptops that often (If at all) and have wired desktops. So offline caching isn't the problem at the moment, but I am wanting to role this out to more class's or even schools. I am also wanting to make staff able to view and edit the desktop folders (A shortcut on there desktop) so they can put icons or website shortcuts on to the desktop and control what applications kids see. (I know they can launch them from the start menu too)

So just looking for idea's really.

Thanks a lot
Rob Holmes

Put the computers into each class into their own OU then apply a group policy to them with the relevant user settings. To get this to work you need to enable loopback policy processing. If you search for loopback you will find plenty of information.

Oh and make the relevant folders you are redirecting to writable by the staff.

I work in an independent prep school (primary)

Here all kids have their own logons from Reception class and they all use the same mandatory profile with folder re-direction for their Home directory (My Documents), so each child has their own 'private' area to save work in. The desktop is fixed by the mandatory profile.

Their home directores are saved in shares on the server according to their year of entry and these, so this year's Reception class are all in the Pupil$/2009_Entry folder for example.

I say 'private', because while the kids can't see each other's home drives, the staff can... Pupil$ apears in their 'My Computer' and, because we are Primary and there are no worries about exam work being improved, teachers have Read-Write control over the pupils' areas.

As for a shared area for lessons. In the middle of the pupil desktop is a shortcut to a folder called 'Today's Lesson'. The actual folder is on the Public$ drive, an area shared between staff and pupils.

Teachers manage it themselves dropping a shortcut or document into it as needed for their lesson. It's up to them to clear it out, so the kids can find what they need quickly and, to my surprise, the teachers are doing this. There are rarely more than 2 items in the today's lesson folder, but it is constantly in use.

From your point of view - mandatory profile for Class 1, with a similar today's lesson shortcut may be what you need.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChrisH

Put the computers into each class into their own OU then apply a group policy to them with the relevant user settings. To get this to work you need to enable loopback policy processing. If you search for loopback you will find plenty of information.

Oh and make the relevant folders you are redirecting to writable by the staff.

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Ok sort of started to do that (Created OU currently with test account in there) and made a folder, but might rethink the locaiton. I will look in to loopback as I haven't heard of that before.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elsiegee40

I work in an independent prep school (primary)

Here all kids have their own logons from Reception class and they all use the same mandatory profile with folder re-direction for their Home directory (My Documents), so each child has their own 'private' area to save work in. The desktop is fixed by the mandatory profile.

Their home directores are saved in shares on the server according to their year of entry and these, so this year's Reception class are all in the Pupil$/2009_Entry folder for example.

I say 'private', because while the kids can't see each other's home drives, the staff can... Pupil$ apears in their 'My Computer' and, because we are Primary and there are no worries about exam work being improved, teachers have Read-Write control over the pupils' areas.

As for a shared area for lessons. In the middle of the pupil desktop is a shortcut to a folder called 'Today's Lesson'. The actual folder is on the Public$ drive, an area shared between staff and pupils.

Teachers manage it themselves dropping a shortcut or document into it as needed for their lesson. It's up to them to clear it out, so the kids can find what they need quickly and, to my surprise, the teachers are doing this. There are rarely more than 2 items in the today's lesson folder, but it is constantly in use.

From your point of view - mandatory profile for Class 1, with a similar today's lesson shortcut may be what you need.

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When I see 'mandatory profile' do you mean one that doesn't save changes to the server when they log off? I like the idea for the Today's Lesson and was going to use the whole desktop as a 'Today's Lesson' sort of 'You can use these programs'. I am lucky that I have a Windows Server 2003 in VM here at home to mess with. So I might load it up and a few XP clients and trail different ways.

One thing I was going to do, was have a folder called 'Desktops' with 'Class 1 Desktop' in there and add desktop folders as I move more class's over, then also have a 'Common Icons' were all the program's I install round the school are placed, so the teacher can move the icons into which ever desktop they are controlling. Is this how you do yours? Also how do you create website links? Do staff copy the URL and make a shortcut, or do you have a easier way. I am think some sort of 'Favorite' button that adds a website link to the 'Common Icons' desktop or even the 'Class Desktop' folder.

Thanks

If you use a common account for the whole class I'd personally create a "group" for each class and make the class account a member of said group then do the Desktop Redirection for that "group" (you can do multiple of these inside a single policy).

Then you could set the teachers to the directory "above" each of the class ones so they can nip in and do whatever.

It depends how you ideally (technology aside) would like them to see and interact with the system.

Quote:

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I'd personally create a "group" for each class and make the class account a member of said group

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This is the way we do it here.

I have all the students and teachers in their own GPO so they get a student or teacher desktop. Just redir as appropriate, in GP User Config - Windows Settings - Folder Redir if you right click you can choose to redir everyone to one location (how I do it) or you can redir by group.

As for the icon arrangement I use a batch file upon startup:
reg add [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell \Bags\1\Desktop]"FFlags"=dword:00000221"Sort"=dword:00000002 /q

Incidentally have a nose around kellys corner for some good xp tips I use this sometimes when I need something done quickly.

@Skinny - Thanks for the link and info, like the arrange registry edit. Very useful.

I have currently setup a OU inside the OU 'Students' that is call 'Class1' and put the 'Class1' account in there (Or will when I roll it out, currently test in there).

I think the redirection is easy for Class1, but how do you guys go on for wireless laptops. Do you worry about them going out of wireless range and not picking up the desktop? Does offline files overcome this? Or could you maybe cache it another way? I know schools that have redirection currently don't on the laptops for the reason they may go out of wireless range.

Thanks for advice!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robyholmes

Do you worry about them going out of wireless range and not picking up the desktop? Does offline files overcome this? Or could you maybe cache it another way? I know schools that have redirection currently don't on the laptops for the reason they may go out of wireless range.

Thanks for advice!

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Out of range? Just make sure you have a good wireless network and they shouldn't go out of range. One of my schools has a WAP permantley on top of the laptop trolley that serves the 16 that it carries but has another in the PPA room. Most of my schools are fully wireless though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robyholmes

Ok sort of started to do that (Created OU currently with test account in there) and made a folder, but might rethink the locaiton. I will look in to loopback as I haven't heard of that before.



When I see 'mandatory profile' do you mean one that doesn't save changes to the server when they log off? I like the idea for the Today's Lesson and was going to use the whole desktop as a 'Today's Lesson' sort of 'You can use these programs'. I am lucky that I have a Windows Server 2003 in VM here at home to mess with. So I might load it up and a few XP clients and trail different ways.

One thing I was going to do, was have a folder called 'Desktops' with 'Class 1 Desktop' in there and add desktop folders as I move more class's over, then also have a 'Common Icons' were all the program's I install round the school are placed, so the teacher can move the icons into which ever desktop they are controlling. Is this how you do yours? Also how do you create website links? Do staff copy the URL and make a shortcut, or do you have a easier way. I am think some sort of 'Favorite' button that adds a website link to the 'Common Icons' desktop or even the 'Class Desktop' folder.

Thanks

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Sorry for the delay in reply, I forgot to subscribe to this thread.

'Mandatory Profile' is the profile where things don't get saved back to the server... more about it here http://www.edugeek.net/forums/window...y-profile.html and in the wiki

We have a comon desktop for all pupils with a small number of commonly used icons (IE, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Paint, Textease, My documents, Today's Lesson arranged tidily so they are easy for the kids to find.

I too have a "Various Shortcuts" folder which staff can use to drop a software shortcut into "Today's Lesson"

Staff create their own website shortcuts (Right click - Create Shortcut)

I also have a very tidy Start menu - so that programs can be found quickly through that. Room specific software (e.g. Science Lab stuff) has it's own Start menu Folder; i.e. there's one called Science Lab!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChrisH

Put the computers into each class into their own OU then apply a group policy to them with the relevant user settings. To get this to work you need to enable loopback policy processing. If you search for loopback you will find plenty of information.

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Would this loopback method work for an environment where there's 32bit XP machines running on the same network as 64bit W7? The issue encountered first off was that the W7 machines put all "legacy" applications in 'Program Files (x86)' which then renders a number of redirected desktop icons redundant.
The plan is to have a separate redirect per OS for pupils.
Looks doable but wondering if anyone's had success with this?

Yup! It works! Server 2008, Windows 7 and XP Pro clients separated by OU.
Made a separate set of icons in a different folder, created loopback merge gpo with redirection settings amd placed it in the Computer OU for the x64 W7 clients.