Chrome - have to log in each time

[enjay]

We're about to move to Chrome, and I think I've got everything sorted apart from the sign-in; users can sign in to the browser (using their Google Apps for Education logon) and everything syncs as expected, but unfortunately the login is not remembered, meaning they have to do it each time. I'm guessing it is writing into the local profile somewhere, however we have out local profiles set to delete at logoff. Does anyone know if it is possible to get Chrome to store the user data in the roaming profile instead?

[sparkeh]

This might help: [FIXED] Google Chrome user settings with roaming profiles and environmental variables | blog.samkendall.net

[AngryTechnician]

Warning: if you use the above 'fix', it redirects ALL of Chrome's local profile data, including the cache. This means hundreds of extra MB per user being written to your redirected AppData or (worse) the roaming profile, depending on how you set it up. Consider how this will impact server space and performance before rolling it out to large numbers of users.

[enjay]

Warning: if you use the above 'fix', it redirects ALL of Chrome's local profile data, including the cache.

Thanks for the warning! Can I control how big the cache is?

[AngryTechnician]

Theoretically yes, but they don't make it easy: How To Change Google Chrome’s Cache Location And Size

[sparkeh]

Warning: if you use the above 'fix', it redirects ALL of Chrome's local profile data, including the cache. This means hundreds of extra MB per user being written to your redirected AppData or (worse) the roaming profile, depending on how you set it up. Consider how this will impact server space and performance before rolling it out to large numbers of users.

Haven't done this myself but was under the impression you could use the Chrome policies to still direct the cache to reside locally.

[enjay]

@sparkeh is right - there is a setting in the Google Chrome GPO which allows me to specify the location and size of the cache. I wonder if this is something which Google changed following feedback?

Presumably it be sensible to point the cache to the C: drive rather than somewhere on the server??

[enjay]

Okay -

User data directory is now relocated to ${roaming_app_data}\Google\Chrome\UserData which creates the following folder \\server\users$\profiles\staff\username\profile.V2\AppData\LocalGoogle

Cache redirected to ${local_app_data}\Google\Chrome\ which creates C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Cache; the cache size is set to 1 byte.

All good, except I now get the attached error message when opening Chrome:
chrome_error_1.jpg

This error message is related to the change in data directory not the cache, as it appeared before I added the cache settings to the GPO.

[sparkeh]

Funny I was just reading this bug report about this: Issue 84045 - chromium - Investigate profile/cache on a network hosted location - An open-source browser project to help move the web forward. - Google Project Hosting
Seems to be a long running issue. People report disbaling the Flash plugin seems to solve the issue, but not a 'fix' really

[enjay]

There is something Chrome doesn't like about the Adobe plugins, that is certainly true, although disabling them didn't stop the exception error from appearing.

The userdata directory redirection had unexpected side-effects, including breaking Edugeek! With that redirected, Edugeek pages locked up completely and Chrome then told me that the Flash and Shockwave plug-ins had stopped.

[enjay]

Ironically, one of the other sites which a redirected data directory breaks in Chrome Web Store!

I think I'll have to leave it unredirected, as I think it could cause more problems and confusion than it solves. Shame.