Enabling offline file Sync

[m1ddy]

Hi Guys,

I am trying to setup offline file syncing. We have certain shares on the network that we would like to sync to users laptops when they logoff/shutdown.

I have setup a GPO to tweak the offline files/folders settings and it all looks ok to me but now im stuck. The folders I have selected to sync...dont. Can someone point out the exact way to select which folders are made available offline using a policy. The only way I can get a folder to sync is to right click on it manually and make it available offline on a folder on the desktop. Obv I dont want to have to do this on every machine

Its a 2003 network with XP Pro clients. We dont use any folder redirection.

Any idea what im doing wrong.

Cheers

[m1ddy]

Is no one able to help with this?

[ajbritton]

Lack of responses may be down to experience that offline file sync can be problematic.

If I wanted to force sync of certain folders (and assuming of course that these contain no sensitive information which should not be stored on a laptop), then I would consider using a startup script that used ROBOCOPY to do the sync. This could be configured to write results to a log so you could monitor progress.

[jsnetman]

We use this for laptops so when our users go home they have an offline version of their server docs (My Docs). You need to go to the shared folder on the server right click it and then choose sharing and then click on caching and select the middle option.

Hope this helps.

[tosh74]

Check that your folder permissions are setup correctly on the server with the shares you want to make available offline

Best Practices for Folder Redirection in User Data and Settings Management

[m1ddy]

Thanks for the answers all.

The problem is we do not use folder redirection at all. The users 'home' area is mapped via a script on login. It is simply a network share mapped to a drive which only they have permission to write to. Its not a 'home' folder in the microsoft sense of the word. I.E in Active Directory under the profile tab, everyones home folder path is empty.

What do you think my best course of action is? Should I set everyones home folder path in AD to their share on the network and then enable folder redirection from My Docs to said folder? I think im write in assuming that redirected folders are synced and made available offline by default?

Cheers
Jon

[browolf]

experiences of shared user areas on laptops./

always done it manually. I'd suggest not redirecting mydocs unless you have a plan for dealing with "mymusic" and mypictures. otherwise your server will end up full of mp3s and holiday snaps!

really big sync'ed user areas have an unfortunate habit of breaking. Trying to recover unsync'ed files on the laptop is a pain in ass.

For those users I've set up manual sync's with MS SyncToy. These who periodically had problems have never had any since. ie They manage their own sync.