Offline files and Synchronization

[RM_NO_MORE]

Need some help setting up assigned offline drives allowing staff to take their laptops home and still access their home folders, then when back in school the files automatically synchronize.

 

Made changes in the GPO for 'Specify administratively assigned offline files' and set the UNC path to their home directories but no joy.

 

Thanks in advance.

[FreelanceX]

Want me to share my offline files policy? Works perfectly to automatically keep users Home Drives in sync. I can upload the actual GPO backup tomorrow if you want.

[ITGuyWestMidlands]

Id like to see this plwase as well as how you have your shares configured for offline files. Ive only lookedc briefly but it seems like an all or nothing situation?

[FreelanceX]

There are really only a few policies which are required in Win 10 to get this working.

 

My GPO policy (At root of client device OU)

 

 

My Share setting

 

 

My End user experience

 

 

Hope that helps.

 

FYI, Make sure your permissions are correct on your home path root. Saves a headache of incorrect folders trying to sync.

 

EDIT: I also use DFS... So take that into consideration.

 

EDIT 2: The Share setting will also work with the top option selected. Personal preference.

Edited August 24, 2016 by FreelanceX

[ITGuyWestMidlands]

What about redirected desktops?

[ITGuyWestMidlands]

There are really only a few policies which are required in Win 10 to get this working.

 

My GPO policy (At root of client device OU)

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38448[/ATTACH]

 

My Share setting

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38449[/ATTACH]

 

My End user experience

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38450[/ATTACH]

 

Hope that helps.

 

FYI, Make sure your permissions are correct on your home path root. Saves a headache of incorrect folders trying to sync.

 

EDIT: I also use DFS... So take that into consideration.

 

EDIT 2: The Share setting will also work with the top option selected. Personal preference.

 

Thanks for this. Is it just applied via gp to laptops that go off the network?

[FreelanceX]

You can apply the same settings to your desktop and start menus. I only really use redirected desktops for students. I don't use redirected start menus at all with win 10. Too much hassle. I manage start menu with GPP files and folders (remove what shouldn't be there, add what needs to be, based on item level targeting) and also via file security (which is complex but works well).

 

I apply this to all client devices. Means in event of server reboot or crash, everyone can continue working.

 

EDIT: With my GPO settings (and ONLY these settings controlling offline files) As long as you have not turned off Offline files on the share (2nd pic 2nd option) then the redirected folders should automatically be available offline. Setting 1 or 3, should serve the same purpose.

Edited August 24, 2016 by FreelanceX

[pete]

^ You can also set redirected Start Menu's / Desktops as administratively assigned offline files (user config > adm templates > Network > Offline files > specify administratively assigned offline files).

 

We leave the "make available offline" option available for staff because it's handy (and no-one's got stupidly big homedirs).

[FreelanceX]

As long as you don't enable the setting "Don't automatically make redirected folders available offline", You don't need to set "administratively assigned offline files", as they are already set as offline.

 

I also disable the "Make available offline" option, as there is nothing to make available offline, that already isn't available offline. If that makes sense?

[RM_NO_MORE]

That's a great help!..

 

Cheers

[RM_NO_MORE]

Do I have to put any offline synchronize settings in?..The drive is available offline but nothing synchronizes.

[FreelanceX]

Do I have to put any offline synchronize settings in?..The drive is available offline but nothing synchronizes.

 

It should work like this (test if you want):

 

On client device, create or edit file whilst it is connected to network. Go directly to share and notice the change has been made.

Take the client device offline, then edit the previous file. (File explorer should report that folder is offline but you should be able to open/see everything still.) On the share, obviously the file hasn't updated.

Take the client device back online, check the file via the share. Notice the file has been updated automagically.

 

EDIT: This is where my policy "Configure slow link mode - Disabled" comes into play. With this policy enabled, the device never goes into "work offline" mode and forces the device to always "be online" even when its not. Means the device will never go into offline mode when you don't want it to, just because the connection is slow or disconnected for a few seconds. Also means files don't synchronise on a schedule, leaving files of out of sync inbetween syncs, but immediately and constantly sync whilst there is a connection.

 

Hope that makes sense

Edited August 25, 2016 by FreelanceX