Disabling Offline files Server 2008 & Win 7 pro

[tdh1987]

I'm pulling my hair out here so I'm hoping you guys can help.

 

We have several suites of Student laptops that are running windows 7 pro and are joined to our school domain.

 

We have 5 year groups, year 07 through to year 11.

 

Each user has a home folder within their respective parent year group folder.

 

The problem I'm having is that when 30 laptops login in at the same time (at the beginning of the lesson) many of the laptops won't have access to their home folders. If I log the student off, log back in as a network administrator, nagivate to the File server, open the year 07 (or 08,09,10,11 folder depending what year group the student is in) I notice that the parent folder is 'working offline' yet the other parent folders are as they should be. If I turn it back online and ask the student to log back in then everything works again.

 

Now I believe the folder parent folder is switching offline because the the network slows right down (as it would if you've got 30 nodes connected to a single access point). Can I simply just disable offline files full stop because it just simply isn't needed for the students.

 

I know my explanation might not be the best but this problem is driving me insane as I'm having to run around switching peoples folder back online.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Tom.

[andydis]

yes just disable offline files VIA GPO or disable the service.

 

look into getting another AP tho!

[Chuckster]

In a GPO go to Comp Config --> Policies --> Administrative Templates --> System --> Group Policy

 

Enable "Group policy slow link detection" and set it to 0

 

Also, in Computer Configuration --> Policies --> Administrative Templates --> System --> User Profile

 

Enable "Do not detect slow network connections"

[tdh1987]

yes just disable offline files VIA GPO or disable the service.

 

look into getting another AP tho!

 

As far as I'm aware it is disabled in group policy on the domain controllers, could you be a bit more specific as to how to do it?

 

We have 1 Aerohive AP is each class room.

[tdh1987]

In a GPO go to Comp Config --> Policies --> Administrative Templates --> System --> Group Policy

 

Enable "Group policy slow link detection" and set it to 0

 

Also, in Computer Configuration --> Policies --> Administrative Templates --> System --> User Profile

 

Enable "Do not detect slow network connections"

 

Thank you I will give this a try.

[andydis]

computer config >policies > windows settings > system services > offline files

Assuming your laptops are in the same OU

[tdh1987]

computer config >policies > windows settings > system services > offline files

Assuming your laptops are in the same OU

 

Thanks for replying. I can't seem to find the group policy setting that your describing? It's Server 2008 R2 we're using.

[andydis]

heres an example of services via GPO

[tdh1987]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14017[/ATTACH] heres an example of services via GPO

 

I've had a look in there but I can't find anything about offline files :S

[Chuckster]

Thanks for replying. I can't seem to find the group policy setting that your describing? It's Server 2008 R2 we're using.

 

It's computer config > policies > windows settings > security settings > system services > offline files

[tdh1987]

 

I can't see it :/

[andydis]

scroll down abit more?

[tdh1987]

 

??

[Michael]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14020[/ATTACH]

 

I can't see it :/

 

You can't actually disable Offline files using GPO in Windows 7. If you look at the GPO closely, it's only supported on Windows 2000, XP, 2003.

 

I'm referring to: Synchronize all offline files before logging off and Synchronize all offline files before logging on under:

 

Computer Config > Policies > Admin > Templates > Network > Offline Files and

 

User Config > Policies > Admin > Templates > Network > Offline Files

 

The only way in Windows 7 (as others have stated) is to stop the service via GPO. You need to install RSAT on a workstation. When navigating to System Services in Group Policy Management, you'll be able to disable it, as it's reading the services from your workstation. There isn't an Offline Files service in 2008 R2.

[psydii]

Patch Patch Patch and then it might work properly without needing to try to disable it.

 

There are bugs in every level of Windows 7 sp1 for the services used to deliver offline files/ folder redirection from the kernel through the network stack the redirector group policy the CSC and its GUI.

 

Many of them are performance related. Latency is the killer for Windows 7 and in part that is caused by a buggy tcpip.sys.

 

At least some of these (kernel and srv2.sys) are needed on the servers too (assuming Win2k8R2)

 

Don't be put off by the apparently irrelevant hotfix descriptions, they are cumulative and thus contain updated version of fixes for issues that impact the area you are having a problem with. This isn't quite the full list of the most upto date version of the relevant components but it is quite close.

 

"File not found" error message when you make changes to a file on a network share from a computer that is running Window 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Rdbss.sys 6.1.7601.21939 309,248 09-Mar-2012 12:15 x64

Client only

 

 

Improved interoperability between the BranchCache feature and the Offline Files feature in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

 

Cscsvc.dll 6.1.7601.21920 694,784 10-Feb-2012 06:23 x64

Msv1_0.dll 6.1.7601.21920 312,832 10-Feb-2012 06:25 x64

Client only

 

 

A hotfix is available that adds the FileFsSectorSizeInformation information class to Windows 7 and to Windows Server 2008 R2

Ntfs.sys 6.1.7601.17693 1,660,272 16-Sep-2011 05:35 x64

Ntfs.sys 6.1.7601.21820 1,660,272 16-Sep-2011 06:43 x64

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.17693 5,558,128 16-Sep-2011 05:35 x64

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21820 5,551,472 16-Sep-2011 06:43 x64

Srv2.sys 6.1.7601.17693 410,112 16-Sep-2011 02:46 x64

Srv2.sys 6.1.7601.21820 409,600 16-Sep-2011 03:34 x64

Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.17693 3,967,856 16-Sep-2011 04:26 Not applicable

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.17693 3,912,560 16-Sep-2011 04:26 Not applicable

Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.21820 3,972,976 16-Sep-2011 06:20 Not applicable

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21820 3,916,144 16-Sep-2011 06:20 Not applicable

Server and clients

 

Folder moved from an unpinned location to a pinned location is not available offline in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

Cscapi.dll 6.1.7600.21137 46,080 26-Jan-2012 06:27 x64

Cscdll.dll 6.1.7600.21137 30,208 26-Jan-2012 06:27 x64

Cscapi.dll 6.1.7601.21908 46,080 26-Jan-2012 06:19 x64

Cscdll.dll 6.1.7601.21908 30,208 26-Jan-2012 06:19 x64

Csc.sys 6.1.7600.21137 514,048 26-Jan-2012 03:46 x64

Cscmig.dll 6.1.7600.21137 137,216 26-Jan-2012 06:27 x64

Microsoft-windows-offlinefiles-core-ppdlic.xrm-ms Not applicable 3,144 26-Jan-2012 06:46 Not applicable

Csc.sys 6.1.7601.21908 515,584 26-Jan-2012 03:35 x64

Cscmig.dll 6.1.7601.21908 137,216 26-Jan-2012 06:19 x64

Microsoft-windows-offlinefiles-core-ppdlic.xrm-ms Not applicable 3,144 26-Jan-2012 06:42 Not applicable

Cscsvc.dll 6.1.7600.21137 693,248 26-Jan-2012 06:27 x64

Microsoft-windows-offlinefiles.mof Not applicable 1,776 25-Jan-2012 23:55 Not applicable

Cscsvc.dll 6.1.7601.21908 693,760 26-Jan-2012 06:19 x64

Microsoft-windows-offlinefiles.mof Not applicable 1,776 25-Jan-2012 23:53 Not applicable

Client only

 

 

You cannot print results to files by using web applications in Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 R2 after you install security update MS10-061

Spoolsv.exe 6.1.7601.17543 559,104 15-Jan-2011 11:11 x64

Server and clients

 

Slow performance when you enable IPsec encryption on a specific TCP port number in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 (latest versions of the following. Includes previous performance fixes, for server and clients)

Fwpkclnt.sys 6.1.7601.21939 288,624 09-Mar-2012 15:37

Tcpip.sys 6.1.7601.21939 1,902,960 09-Mar-2012 15:37

Server and clients

 

A hotfix that lets you diagnose mini-filter-based performance issues in Windows Server 2008 R2 is available

Fltmgr.sys 6.1.7601.21910 288,624 28-Jan-2012 06:37 x64

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21910 5,561,200 28-Jan-2012 06:37 x64

Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.21910 3,972,464 28-Jan-2012 06:18 Not applicable

Server and clients

 

AppLocker path condition does not work when a file name contains international characters in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

Appid.sys 6.1.7601.21915 61,440 04-Feb-2012 10:21 x64

Appidpolicyconverter.exe 6.1.7601.21915 148,480 04-Feb-2012 12:26 x64

Appidsvc.dll 6.1.7601.21915 34,304 04-Feb-2012 12:27 x64

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21915 5,561,200 04-Feb-2012 12:33 x64

Appidapi.dll 6.1.7601.21915 50,688 04-Feb-2012 12:05 x86

Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.21915 3,972,464 04-Feb-2012 12:13 Not Applicable

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21915 3,916,656 04-Feb-2012 12:13 Not Applicable

Server and clients

 

Variable %userdomain% roaming profile path is not resolved correctly in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista (Needed because of mof update)

Profprov.dll 6.0.6002.22775 76,288 10-Jan-2012 14:45

Profsvc.dll 6.0.6002.22775 406,016 10-Jan-2012 14:45

Userprofilewmiprovider.mof Not applicable 10,702 10-Jan-2012 11:11

Clients only

 

Stale user profile folders are not deleted completely in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 (WINDOWS 7 ONLY)

Profsvc.dll 6.1.7600.21126 212,480 13-Jan-2012 07:59 x64

Profsvc.dll 6.1.7601.21897 212,480 13-Jan-2012 08:13 x64

Clients only

 

SMB2 directory cache is not updated correctly if a file is deleted in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 (SMB2 directory cache is not updated correctly if a file is deleted in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2) (Mrxsmb20.sys 6.1.7601.21866 128,000 24-Nov-2011)

Mrxsmb20.sys 6.1.7601.21866 128,000 24-Nov-2011 04:23 x64

 

 

Paged pool memory leak when you access some shared files in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 (Paged pool memory leak when you access some shared files in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2) mrxsbm10.sys and mrxsmb20.sys 15-sept-11

Mrxsmb10.sys 6.1.7600.21054 288,256 15-Sep-2011 02:42 x64

Mrxsmb10.sys 6.1.7601.21819 288,768 15-Sep-2011 03:23 x64

Mrxsmb20.sys 6.1.7600.21054 128,512 15-Sep-2011 02:42 x64

Mrxsmb20.sys 6.1.7601.21819 128,000 15-Sep-2011 03:23 x64

 

 

Group Policy LDR hotfixes:

Logon scripts take a long time to run in Windows Vista, in Windows Server 2008, in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

GetGPOList function does not return all GPOs in Windows 7, in Windows Server 2008 R2, in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008

When you use a GPO for application deployment in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2, the deployment fails

Group Policy logon scripts do not run in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

Internet Explorer Group Policy Preferences do not apply to Internet Explorer 9 in a Windows Server 2008 R2 domain environment

Edited May 24, 2012 by psydii

[psydii]

One more for luck :

File corruption occurs when you perform file operations on a file server that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Rdbss.sys 6.1.7601.21957 314,880 04-Apr-2012 02:33 x64

Mrxsmb20.sys 6.1.7601.21957 128,000 04-Apr-2012 02:31 x64

[zag]

Just came up against this problem on our new 2008 R2 servers.

 

Managed to install RSAT on my windows 7 machine and disable the service! thanks for the help, I had a few false starts with this one

[sparkeh]

The only way in Windows 7 (as others have stated) is to stop the service via GPO. You need to install RSAT on a workstation. When navigating to System Services in Group Policy Management, you'll be able to disable it, as it's reading the services from your workstation. There isn't an Offline Files service in 2008 R2.

@Michael cheers for this, was mucking about with this yesterday and that sorted the sync annoyance.

Irritating that its on by default as during testing it downloaded a huge wadge of users' files unnecessarily >:-0

[Michael]

Easy when you know how

[zag]

One other thing I noticed was that on the file server I had to disable caching on the actual share.

[sparkeh]

One other thing I noticed was that on the file server I had to disable caching on the actual share.

Oh? What happens for you when caching is enabled?

Once the workstation has had the service disabled, for me, the offline-i-ness was stopped and can't see a way a user can do anything.

[edutech4schools]

I found two settings that told the client to wait for network during login did the trick. Not at school so not sure which group policy it was, but it was a simple fix for me. I can post the info on Monday unless anyone can jump in.