Section 3.6. Using Offline Files and Folders


3.6. Using Offline Files and Folders

Offline Files and Folders is a neat feature, offered for the first time in Windows 2000 Professional, which synchronizes files and folders when you connect to and disconnect from the network. Similar to the Windows 95 Briefcase, except much more versatile and automated, Offline Files and Folders caches a copy of selected files and folders on a computer's hard drive. When that computer becomes disconnected from the network for any reason, Windows reads the cache on the machine and intercepts requests for files and folders inside the cache. To the end user, he or she still can open, save, delete, and rename files on network shares because Windows is fooling him or her into thinking that everything is still on the network and not in the cache. Windows records all changes, and the next time an appropriate network connection is detected, the changes are uploaded to the network and the cache and the actual network file store are synchronized.

What happens when a common network sharecall it Contractsis modified by two different users while they're offline? In this instance, it's really a case of who gets connected first. User A will synchronize with the network, and his modified version of the file will be the one now stored live on the network volume. When User B attempts to synchronize, Windows will prompt him to choose whether to keep the existing version (the one that User A modified) or to overwrite it with the one that User B has worked on.


This has obvious advantages for mobile users. In fact, as I write this, I am sitting at a rest stop on Interstate 20 outside Augusta, Georgia, taking an extended break from a road trip. To open this file, I navigated through Windows Explorer to my regular network storage location for this book and its assorted files. I noticed no difference between being in my office and being in this car right now, at least as far as Windows' interface to the network was concerned. However, tomorrow, when I am back in my office, I will plug the Ethernet cable into my laptop, and Windows will synchronize any files I modified in that folder with the files on my servers in the office. Using this feature, I always have the latest file with me wherever I am, be it in the office or on the road, and I don't really have to consciously think about it. But there's also a plus side that you might not have considered: if you enable Offline Files on regular desktop machines, not just mobile laptops, you create a poor man's fault-tolerant network. (The price you pay for such fault tolerance is bandwidth.) That is, when the network connection disappears, Windows doesn't care if you are using a big mini-tower system or an ultra-thin notebook. So, your desktop users still can safely and happily use network resources, even if the network has disappeared, and you as the administrator can rest assured in knowing whatever the users do will be updated safely on the network when it reappears. Now, of course, this is no substitute for a well-planned network with quality components, but in a pinch, offline folders do well to reduce user panic and wasted help-desk calls.

3.6.1. Enabling Offline Files

To make a server's share contents available offline using the Control Panel, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Computer Management.

  2. In the left pane, expand Computer Management, System Tools, and Shared Folders and select Shares.

  3. On the right pane, right-click the share in question and select Properties.

  4. Navigate to the General tab and click the Offline Settings button.

  5. Select the appropriate settings (described shortly), and then click OK when finished.

To make a share's contents available offline using Windows Explorer, follow these steps:

  1. Open Windows Explorer.

  2. Right-click the shared folder in question, and select Sharing and Security.

  3. Click the Offline Settings button.

  4. Select the appropriate settings, and then click OK when finished.

In both of these processes, the individual offline availability configuration settings are as follows:

  • The first option gives the user control over which documents are available offline.

  • The second option makes all documents available.

  • The third option prevents any documents from being used offline.

You can enable Offline Files and Folders on Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients by opening any folder and selecting Folder Options from the Tools menu. Then click the Offline Files tab, and select the checkbox called Enable Offline Files.

3.6.2. Points to Remember

Be careful to note that offline access is allowed by default when creating a new share. If you have sensitive data which is stored on a share that is accessible by mobile computers, that data can represent a real business intelligence risk if a mobile user's laptop is stolen or compromised. Consider disabling offline access for shares that contain potentially private corporate information not suitable for storage on computers that leave the corporate campus.

Also, beware of the false sense of security that Offline Files and Folders gives the user. If I were to go to the airport without plugging my laptop into the network right before I left, I certainly did not get the latest version of any files I have modified since I last connected the laptop to the network; I'm potentially missing many more files that perhaps had been added since that time as well. A good rule of thumb, even though it's low-tech, is to plug in the laptop right before you leave the office, and then disconnect the laptop and reboot. This enables you to synchronize for a final time and to verify that the utility is working correctly. It's a lot better than arriving at a conference without the PowerPoint slides that derived a significant portion of your talk. (Not that I know from experience....)

Note that checking the Optimized for Performance checkbox in the Windows GUI automatically caches documents so that users can run them locally, which is helpful for busy application servers because it lowers overall traffic to and from the server.



Learning Windows Server 2003
Learning Windows Server 2003
ISBN: 0596101236
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 171

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