Managing Documents with Folder Redirection

Folder redirection is a component of IntelliMirror that allows administrators to redirect the path of the following folders to a new location: My Documents (and its subfolders My Pictures, My Music, and My Videos), Application Data, Desktop, and Start Menu. These folders are located by default in each user s profile on the local computer. The most commonly redirected folders are those that contain large amounts of user data My Documents and its subfolders. Although it is not a recommended practice to store large amounts of data on the Desktop, users in some organizations do, and the Desktop folder can be redirected as well.

The new location can be a folder on the local computer or a directory on a network share. Users work with documents on a server as though the documents were stored on the local drive.

There are benefits to redirecting any folder, but redirecting the My Documents folder can be particularly advantageous:

• No matter which computer on the network the user logs on to, the user s documents are always available.

• You can use Group Policy to set disk quotas and limit the amount of space taken up by users folders.

• You can back up data stored on a shared network server as part of routine system administration. This is safer and requires no action on the part of the user.

• User data can be redirected to a hard disk on the user s local computer other than the disk where the operating system files are located. This protects the user s data if the operating system must be reinstalled.

Combining Folder Redirection with Roaming User Profiles

You can also combine Folder Redirection and roaming user profiles to decrease logon and logoff times for roaming and mobile users. A common scenario is to redirect the My Documents and My Pictures folders, and allow the Application Data, Desktop, and Start Menu folders to roam with the profile. In addition to improved availability and backup benefits from having the data on the network, users also realize performance gains when using low-speed network connections and in subsequent logon sessions. Not all of the data in the user profile is transferred to the desktop each time the user logs on only the data that user accesses during a session. Because only some of their documents are copied, performance is improved when the users profiles are copied from the server.

When you combine the use of Folder Redirection and roaming user profiles, you can also provide fast computer replacement. If a user s computer needs to be replaced, the user s data can quickly be copied from the server locations to a replacement computer.

Previously, administrators who wanted to redirect folders to the network had to edit the registry or use System Policy. These methods can still be used if you are not in an Active Directory environment. For more information about registry entries that affect folder redirection, see Folder Redirection Registry Keys later in this chapter.

Selecting Folders for Redirection

The following folders are located by default in the user s profile, and roam by default with a roaming user profile, but you can use Folder Redirection to redirect them to another location instead.

My Documents

My Documents is the folder where users normally save their documents. Common dialog boxes in Windows XP Professional point to the My Documents folder by default, so there is a greater tendency for a user to save files there. It is a good practice to train users to save all their documents to this folder, and you can also enable a Group Policy setting to prevent them from saving files in other locations. Because My Documents is often too large to roam without creating excessive network traffic, it should generally be redirected.

My Pictures

A subfolder of My Documents, this is the default location for pictures and images in Windows XP Professional. If My Documents is redirected, My Pictures is also redirected by default. It is recommended that you accept the default setting, and allow My Pictures to follow the My Documents folder.

My Music

A subfolder of My Documents, this is the default location for music files. If My Documents is redirected, My Music is also redirected by default.

My Videos

A subfolder of My Documents, this is the default location for video files. If My Documents is redirected, My Videos is also redirected by default.

Application Data

This folder stores application state data, such as toolbar settings, custom dictionaries, and other non-registry-based settings. Application vendors decide what each application stores here. Because many applications incorrectly determine that the application data is local, redirecting it can cause inconsistent results. For this reason, it is recommended that you allow Application Data to roam with the profile. However, there are three situations in which redirecting Application Data might be advantageous:

• To reduce the size of the profile, thereby decreasing logon time, on multiuser computers where you have enabled a Group Policy setting to delete cached profiles. This gives users access to their Application Data as needed, but without having to download several possibly large files every time they log on.

• To reduce the size of the profile, thereby decreasing initial logon time, in situations where keeping initial logon time short is a priority.

• For Terminal Services clients where you have enabled a Group Policy setting to delete cached profiles.

Desktop

The Desktop folder contains items such as shortcuts and folders that are placed there for quick access. Although the Desktop is usually allowed to roam with the profile, there are two situations in which it might be advantageous to redirect the Desktop folder instead:

• To reduce the size of the profile in organizations where users store large numbers of files, rather than shortcuts, on their desktops. Because any folder that is redirected is also automatically available offline, users can still access data in their redirected folders even if they lose their connection to the server.

• To mandate a common Desktop for a group of users. Some organizations want to configure computers to use a common look and feel. By redirecting a group of users to a read-only copy of the desktop, you can ensure that all users share the same desktop, with the same desktop items. However, Group Policy and Domain Default Profiles provide better ways to accomplish this goal.

Start Menu

The Start Menu folder contains program groups and shortcuts to programs. Start menu redirection is treated differently from other redirected folders. The contents of the user s local Start menu are not copied to the redirected location. Instead, users are directed to a standard Start menu the administrator has previously created and stored on a server. It is not generally recommended to use Folder Redirection to redirect the Start menu folder; use Group Policy to control what appears on the Start menu. Redirecting the Start menu can be advantageous in the following situations:

• Mixed operating system environments. For example, for Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 based client computers, you can define a path for a redirected Start menu by using System Policy. You can then use Folder Redirection to define a path for Windows XP Professional based clients to the same location.

• Kiosk-type environments, to redirect to a read-only version of the Start menu. Redirect it only in environments where software deployment features are not being used.

Tools for Configuring Folder Redirection

Folder Redirection configuration options vary, depending on whether you have an Active Directory environment. In an Active Directory environment, you can use Group Policy to apply different configurations to different user groups; for example, you can redirect Marketing users folders to a server in the Marketing department, and redirect Engineering users My Documents folder to their existing home directories. In non-Active Directory environments, you have other options, such as using System Policy, as described later in this chapter; you cannot, however, configure folder redirection by using a local Group Policy object (GPO).

Windows 2000 Server Environments with Active Directory

In a Windows 2000 Server environment with Active Directory, you configure Folder Redirection by using the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. For details about implementing this component, see Applying Change and Configuration Management in the Deployment Planning Guide.