Increasing Fault Tolerance with Intellimirror


Intellimirror is a primary method for providing redundancy of user data reducing the probability of data loss in the event of a hardware failure. You can use it by enabling folder redirection, which redirects some critical folders off the local hard drive and to a networked (and backed up) file share. You can also enable roaming profiles, which allow customized user settings such as desktop settings and files to follow the user around no matter where the user logs in. Both are configured via Group Policy.

Using Folder Redirection

Folder redirection configures the user's folders ”such as My Documents, the desktop, application data, and the Start menu ”to be redirected to another location, such as a server. This allows for critical data that is frequently located in these areas to be located on both the local desktop and the server. Because the redirected folders are automatically made available offline, if the file server is offline, the user can still access the data. Also, if the data is on a server, it can be easily backed up.

This is very useful for mobile users who need their data backed up and available while offline. However, if the user has a great deal of data, the synchronization can slow down log out/log on speeds, depending on when the synchronization is set to occur.

It is a best practice to configure the folder redirection using UNC paths as shown in Figure 6.8. You can also choose the option to redirect to the Home directory to configure the user's My Documents to automatically redirect to a personal drive already established on a server. This option is available only for Windows XP and Server 2003, although it can be configured using a more manual fashion on Windows 2000 machines.

Figure 6.8. Setting up folder redirection in group policy.

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Using Roaming Profiles

Roaming profiles enable users to access their data, including redirected folders, wherever they log in. Items such as data on their desktop, application configuration, printers, and display options follow the users wherever they log on. The roaming profiles are stored on the local workstation(s) where the user logs in and also in a central repository on a server that can be accessed from any location from which the user might log in. This increases user productivity by giving users the tools and data they need, no matter where they are logging in. However, it does leave a copy of the user data, including offline files if configured, in every location where the user has logged on.

Local Administrators Can Gain Access

Although the leftover roaming profiles left on the workstations and offline files are protected by ACLs, local administrators can gain access to the files on the local workstation. This should be a consideration when deciding whether to use the roaming profiles and offline files/folder redirection.




Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Insider Solutions
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Insider Solutions
ISBN: 0672326094
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 325

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