Getting the Most Out of Folder Redirection


In the Group Policy Object Editor, you can use Folder Redirection to redirect certain special folders to network locations. Special folders are those folders, such as My Documents, that are located under Documents and Settings. Folder Redirection is located under User Configuration in the console tree of the Group Policy Object Editor. Several basic options for Folder Redirection will be discussed in this section. For each basic option, an advanced version of that option is available. The advanced version provides for finer control by allowing redirection that is based on security group membership.

Creating a Folder for Each User Under the Root Path

Rather than having to type a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, such as \\server\share\%username%\MyDocuments, you can simply type the path to the share, such as \\server\share, and Folder Redirection automatically appends the username and folder name when the policy is applied. With Folder Redirection in place, you can minimize errors and spelling mistakes from constantly retyping environment variables and share names.

To redirect special folders to the root directory, perform the following steps:

1.

Open a Group Policy Object that is linked to the site, domain, or organizational unit that contains the users whose special folders you want to redirect.

2.

In the console tree, double-click Folder Redirection to display the special folder that you want to redirect.

3.

Right-click the special folder that you want to redirect (for example, Desktop or My Documents) and then click Properties.

4.

On the Target tab, in Settings, click Basic - Redirect Everyone's Folder to the Same Location.

5.

Under Target Folder Location, click Create a Folder for Each User Under the Root Path.

6.

In Root Path, type a Universal Naming Convention path (for example, \\servername\sharename) and then click OK.

7.

In the Properties page for the special folder, click OK.

Redirecting to Home Directory (My Documents)

A new feature provided with Windows Server 2003, the redirect option allows you to redirect a user's My Documents folder to the user's home directory. This option is intended only for organizations that have an existing deployment of home directories and that want to maintain compatibility with their existing home directory environment. Use this option only if you have already deployed home directories in your organization.

To redirect My Documents to the home directory, follow these steps:

1.

Open a Group Policy Object that is linked to the site, domain, or organizational unit that contains the users whose My Documents folders you want to redirect.

2.

In the console tree, double-click Folder Redirection to display My Documents.

3.

Right-click My Documents and then click Properties.

4.

On the Target tab, in Settings, click Basic - Redirect Everyone's Folder to the Same Location.

5.

Under Target Folder Location, click Redirect to the User's Home Directory and then click OK.

Note

Users must have the home directory property set correctly on their user object in Active Directory. The client computer finds the path for the user's home directory from the user object in Active Directory at login time. Users who are affected by Folder Redirection policy must have this path set correctly; otherwise, folder redirection will fail.


Redirecting to a Special Path

With the option to redirect folders to a special path, you can redirect users' folders to an alternative local drive or partition, or they can enter unusual configurations that are not anticipated by the new Folder Redirection user interface. Functionally, this works in exactly the same way as the Windows 2000 Folder Redirection user interface.

To redirect special folders to a specific path, follow these steps:

1.

Open a Group Policy Object that is linked to the site, domain, or organizational unit that contains the users whose special folders you want to redirect.

2.

In the console tree, double-click Folder Redirection to display the special folder that you want to redirect.

3.

Right-click the special folder that you want to redirect (for example, Desktop or My Documents) and then click Properties.

4.

On the Target tab, in Settings, click Basic - Redirect Everyone's Folder to the Same Location.

5.

Under Target Folder Location, click Redirect to the Following Location.

6.

In Root Path, type a UNC path (for example, \\server\share). You can also use a locally valid path (for example, C:\somefolder). Then click OK to continue.

Redirecting to the Local User Profile

With the option to redirect to the local user profile, you can redirect the selected folder back to the default location in the local user profilefor example, %userprofile%\ <Folder Name>.

To redirect special folders to the local profile location, follow these steps:

1.

Open a Group Policy Object that is linked to the site, domain, or organizational unit that contains the users whose special folders you want to redirect.

2.

In the console tree, double-click Folder Redirection to display the special folder that you want to redirect.

3.

Right-click the special folder that you want to redirect (for example, Desktop or My Documents) and then click Properties.

4.

On the Target tab, in Settings, click Basic - Redirect Everyone's Folder to the Same Location, similar to what is shown in Figure 21.8.

Figure 21.8. Redirecting folders.


5.

Under Target Folder Location, click Redirect to the Local User Profile Location and then click OK.

Note

In the Properties page for a special folder, changing the setting to Not Configured does not cause the special folder to be redirected back to its default location. The Not Configured setting simply leaves the redirected folder where it is.


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 in. 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 in.

Warning

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 Unleashed(c) R2 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed (R2 Edition)
ISBN: 0672328984
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 499

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net