Roaming Profiles

[MadMedic]

I am currently running W2K3 with active directory. I went in and created myself a user. The thing is I want it to be a roaming profile but when I log onto the workstation I use and access profiles in the my computer advanced tab it states that it uses the local cached version of the profile. How di I get my profile to now always use the setting off of the server? Also I want to move the setting on the workstation I have been using. Can I just copy the folder from the documents and settiings folder into the server Users folder? I know that once I get that setup then I am going to redirect the my documents folder to a "home" folder on the server. I want to do this and for several others as our WAN will finally be established soon with a T-1 to the Headquarters and Fractional T-1's to the satelite facilities. I want to do this so the operations managers accounts are the same for them no matter where they go. I also want this capability for when I have to go to these locations and work on something.

Server is Windows 2003
Workstations are Windows XP.

[bAdWaYz]

When a roaming user logs on, the system checks to see if the server-based profile is available. If it is, the system checks the date/time stamp of the hive file and then looks for a local profile for this user. Depending on what is found, one of the following events occurs:


If a local profile is found and the date/time stamp of the hive file is later than the date/time stamp on the server-based hive, the local profile is loaded and placed in the cache.

If a local profile is found and it is older than the server-based profile, the server-based profile is loaded and cached.

If no local profile is found, the server-based profile is loaded and cached.
When the user logs off, the profile that is in the cache is saved back both to the server and to the local disk (a local profile is created if none had been found during logon).
As you can see, this pretty much ensures that the most recent profile is saved on the server. The next time this user logs on from any workstation, this new profile, containing all the changes the user made, is loaded.

My question is how did you go about creating this roaming profile "what did you do server side and workstation"? Also as a side note found on "Windows IT Library" They say "Dial-in connections are not as safe or foolproof as cabled connections, and it’s not a good idea to deliver roaming profiles over a WAN. If there are times when users are sent to other sites, connected to the user’s home site by a WAN, it’s a better idea to replicate the user’s profile to the remote site server. In fact, if a user is visiting a site fairly often, create the profile on a computer at that site."

[MadMedic]

When I first started I created I logged on to a workstation under the admin login and created a local user. Later that day I went to the server and created a user account for myself, however I did not specify a location in the profile path, I just left the default setting. Now when I go to the workstation that I have been using and access the profiles from the My computer advanced tab in the properties panel I have 2 user accounts on as a login to the workstation and 1 as a network login. When I go to other worstations I have no problem logging in but work environment is not the same. After posting this I did some more research and think I know what I have to do, such as specify in the profile path where I want my profile to be saved. But then I would also have to do folder redirection to be able to access my documents the way I want to from any computer. I know that you can't do this for just one person...as far as I know of right now. The thing is that I don't want the whole company's folders redirected so I guess I am S.O.L! I wanted to do folder redirection so that way the server wouldn't have to load everything everytime that I log in. I'm sure that I am probably wrong about some of this to a point maybe you can clear it up from me. Getting back to the whole roaming profile issue though....if I set up a User_Profile folder and point my profile to load from there am I able to copy my setting there? The part that is confusing me is that when I go into the user profiles in the advanced tab it says that my network login is using the local cached version. Tell me where I am going wrong....please.

Just remember about the WAN issue. We only have 1 server right now at our corporate location. We are in the process of getting a T-1 to this location and patial T-1s at 384k to the satelite locations. That's why I wanted to do the whole roaming profile for a few select people....probably <10. We have locations from NJ to CA. I am planning ahead because we are starting to grow at a rapid rate and am trying to use myself as the test subject for now. I am also doing it so I can become more familiar with the various options that I have available and it is not time critical right now.

[Ned Seagoon]

Hi MadMedic

There is a good guide here (http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-1031655.html).

Good luck. BF

[bAdWaYz]

The guide that BF posted is good and tells you about as much as I could about roaming profiles. I can tell you that roaming profiles while useful and handy are a pain to get working and stay working. They often become corrupt and then you have to del them and start over most of the time. If you still want to use them read up and as far as saying what profiles roam and what profiles don't goes you can do that with a group policy but I don't remember right off the top of my head how to do it.