Configure mobility options

The configuring mobility options objective deals with configuring mobile computers to support the use of offline files, transparent caching, and migrating power policies.

Configuring offline file policies

You need to know what offline file policies are available and how you can use them to accomplish specific objectives.

With Offline Files, a Windows 7 client can locally cache files that are hosted in shared folders so that the user can access those files when the computer can't initiate a direct connection to the hosting server. Unless an administrator has configured a shared folder to block the use of offline files, users can make files available offline by right-clicking the file and then clicking the Always Available Offline option. The Offline Files feature in Windows 7 can be used in the following operating modes:

• Online: Changes made to files are written first to the host file share and then to the local cache. Read requests are handled by the local cache. Synchronization occurs automatically and can be triggered manually. This is the default mode.
• Auto-offline: When a network disconnection or error is detected, Windows 7 will go to auto-offline mode. File read and write operations occur against the offline files cache. Windows 7 will attempt reconnection every 2 minutes. If a connection is established, client returns to online mode.
• Manual offline: User forces the transition to offline mode by selecting Work Offline in Windows Explorer. When the computer is put in offline mode manually, it must be returned to online mode manually.
• Slow-link: This mode is enabled automatically when the link speed falls below a default value of 64,000 bits per second. When this happens, the client treats the network as if a disconnection has occurred. When the link speed improves, the client returns to online mode.

Offline files policies are located in the Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\Network\Offline Files node of a GPO. Offline files policies are also available under the User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\ Offline Files node of a GPO. The offline files policies that are available for computers running Windows 7 are as follows:

• Administratively Assigned Offline Files: An administrator can specify network files and folders that are always available for offline use.
• Configure Background Sync: You can configure a sync schedule for folders in "slow-link" mode.
• Limit Disk Space Used By Offline Files: You can configure how much disk space, in megabytes, is reserved to store offline files.
• Allow Or Disallow Use Of The Offline Files Feature: You can block or allow the use of offline files.
• Encrypt The Offline Files Cache: Ensures that files stored in the offline files cache are encrypted.
• Event Logging Level: You can specify the amount of detail related to Offline Files recorded in the event log.
• Exclude Files From Being Cached: You can specify file types, based on file extension, that you want to block from being made available through Offline Files.
• Remove 'Make Available Offline': You can block users from making network files and folders available offline.
• Enable Transparent Caching: Used to enable transparent caching. You'll learn more about this topic later in the tutorial.
• Turn On Economical Application Of Administratively Assigned Offline Files: When enabled, only new files and folders in administratively assigned folders will sync at logon. Older files will be synchronized later.
• Configure Slow-Link Mode: When Offline Files operates in slow-link mode, all network file requests will be satisfied from the Offline Files cache even though the computer is still technically online.