Windows 7 / Networking

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Configuring Folder Redirection

Folder redirection can be used to redirect certain special folders in the end user's profile to server shares. Special folders such as the Documents folder, which is the default folder for users to store and access their data, can be redirected to server shares. The following are some basic rule-of-thumb guidelines when using this Group Policy extension:

• Allow the system to create the folders-If the folders are created by the administrator, they will not have the correct permissions. But properly configuring the share and NTFS permissions on the server share is essential in providing a functional folder redirection experience.
• Enable client-side caching or offline file synchronization-This is important for users with portable computers but is not the desired configuration for folder redirection on Remote Desktop Services systems. Furthermore, when storing data on end-user workstations, it may violate regulatory and/or security requirements to allow for cached local copies.
• Use fully qualified (UNC) paths or DFS paths for server share locations-For example, use \\Server1.companyabc.com\UserProfiles or \\companyabc.com\UserProfiles\ if DFS shares are deployed.

efore folder redirection can be expected to work, share and NTFS permissions must be configured appropriately. For folder redirection to work properly, configure the NTFS as follows:

• Configure the share folder to not inherit permissions and remove all existing permissions.
• Add the file server's local Administrators group with Full Control of This Folder, Subfolders, and Files.
• Add the Domain Admins domain security group with Full Control of This Folder, Subfolders, and Files.
• Add the System account with Full Control of This Folder, Subfolders, and Files.
• Add the Creator/Owner with Full Control of Subfolders and Files.
• Add the Authenticated Users group with both List Folder/Read Data and Create Folders/Append Data - This Folder Only rights. The Authenticated Users group can be replaced with the desired group, but do not choose the Everyone group as a best practice.

The share permissions of the folder can be configured to grant administrators Full Control and Authenticated Users Change permissions.

To redirect the Documents folder to a network share for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems, perform the following steps:

1. Log on to a designated Windows Server 2008 R2 administrative server.
2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Group Policy Management.
3. Add the necessary domains to the GPMC as required.
4. Expand the Domains node to reveal the Group Policy Objects container.
5. Create a new GPO called UserFolderRedirectGPO and open it for editing.
6. After the UserFolderRedirectGPO is opened for editing in the Group Policy Management Editor, expand the User Configuration node, expand Policies, expand Windows Settings, and select the Folder Redirection node to display the user profile folders that are available for redirection. Keep in mind that the folders in this section and the folders available in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 user profiles. If Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 profiles require folder redirection, configuring the Documents folder for redirection is supported work but will require additional testing against each edition and service pack level of the legacy operating system that the policy applies to.
7. In the Settings pane, right-click the Document folder and select Properties.
8. On the Target tab, click the Setting drop-down list arrow, and select Basic - Redirect Everyone's Folder to the Same Location, which reveals additional options. There is another option to configure folder redirection to different locations based on group membership, but for this example, select the basic redirection option.
9. In the Target Folder Location section, there are several options to choose from and each should be reviewed for functionality; for this example, select Create a Folder for Each User Under the Root Path. This is very important if multiple folders will be redirected; more details are explained in the following steps.
10. In Root Path field, type in the server and share name, for example \\companyabc.com\UserFolders. Notice how the end-user name and Document folder will be created beneath the root share folder. This requires that the end users have at least Change rights on the share permissions and they must also have the Create Folder and Create File NTFS permissions on the root folder that is shared.
11. Select the Settings tab and uncheck the Grant the User Exclusive Rights to Documents check box. If necessary, check the check box to also apply redirection to Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.
12. Click OK to complete the folder redirection configuration. A warning pop-up opens that states that this policy will not display the Folder Redirection node if an administrator or user attempts to configure or view this group policy using policy management tools from Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. Click Yes to accept this warning and configure the folder redirection.
13. Back in the Group Policy Management Editor window, close the GPO.
14. In the GPMC, link the new UserFolderRedirectGPO policy to an OU with a user account that can be used to test this policy.
15. Log on to a Windows Vista, Windows 7, or a Windows Server 2008 system with the test user account. After the profile completes loading, click the Start button, and locate and right-click the Documents folder. Select the Location tab and verify the path. For example, for a user named Khalil, the path should be \\companyabc.com\UserFolders\Khalil\Documents.

If the folder is not redirected properly, the Windows Vista or later system might need to have a domain policy applied that forces Synchronous Foreground Refresh of group policies. Also a very common configuration error is the NTFS and share permissions on the root folder. In most cases, however, a few logons by the particular user will get the settings applied properly.

Each of the default folder redirection folders will automatically be configured to synchronized with the server and be available offline. When additional server folders need to be configured to be available offline, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the shared network folder that should be made available offline.
2. Right-click the folder and select Always Available Offline.

As long as the server share allows offline synchronization and the client workstation also supports this, as they both do by default, that is all that is necessary.