Configuring Offline Files on Clients

You can configure offline files for users on a Windows Vista computer by completing the following steps:

1. Map a network drive to a shared file or folder.
2. Click Start and then click Computer. This opens the Computer console. If you scroll down in the main pane, you should see a list of mapped network drives under the Network Location heading.
3. Create the offline file cache by doing one of the following:
   • To copy the entire contents of a shared folder to the user's computer and make it available for offline use, under Network Location, right-click the shared location and then select Always Available Offline.
   • To copy only a selected folder (and its contents) or a selected file to the user's computer and make it available offline, use the Computer console to locate the network file or folder, and then right-click the file or folder and select Always Available Offline.

Note: With Windows Vista, designating files and folders for offline use creates a local cache of the contents of the files and folders on the user's computer. It also either establishes a sync partnership between the local computer and the sharing computer or extends an existing sync partnership to incorporate the additional shared files and folders. Sync partnerships can be managed using Sync Center.

Configuring Offline Files in Group Policy

Group Policy can manage access and configuration of offline files more efficiently than the methods mentioned previously. You can use Offline Files to manage the most common user data, including the Documents, Start Menu, and Desktop folders. Offline Files policy objects are located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\ Network\Offline Files, and in User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\Offline Files.

When you use Group Policy to manage user data via Offline Files, be aware that precedence and dependencies are varied. For example: If you enable Prohibit User Configuration Of Offline Files in User Configuration, but enable it in Computer Configuration, offline files will be enabled, because the Computer Configuration setting has precedence over the User Configuration setting.

Managing File Synchronization

When you are managing files in a network using folder redirection or offline files, you need to make sure that the files on the network share remain synchronized with the files on the user's system. This allows you to ensure availability and that the latest version of the user's data is stored and available. Full synchronization provides the latest version, whereas Quick synchronization provides a complete version of the user data but not necessarily the most current version. By configuring the synchronization in Group Policy, you can ensure a full synchronization for either a logging on or logging off scenario.

There are four times for configuring Offline Files caching on a workstation:

• Logging on or off by the user
• Scheduled times
• During specific intervals of idleness on the computer
• When the user locks or unlocks Windows

You will need to configure synchronization of redirected or offline files by using the Sync Center. On Windows Vista, you run the Sync Center by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, Sync Center. When multiple sync partnerships have been established, you can sync all offline files and folders by clicking Sync All. When you want to sync the offline files and folders for a particular shared network folder, you can sync a specific network share by clicking the sync partnership that you want to work with, and then clicking Sync. You can create and manage scheduled synchronization by selecting the sync partnership you want to work with and then clicking Schedule.