Considerations for Mixed Environments

The following considerations apply when you implement Folder Redirection in mixed environments that consist of a combination of computers running Windows 7 or Windows Vista and computers running Windows XP or Windows 2000:

• If you configure a Folder Redirection policy on a computer running an earlier version of Windows and apply it to Windows Vista and later computers, the Windows Vista and later computers will apply this policy as if they are running the earlier version of Windows. For example, suppose that you create a Folder Redirection policy on Windows Server 2003 that redirects the My Documents folder belonging to users targeted by this GPO to \\DOCSRV\DOCS\user_name\My Documents. When you apply this policy to Windows Vista and later computers, it will redirect users' Documents folders to \\DOCSRV\DOCS\user_name\My Documents and not to \\DOCSRV\DOCS \user_name\Documents. The policy will also automatically cause Music, Videos, and Pictures to follow Documents. (Pictures will follow only if the policy for the Pictures folder hasn't been configured separately, however.)
• If you configure a Folder Redirection policy on a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 computer and apply it to both Windows Vista and later computers and computers running an earlier version of Windows, the best practice is to configure the policy only for known folders that can be redirected on computers running earlier versions of Windows. (You can also use Folder Redirection policies configured from Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 computers to manage Folder Redirection for earlier versions of Windows, but only for shell folders that can be redirected on those earlier versions of Windows.) For example, you can configure redirection of the Documents folder, which will redirect both the Documents folder on Windows Vista and later computers and the My Documents folder on Windows XP or Windows 2000 computers. If you configure redirection of the Favorites folder, however, this policy will redirect the Favorites folder on Windows Vista and later computers, but the policy will be ignored by earlier versions of Windows targeted by this policy. In environments in which users are undergoing gradual or staged transition from versions earlier than Windows Vista, following this approach will minimize confusion for users. In a pure Windows Vista and later environment, however, you can redirect any of the known folders supported by Folder Redirection policy on Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008.
• When you create a Folder Redirection policy from a computer running an earlier version of Windows, the policy settings for Folder Redirection are stored in a hidden configuration file named Fdeploy.ini, which is stored in SYSVOL in the Group Policy Template (GPT) under GPO_GUID\Users\Documents And Settings\Fdeploy.ini. This file contains a FolderStatus section that lists the different folders that are being redirected by this policy, a flag for each folder indicating its redirection settings, and a list of UNC paths to which the folder should be redirected for users belonging to different security groups represented by the security identifiers (SIDs) of these groups. If the Folder Redirection policy is then modified from a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 computer, a second file named Fdeploy1.ini is created in the same location as Fdeploy.ini, and only Windows Vista and later computers can recognize and apply the Folder Redirection policy settings contained in this file. The presence or absence of these two files and their configuration indicates to Windows Vista and later computers targeted by this GPO whether they are in pure Windows Vista and later environments or mixed environments containing earlier versions of Windows. Thus, if you configure a Folder Redirection policy on a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 computer and select the Also Apply Redirection Policy To Windows 2000, Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP And Windows Server 2003 Operating Systems option described previously, no Fdeploy1.ini file is created in the GPO. (If such a file is already present, it is deleted.) Instead, when the policy is applied, the Fdeploy.ini file is configured so that the policy can also be applied to earlier versions of Windows.
• Adding a known folder from Windows Vista and later versions to an existing Folder Redirection policy previously created from an earlier version of Windows will remove the ability to save Folder Redirection settings from an earlier version of Windows. This is due to the way that the Folder Redirection snap-in works in Windows Vista and later versions. Specifically, if you add a known folder from Windows Vista and later versions to an existing policy setting that is compatible with earlier versions of Windows, the Windows Vista and later version of the Folder Redirection snap-in writes both files (Fdeploy.ini and Fdeploy1.ini). However, the snap-in marks the Fdeploy.ini file as readonly. This prevents earlier versions of the Folder Redirection snap-in from changing the Folder Redirection settings. The administrator then gets an Access Denied error message because the Folder Redirection settings must now be managed from Windows Vista and later versions. (Windows Vista and later versions keep both policy files synchronized.)
• In mixed environments in which a Folder Redirection policy is configured on a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 computer and applied to both Windows Vista and later computers and computers running an earlier version of Windows, be sure to choose Follow The Documents Folder as the redirection method for the Music and Videos folders. If you try to redirect the Music and Videos folders to a location other than under the Documents folder, compatibility with earlier versions of Windows will be broken. You can, however, redirect the Pictures folder to a location other than under Documents. (This option is available in earlier versions of Windows.)
• In mixed environments, administrators can even configure folders such as Favorites- which cannot be roamed on earlier versions of Windows-so that they roam between Windows Vista and later computers and computers running an earlier version of Windows. To do this, simply redirect the %SystemDrive%\Users\user_name\Favorites folder in Windows Vista and later versions to \\Profile_server\Profiles\user_name \Favorites within the roaming profile of the earlier version of Windows. Unfortunately, this method adds data to the user profile to enable having user data in both versions of Windows. This additional data can slow down logons and logoffs when logging on clients running previous versions of Windows.

Folder Redirection and/or Roaming User Profiles in Mixed Environments

One of the major benefits of Folder Redirection is to expedite logons by removing information from the profile. However, Folder Redirection in mixed environments works only with RUP, which involves adding data back into the Windows XP profile. The net result is the following in different mixed-environment scenarios:

• Mixed environment with Folder Redirection only This can't be done-to redirect folders such as Favorites, you have to implement RUP. Adding RUP in this scenario has the potential to cause slow logons because users are required to wait for the profile to download. Is implementing RUP so that you can roam user data worth the tradeoff here?
• Mixed environment with RUP only You can do this by implementing Folder Redirection for Windows Vista and later clients but not for Windows XP clients. Windows Vista and later Folder Redirection redirects special folders, such as Favorites, back into the Windows XP user profile. The Good: Windows Vista and later version user data is copied to the server using Folder Redirection. The Bad: Windows XP profiles can become larger and subsequently cause longer logons and logoffs. Additionally, user data is available immediately on Windows Vista and later versions; user data is only as current as the last logon on Windows XP.
• Mixed with both Folder Redirection and RUP Current Folder Redirection policy should redirect the five folders (the ones prior to Windows Vista) outside the user profile. The Good: This choice speeds up logons and logoffs (especially for My Documents). The Bad: New Folder Redirection policy for Windows Vista and later clients is required to redirect special folders, such as Favorites, back into the user profile, and this adds more data back into the Windows XP user profiles, which can again slow down logons and logoffs. But when users no longer use Windows XP, you can change the Folder Redirection policy to redirect all of the known folder data out of the user profile, thereby speeding up logons.