Advantages of Redirecting Folders
The following benefits pertain to redirecting any folder, but redirecting My Documents can be particularly advantageous because this folder tends to become large over time.
Even if a user logs on to various computers on the network, his or her documents are always available.
When roaming user profiles are used, only the network path to the My Documents folder is part of the roaming user profile, not the My Documents folder itself.
Therefore, its contents do not have to be copied back and forth between the client computer and the server each time the user logs on or off, and the process of logging on or off can be much faster than it was in Microsoft Windows NT 4.
Offline File technology provides users with access to My Documents even when they are not connected to the network, and is particularly useful for people who
use portable computers.
Data stored on a shared network server can be backed up as part of routine system administration. This is safer because it requires no action on the part of the user.
Do not redirect My Documents to a home directory location that is subject to encryption by the Encrypting File System (EPS), because only you or a domain administrator will be able to decrypt it. The user whose My Documents folder is redirected there will not be able to decrypt it.
To redirect special folders to one location for everyone in the site, domain, or OU, complete the following steps:
1.Open a GPO linked to the site, domain, or OU containing the practical application users whose special folders you want to redirect to a network location.
2.In User Configuration, open Windows Settings, then double-click the Folder Redirection node to view the folder you want to redirect.
3- Right-click the folder you want (Application Data, Desktop, My Documents, or Start Menu), and then click Properties.
4.In the Target tab in the Properties dialog box for the redirected folder (see Figure 11-16), in the Setting list, select Basic-Redirect Everyone’s Folder To The Same Location, and then click Browse.
Windows Server 2003 has more options for redirecting folders than Windows 2000 Server. In Windows 2000 Server, there are no selectable options for folder redirection in the target folder location section. Instead, there is only a text box where you can enter the location of the target folder. While Windows Server 2003 still offers the same features, in Windows 2000 you would have to use environment variables such as %Username% or %Userprofile% instead of being able to select from a drop-down list. Keep this in mind if you come across troubleshooting documents written for Windows 2000 folder redirection. You’ll see one such example of thiscomptia network in the Troubleshooting Lab of this chapter.
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