Logon + Roaming Profile - Nearest Server

[Guest Chris]

Hi,

 

I have 1 x SBS2003 server + 2 x Server2003 servers

SBS2003 - 192.168.0.2

Server02 - 192.168.1.2

Server03 - 192.168.2.2

 

These are linked together via VPN across the country. All servers are DCs so

Active Directory is all there and up to date. Now, we'd like to setup roaming

profiles so that when a user logs on at any site they get their roaming

profile without it transferring from SBS2003 server (and hence taking ages to

copy the profile).

 

How do I setup roaming profiles so that each user can log on anywhere and

their profile is copied from the 'nearest' server in geographic proximity?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Logon + Roaming Profile - Nearest Server

 

Chris <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Hi,

>

> I have 1 x SBS2003 server + 2 x Server2003 servers

> SBS2003 - 192.168.0.2

> Server02 - 192.168.1.2

> Server03 - 192.168.2.2

>

> These are linked together via VPN across the country. All servers are

> DCs so Active Directory is all there and up to date. Now, we'd like

> to setup roaming profiles so that when a user logs on at any site

> they get their roaming profile without it transferring from SBS2003

> server (and hence taking ages to copy the profile).

>

> How do I setup roaming profiles so that each user can log on anywhere

> and their profile is copied from the 'nearest' server in geographic

> proximity?

>

> Thanks

>

> Chris

 

Even with something like DFS, I don't know of any painless way to do that -

roaming profiles have their limitations.

 

I suggest that you not use roaming profiles, but instead use folder

redirection for My Documents, Desktop, Application Data. I'd redirect them

all to the same location via group policy (don't use the built-in SBS wizard

checkbox thingy)...to subfolders of the users' shared folders, which you

already have. Hence, Joe will have

 

\\server\users\joe\my documents

\\server\users\joe\desktop

\\server\users\joe\application data

 

 

You can also edit the registry for some of the more important windows shell

folders,such as Favorites (which I'd point at something like

\\server\users\%username%\favorites.

 

You can create & use a .prf in the login script so their Outlook profile is

preconfigured for them when they log in.

 

Etc.

 

You can then look into DFS, although I'm not sure how much data you have to

replicate & how much disk space you've got free in each location.