Computer Jocks - Active Director - Roaming Profiles

*active directory

Hey guys...pretty simple question for network admins.

We have a network of about 20 computers hooked up to our domain controller. We have our normal operator account, and then we have personalized lead operator accounts and manager accounts.

I want to enable a traveling profile, so no matter what computer they log in to, their desktop, email, and settings are all the same from computer to computer.

The only things I really need to retain across computers is:
1) Mapped network drive information
2) Their documents
3) Their desktop configuration (or at least all the icons)

4) This is the tough one - their outlook accounts. We use outlook 2003 for scheduling, task mgmt, and calendar stuff.

I store the outlook data files on the server instead of locally. Here's my question, I've used roaming profiles before and they took like 10-15 minutes to load. How do I cut down on the load times, but still give them access to most of their emails and files?

On a side note, I've been developing a php/mysql user interface site, and would like to see how secure it is...so anyone who knows anything about php/mysql and would like to try to crack the security, I'd be interested. PM me for more info.

 

I'll do it cheap and deep. But I get to post the results here.

-jim

 

Roaming profiles shouldn't take that long to load if properly implemented unless (and here is the catch) the user stores a huge amount of data on their desktop for easy access, that would be the most common reason (second being the profile is stored on a remote server over a WAN link).

The majority of the time I have had a user complain about slow load times we would find they were creating folders on their desktop and saving work there to "make it easier to find". For example last one our helpdesk looked at had over 10 Gigabytes under their desktop folder and most of that was non-work related like pictures, video, etc.

Same applies to "My Documents" if you are syncing that and people normally file there.

There are other reasons for slow load times but those are the highest probability ones.

 

So I assume you store the user files on the server with maybe a shortcut on the desktop?

 

No...if you crack it...you get free beer and no postings

 

Yes, written policy is all files produced are to be stored on the file server for multiple reasons including backup of these files. We don't use shortcuts to them ourselves, we map drive letters to multiple storage areas (globally shared, group and personal as an example).

 

How much beer?

-jim

 

6 pack

 

Even with really, really good beer that's not gonna cover it.

-jim

 

It's ok...you couldn't do it anyways

 

Probably not.

-jim

 

Roaming profile, det path in user's AD account.

1. Execute login script either in the user's profile or globally via Group Policy.
2. Redirect My Documents to network file share and disable Offline Files.
3. Desktop is contained in profile. Make sure all apps are installed and configured in each computer that the user might log into.
4. No clue.

 

Already done?

 

I've been asked not to tell.

no, really.

-jim

p.s.. See my avatar Lever? Those are all my daemons chewing up your PHP.

 

I'm curious as what you mean by this. Are you referring to a PST or an OST?

You pretty much want an OST locally as it's used for caching. It's extremely useful in many ways. Hell you can even recreate a lost mailbox on a server and pull the mail back out of the OST.

As for the PST, i'd recommend it not get used all that much but if you have small limits on their mailbox size it's a decent work around.

Maybe you just meant they access their mail that is stored on the exchange server..................

 

Sig...that's it...they are accessing their mail that is stored on the exchange server.

...and cafe...you got nuthin on me