Hi Andy,
Give this a look:
Windows 2000 includes a feature called "Offline Files." You can use Offline Files to cache files that you
commonly use from a file share. There are three different share caching modes
- No Caching: No caching of files or folders occurs.
- Manual: The Manual mode permits the user to specify individual files
required for offline access. This operation guarantees a user can
obtain access to the specified files whether online or offline.
- Automatic: The Automatic mode is applied to the entire share. When a
user uses any file in this share, it is made available to the user for
offline access. This operation does not guarantee a user can obtain
access to the specified files, because only files that have been uses
at least once are cached.
To use Offline Files, the client computer can be any Windows 2000-based computer. The server
hosting the network file share to be used does not need to be running Windows 2000. The default mode
for all supported operating systems is Manual. Automatic mode is only supported in Windows 2000, but
Manual mode can be used in all supported operating systems.
Implementing Share Caching
--------------------------
The NET SHARE tool is available in Windows 2000 to setup and configure the Automatic mode for
Offline Files functionality.
1. Connect to your network, and then change to a command prompt.
2. Change to the root folder of the drive letter of the appropriate
network share.
3. Create a new folder, and then make this folder a Cached File Share.
For example, type "net share <share name>=c:\<folder name>
/cache:automatic" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER,
where <share name> is the appropriate share name, and <folder name> is
your folder name.
4. At the command prompt, type "net share" (without the quotation
marks), and then press ENTER to verify that the file share was created.
AND
With roaming user profiles, if you do not disable the cache option for Offline Files, synchronization
problems may occur. The user profile can be placed in an unstable state as both Offline Files and the
roaming user profiles attempt to synchronize the files in a user's profile
This behavior can occur because the cache option in Offline Files is based on the server message
block (SMB) protocol, and is SMB share-based.
If the cache option is enabled on a share, any files that are created on the remote share from the local
computer can be cached. This action, however, can result in synchronization problems if the cache
option is enabled on a share where roaming user profiles are located, or are accessed by means of a
path where the cache option is enabled.
If a roaming user profile is located below a share where the cache option is enabled, Offline Files
caches files in the users profile, as they are copied to and from the server. The reason this occurs is to
handle situations where programs work with new copies of a file, and then rename the original file.
(Offline Files caches all files created on the remote share from the local computer.)
Because a roaming user profile can copy the files in the user's profile to temporary files on the server
share, and then rename them, Offline Files adds the files in the user's profile to the cache
To work around this behavior, create a separate share to store the users' profiles, and then disable the
cache option on that share. (The cache option can only be disabled on shares that are hosted by
computers that run Windows 2000.)
Microsoft recommends that you store the roaming user profiles and offline-enabled shares on a
separate server, whenever possible
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David Hancock [MSFT]
Microsoft Server Setup Team
Search our Knowledge Base at
http://support.microsoft.com/directory
Visit the Windows 2000 Homepage at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/default.asp
See the Windows NT Homepage at
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/
NOTE: Please reply to the newsgroup and not directly to me. This allows
others to add to and benefit from these threads and also helps to ensure a
more timely response. Thank you!
This posting is provided "AS IS" without warranty either expressed or
implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
The views and opinions expressed in this newsgroup posting are mine and do
not necessarily express or reflect the views and / or opinions of Microsoft.
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