Setting up home folders and roaming profiles

Home Folder Home folders make it easier for an administrator to back up user files and manage user accounts by collecting the user's files in one location. If you assign a home folder to a user, you can store the user's data in a central location on a server, and make backup and recovery of data easier and more reliable. It also gives the user a unique place for them to store their documents.

Home Folder Set Up Image 2 Image 1 Create a folder called “Home_Folders” on your server Right on folder> Select Sharing > Share this folder Add a dollar sign to the end of the share name. This will hide the root folder. See image 1. Now select permissions>set up permissions so they are the same as the image 2 opposite:

Home Folder Continued Image 1 Go back to the home folder properties Select Security > Select Advanced > Disable inheritance > Select Convert inheritance. See image 1 Remove anything to do with user users so it looks something like image 2. We only want the system, admin and the users we specify later to have access. Image 2

Home Folder Continued Image 1 Image 2 Copy the network path. See image 1. Go to active directory users and find the user or users you would like to assign a home folder to. Right click the user account and select "Properties" and navigate to the "Profile" tab. Select Home Folder > click the Connect radio button > select the drive letter you want to assign(Doesn’t matter which) and add the copied path to the shared folder, followed by the %username% variable, which will auto-populate the username. See image 2. By using %username% in the path you can select and change multiple user accounts at a time. The network path should look like this:  \\[servername]\Home_Folders\%username% Click "Apply“ Log in the user on a client and test! Issues? Try opening command prompt on the client and run GPUPDATE /force. Image 2

Roaming User Profiles This allows users logged into any computer joined to a Windows Server domain to log on to any computer on the same network and access their documents. Have a consistent desktop experience, such as applications remembering toolbar positions and preferences, or the desktop appearance staying the same.

Image 1 Roaming Profile 1 In active directory create a Group. Add any users which will have a roaming profile to this group. See image 1. Create a folder named Profile > Go into Properties > Advanced sharing > Tick Share this folder > Add a dollar sign to the name as you did with the home folder. See image 2. Image 2

Roaming Profile 2 Image 1 Set up permissions as shown in image 1. Select ok. Go to security > advanced Disable inheritance as with the home folder. Remove users with access so it looks something like image 2. Image 2

Image 1 Roaming Profile Now press add. Select principal and add your group as shown in image 1. Press ok. Your permissions screen should look like image 2. Image 2

Roaming Profile Image 1 Image 2 Select advanced permissions and tick the same boxes as image 1. Click apply. Copy the network path as you did with the home folder Go back to active directory users Drag select all users that are being allowed roaming profiles. Select Profile and tick Profile Path. Copy and paste the network path adding \%username%. See image 2. The network path should look like this:  \\[servername]\Profile\%username% Log in the user on a client and test! Issues? Try opening command prompt on the client and run GPUPDATE /force. Image 2