Folder Redirection

Today we are going to talk about folder redirection and how to configure it in Windows Server 2008 R2.

First step is to add some new folders for your data in either your C or D drives (letters might be different on your system).  As a rule of thumb I would create the following:

App Data (for application data)

Company Shared data (shared files)

Redirected Folders (user data)

Next we need to set the permissions of each folder.  Lets take the App Data folder as an example.  Right click on the folder and go to properties.  Next go to security and then edit.  This is where you will add the relevant group and their permissions on the folder,  for example Wakefield office and set permissions to modify.

Once you have added your relevant group check that the Creator Owner group has full control (just in case you need to modify settings later on).  Repeat the above steps for the other folders.

Once the folder permissions are set we need to open the Group Policy Management Console.  Now create a new group policy object called Folder Redirection.  Now edit the policy.  Navigate to User configuration-Policies-Windows Settings-Folder Redirection.  You will now see all the settings that can be redirected.  Word of caution here if you select everything then your network will slow down dramatically so check first to see which items are required.  Again as a rule of thumb I would select:

Documents

Appdata

Desktop

Start Menu

Lets take Documents.  Right click and go to properties.  In the setting option choose – Redirect everyone’s folder to the same location (easier to administer).  For the Target folder location option choose – create a folder for each user under the root path and then specify the root path e.g \\server01\RedirectedFolders.

Do the same for AppData, Desktop and Start Menu.  Once configured remember to test it!!  Log on to a computer with a user account and then try to log on to another computer to see if you get the same desktop, applications and files.

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