Tell me more about folder redirection

Applies To: Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Users who store data on their local computers risk losing that data if there is a hardware failure or other catastrophe. To help prevent such loss, Windows SBS 2011 Standard enables you to redirect specific user folders to the default Users shared folder on the server. This is accomplished by using a Group Policy object called Folder Redirection.

Windows SBS 2011 Standard enables you to configure folder redirection in three ways:

• In Shared Folders and Web Sites, click the Shared Folders tab (or in Users and Groups, click the Users tab), and then click Redirect folders for user accounts to the server.

  For more information, see Redirect user account folders to the server.

• In the User Properties dialog box, click the Folders tab, and then select the Enable folder redirection to the server check box.

  For more information, see Change access to Folder Redirection for a user account.

• Edit the default properties for the Standard User role.

  For more information, see Edit user role properties.

When you enable folder redirection for user account folders, you can choose to redirect the following folders to the server:

• Desktop

• Documents

• Start Menu

Folder redirection is almost transparent to users. They continue to access redirected folders as they always have. But instead of the data being stored in a local folder on their client computer, the data is stored in their shared folder on the server.

Redirecting storage of user data to the server offers the following benefits:

• Redirected folders can be included in the server backup.

• Users can recover files that have been deleted accidentally.

• If users log on to various computers on the network, their documents are always available.

• Offline File technology gives users access to their Documents folder even when they are not connected to the network. This is particularly useful for people who use portable computers.