Configure Client Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point

Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

With this procedure you can use Group Policy to enable and configure BranchCache hosted cache mode on domain-joined computers that are running the following BranchCache-capable Windows operating systems.

• Windows 10 Enterprise
• Windows 10 Education
• Windows 8.1 Enterprise
• Windows 8 Enterprise

Membership in Domain Admins, or equivalent is the minimum required to perform this procedure.

To use Group Policy to configure clients for hosted cache mode

1. On a computer upon which the Active Directory Domain Services server role is installed, open Server Manager, select the Local Server, click Tools, and then click Group Policy Management. The Group Policy Management console opens.

2. In the Group Policy Management console, expand the following path: Forest: corp.contoso.com, Domains, corp.contoso.com, Group Policy Objects, where corp.contoso.com is the name of the domain where the BranchCache client computer accounts that you want to configure are located.

3. Right-click Group Policy Objects, and then click New. The New GPO dialog box opens. In Name, type a name for the new Group Policy object (GPO). For example, if you want to name the object BranchCache Client Computers, type BranchCache Client Computers. Click OK.

4. In the Group Policy Management console, ensure that Group Policy Objects is selected, and in the details pane right-click the GPO that you just created. For example, if you named your GPO BranchCache Client Computers, right-click BranchCache Client Computers. Click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor console opens.

5. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, expand the following path: Computer Configuration, Policies, Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local computer, Network, BranchCache.

6. Click BranchCache, and then in the details pane, double-click Turn on BranchCache. The Turn on BranchCache dialog box opens.

7. In the Turn on BranchCache dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

8. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, ensure that BranchCache is still selected, and then in the details pane double-click Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point. The policy setting dialog box opens.

9. In the Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

10. To enable client computers to download and cache content from BranchCache file server-based content servers: In the Group Policy Management Editor console, ensure that BranchCache is still selected, and then in the details pane double-click BranchCache for network files. The Configure BranchCache for network files dialog box opens.

11. In the Configure BranchCache for network files dialog box, click Enabled. In Options, type a numeric value, in milliseconds, for the maximum round trip network latency time, and then click OK.

    Note

    By default, client computers cache content from file servers if the round trip network latency is longer than 80 milliseconds.

12. To configure the amount of hard disk space allocated on each client computer for the BranchCache cache: In the Group Policy Management Editor console, ensure that BranchCache is still selected, and then in the details pane double-click Set percentage of disk space used for client computer cache. The Set percentage of disk space used for client computer cache dialog box opens. Click Enabled, and then in Options type a numeric value that represents the percentage of hard disk space used on each client computer for the BranchCache cache. Click OK.

13. To specify the default age, in days, for which segments are valid in the BranchCache data cache on client computers: In the Group Policy Management Editor console, ensure that BranchCache is still selected, and then in the details pane double-click Set age for segments in the data cache. The Set age for segments in the data cache dialog box opens. Click Enabled, and then in the details pane type the number of days that you prefer. Click OK.

14. Configure additional BranchCache policy settings for client computers as appropriate for your deployment.

15. Refresh Group Policy on branch office client computers by running the command gpupdate /force, or by rebooting the client computers.

Your BranchCache Hosted Cache mode deployment is now complete.

For additional information on the technologies in this guide, see Additional Resources.