Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell

Name

roaming user profile

Synopsis

Create, customize, and share a roaming user profile.

Procedures

To enable users to roam between client computers and still have their personal desktop and network settings, user profiles must be stored in a shared folder on a centrally available server. This share:

• Can be located on any domain controller or member server in the domain (but is usually located on a member server)

• Can have any share name (but is usually given the name Profiles)

• Should be shared with Full Control permission assigned to the Authenticated Users group (instead of to the Everyone group)

Create a Roaming Profile

This procedure outlines how to change a user’s local profile into a roaming one:

1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console, and expand the console tree to select the organizational unit (OU) where the user’s account resides (by default, this is the Users OU).

2. Select account → Action → Properties → Profile tab.

3. Enter the following as the Profile Path setting:

                                 \\server_name\shared_folder_name\user_name

   where:

   • server_name is the name of the server where the share for storing roaming profiles is located.

   • shared_folder_name is the name of the share where the roaming profiles will be stored (typically called Profiles).

   • user_name is the user’s logon name.

When the user next logs on, his local user profile will be copied from the C:\Documents and Settings\< user_name> folder on the client computer to the shared folder on the server. The user will then be able to roam. ...