server 2003 XP Pro slow login with roaming profile

[cwissy]

Very slow to login using roaming profile. We are a college and need roaming profiles as the users 'roam', anyone got any idea's? We don't want to keep a cached copy on the local computer as we have found this slows the system down too when there gets to be a few on there.
We plan to make the profile mandatory once we get it working correctly and have tested it.

 

[mrdenny]

Logging in using roaming profiles, as the profile needs to be downloaded. The larger the profile the slower the login to a new machine will be. You can speed this up by redirecting the folders that allow it to a network share. This will keep things like my documents from being moved across the network at each login and logoff.

Denny

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

(My very old site)

 

[cwissy]

Do you mean put all the shortcuts into a network share and map a drive to it? Take all the shortcuts off the desktop, thanks for your help

 

[aftertaf]

Do you mean put all the shortcuts into a network share and map a drive to it?

Are you talking about the icons on the desktop of the roaming profile??

You need to understand that a profile, whether local or roaming, is NOT limited to the desktop and its icons, though you are right, the desktop is part of a profile.

When you explore to c:\docs & settings\username, you can see the folders & files that make up the profile (if explorer is set up to show hidden files, you can see them all... otherwise only about half)

With GPOs you can 'redirect' these special folders within a user profile to point INSTEAD OF TO THE LOCAL DRIVE to a share on a network drive, eg a server...
Best looking on microsofts web site configuring folder redirection (google IS our friend ), there are some pretty detailed technical articles you can look at that explain a lot of things you need to understand in order to lnow what you are doing, otherwise you might end up with a big headache, cos it doesn't work by chance this sort of thing.....
good luck

Aftertaf (david)

 

[cwissy]

Huh?
We are using roaming profiles with no local cache so I will not find documents and setting\username as this is not there with a roaming profile and no cache. I know that a profile is more than icons and desktop, I am not sure is I am reading your answer right or not?

Chris

 

[aftertaf]

there should be a local copy downloaded from the server on logon... if this is not the case it is probably why it is so slow...
with gpo, you can delete local cache on logoff....
if there is nothing at all on the local disk concerning the profile, this is why it is so slow IMHO.

another thing...
are the accounts that use this profile guests or domain users... if they are guests, the profile is deleted on logoff anyway... (on XP at least..)

what is most important for you? no local files at all, or faster logon and response times...


Aftertaf (david)