User's Roaming profile proble

[Charliegirl]

We have this strange problem here...<br>
<br>
We're using Netware 4.11 (server) and NT 4.0 SP4 (workstations).<br>
<br>
We're using the NetWare Client for NT 4.5 and have tried 4.6, as well as<br>
using the MS Client for NetWare. It's not a client related issue then...<br>
<br>
We're setting the roaming profile location (it's on a NetWare server) from<br>
within User Manager for Domains.<br>
<br>
Anyway, here's the problem... I can recreate it every time.<br>
<br>
When a user logs into the network, on Machine1, for the first time, a new<br>
profile is created locally. The user creates file1.txt on the desktop.<br>
When they log off, the ntuser.dat, all desktop files and Favorites etc are<br>
copied up normally. This part works as expected. I can view the contents<br>
of their home directory. File1.txt is there.<br>
<br>
The user logs onto Machine2. This is the first time that the user has<br>
logged into this machine.<br>
Their ntuser.dat is copied down and implemented correctly and file1.txt<br>
appears on the desktop.<br>
The user deletes file1.txt and creates a new file2.txt on their desktop.<br>
They log off. The ntuser.dat and file2.txt are copied correctly up to the<br>
server. File1.txt is deleted from their roaming profile.<br>
<br>
Up until now, everything is working as expected. Here's where it gets<br>
weird.<br>
<br>
The user logs back onto Machine1. Remember that on the locally stored<br>
profile, there was a file1.txt on the desktop. This file does not exist in<br>
the roaming profile, and I expected that file1.txt would be deleted, but<br>
it's not. It seems to combine the two profiles in terms of desktop files<br>
and Favorites etc. File1.txt is there (but it is in a different location on<br>
the desktop) and file2.txt is also there.<br>
When the user logs off file1 and file2 are copied up to the server and are<br>
then part of the roaming profile.<br>
<br>
If the user logs onto Machine2, both files will appear on the desktop. <br>
<br>
What this means is that you want to delete a file off the desktop and keep<br>
it from reappearing, you need to go around to every machine that you've ever<br>
logged onto while that file has existed and delete it. Our users couldn't<br>
handle that.<br>
<br>
There is a policy setting to "delete cached copies of roaming profiles" but<br>
the problem with that is that it is a Default computer setting. We have a<br>
few laptops in the organization and we rely on the cached profile so they<br>
can log in. If we were to make exceptions for laptops, we'd have to create<br>
a policy for each laptop in the organization, because there are no computer<br>
"groups".<br>
<br>
Can ANYONE help?<br>

 

[musher]

Charliegirl:<br>
<br>
Roaming profiles worked on a timestamp of each one of the ntuser.dats. In the NT server world we must but a time syc line something like net time \\Servername /Set /Y<br>
But my understanding of the Netware world is that all Netware clients sync their time clock with that of the login server automatically. This leads me to think that you are not syncing or the clock in your computer is messed up and that profile always looks newer. Have you tried this on different machines? Worse case scenario is to write a script arguent in your NetWare login script that deletes that NTUser.dat based up %machinename% or %address%. Good Luck! Musher

 

[CJ]

It's not NTUser.dat. The profiles are only copied up and down and merged, not corrected. Hence the problem described above. Tell the users not to keep stuff on the desktop ;-) We encourage ours to use their home directory (which is on the server) and keep a shortcut on the desktop, instead. The script Charliegirl talks of might work, but delete the entire local user profile, not just user.dat. Ideally, this would work on logOUT, not login, but what can you do?