Virtual desktop users may need to store many files, and folder direction is an easy way to centralize user data storage and ensure that files aren't destroyed upon the user's logoff.
Virtual desktop administrators often configure roaming profiles and folder redirection as a part of new virtual desktop implementations. These two configuration options can play an important role in the overall virtual desktop user personalization strategy due to their ability to improve UX, but there are also storage requirements and network bandwidth to plan for. Roaming profiles store registry settings, whereas folder redirection stores files.
A home folder is not the same as folder redirection. Although both reflect the designation of a centralized storage location for user data, there are some key differences. A home folder is a shared drive designation that maps at logon and enables the user to store personal files. On the other hand, folder redirection is an automated way to redirect specific folder contents.
When IT admins configure home folders for a virtual desktop environment, they should configure them specifically for Remote Desktop Services. To do so, they will need this group policy object (GPO): Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Profiles > Set Remote Desktop Services User Home.
Benefits of folder redirection for virtual desktops
Without folder redirection, saving files on a virtual desktop can present difficulties. For example, users may get confused if they see several options for saving files from a virtual desktop or lose hours of work if they save files on a non-persistent virtual desktop. Instead, IT can use folder redirection to automate and safely store files in a centralized repository. This way, users don't need to worry about where the virtual desktop stores their files.
Folder redirection is beneficial for virtual desktop environments because user data is centralized and easily accessible. In addition, IT can automate antivirus scans and data backups because the files are centralized within the storage repository. This will increase the overall security posture of the organization.
IT administrators use folder redirection to designate a centralized storage repository for all 13 folders eligible for redirection, which include the following:
AppData/Roaming
Contacts
Desktop
Documents
Downloads
Favorites
Links
Music
Pictures
Saved Games
Searches
Start Menu
Videos
IT must configure folder redirection for each folder; the redirected location does not need to be the same for all redirected folders.
The Documents and Desktop folders are most commonly redirected to centralized repositories. These two folders contain the largest amount of user-created files such as documents, spreadsheets and presentations. These are the files that users generally find most critical in their day-to-day work. Most users store these files within the Documents folder, but some prefer to keep them on the Desktop for quick access. As such, redirecting both of these folders ensures a better user experience.
Some organizations may redirect the Downloads, but this isn't always the best approach. The contents of the Downloads folder can grow extremely large if users haphazardly download files that are unnecessary in the long term. This is very common user behavior. IT staff should monitor user habits to determine whether this storage configuration is required. Frequently, users require access to downloaded files only during that virtual desktop session, thus there is no need to retain downloaded content.
Many organizations do not allow users to save files in the Music, Pictures, Saved Games or Videos folders. A primary reason for this practice is the immense size of these files and the potential storage implications of keeping them after a session is over. In addition, these files' general lack of a business-critical purpose is another reason not to keep them around. Often, administrators disallow users to save these types of data via other GPOs. As a result, redirecting these folders is often both unnecessary and undesirable. Of course, plenty of users within the workforce may work with video and audio files, so IT will have to consider those cases as separate from the average use case.
IT typically doesn't redirect the Searches, Start Menu, Favorites, Contacts and Links folders for several reasons. Primarily, the data content files within these folders are quite minimal, and the storage benefits are negligible. In addition, the desktop may refer to this data frequently within the user session and would create latency as the data traverses the network. As a result, these files are more often housed within the roaming user profile.
When virtual desktop admins configure roaming profiles and folder redirection, they must configure folder redirection first.
IT rarely redirects the AppData/Roaming folder because many app settings are stored within this folder. For example, if an application stores custom settings in the AppData/Roaming folder, each time a user queries one of these settings, the read request traverses the network to the centralized repository. This could cause latency with the application and have a negative effect on UX. Many applications make these types of calls frequently because there are no delays for these operations in a traditional desktop environment. In addition, many applications store temporary or recovered files in the AppData/Roaming folder, and some of these files are quite large. As a result, the AppData/Roaming folder is not a prime candidate for redirection.
How to set up folder redirection alongside roaming profiles
When virtual desktop admins configure roaming profiles and folder redirection, they must configure folder redirection first. If IT enables folder redirection before roaming profiles, the user data is redirected to the designated centralized storage location and thus does not become part of the roaming profile. If IT configures after the roaming profile setting, user data that existed before folder redirection enablement will be housed within the roaming profile, thus creating non-alignment.
The process to configure folder redirection is straightforward. Within the designated GPO, the administrator should access User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection. Once IT admins right-click the desired folders and select Properties, they can view the configuration options. The most common approach is to select the Advanced setting and designate the Target Folder Location as Create a folder for each user under the root path (Figure 2).
When an IT admin designates a home directory for the user, redirecting the target folder to the home directory may be a valid option (Figure 3). Redirecting to the local user profile location would not be wise in a virtual desktop environment because the local user profile is discarded when the non-persistent virtual desktop is deleted at the end of the session.
Generally, IT should keep the default configuration contained within the Settings tab. Once again, it would not be prudent to redirect the folder back to the local user profile location when the policy is removed because the local user profile would not be preserved.
When an IT admin configures roaming profiles and folder redirection, that admin must be a member of the Domain Admin group, Enterprise Admin group or Group Policy Creator Owners group. Testing is important to confirm the desired outcome once the admin configures the folder redirection GPOs. A lab environment is best to ensure no production impact, and a small group of pilot users can further validate results.
Once IT enables folder redirection and it functions properly, the administrators should closely monitor storage use. It is common for storage requirements to increase tremendously and quickly. If the virtual desktop reaches the upper storage limit, performance will slow, and users will not be able to utilize their redirected folder data properly.
Roaming User Profiles is used to redirect a user profile to a network location, whereas Folder Redirection enables users and administrators to redirect the path of a known folder to a new location, manually or by using Group Policy. So, the latter may allow for more granularity.
For optimal performance of the Folder Redirection feature, it is strongly recommended that you create only the root share on the server, and then let the system create the folders for each user. If you must create the folders for users, ensure that you correctly assign permissions.
Yes, roaming profiles can cause long user loading times, especially if the profiles are large. This is because Windows has to download the profile from the server every time the user logs in. There are a few things you try to reduce the size of roaming profiles: Move users' personal data to a network share.
A roaming profile is stored on a central server which can be accessed from all domain computers. This allows you to have the same environment settings on every machine to which you log on. Your roaming profile is copied to a machine when you log on, and the synchronized back to the server when you log off.
Roaming User Profiles is used to redirect a user profile to a network location. These features used to be referred to as Intellimirror. Folder Redirection enables users and administrators to redirect the path of a known folder to a new location, manually or by using Group Policy.
Folder Redirection allows saving data regardless of storage location and separates user data from profile data decreasing the time required to log on. Other advantages include: Data is stored on a server where it can be backed up.
This can result in lost data or data corruption if the conflicts are not resolved properly. Increased storage requirements: Offline files are stored locally on the client computer, which can increase storage requirements, particularly for users with large redirected folders.
Right-click a folder that you want to redirect (for example, Documents), and then select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, from the Settings box, select Basic - Redirect everyone's folder to the same location.
Roaming profiles were a nice idea in the '00s but there are better solutions now than folder redirection or roaming profiles. Roaming profiles are the oldest option, but they can work with FR. KFM would be the way to go, but if they don't have the licenses, FR will work.
Microsoft first introduced the roaming profile in 1993 with Windows NT. Even though there have been improvements to it over the years, the fast pace of technology has overtaken roaming profiles except for situations that need a completely localized network.
Roaming profiles may be justified. Just keep each “desktop” clean, i.e. no folders. Remember that roaming profiles are copied down to the local machines upon logon. The more data on the “\desktop”, the longer it will take to logon.
During logoff, the profile is copied to the administrator-specified network location. Mandatory Profiles, sometimes called roaming mandatory profiles, are also stored in a centralized network location for each user. They differ from roaming profiles by not retaining the users' changes at logoff.
If you're looking to backup your application settings, this is the only folder of the three that's of any use to you. Can I Delete the Local, LocalLow, and Roaming Folders? Yes, but no. Deleting these folders can not only possibly break Windows, but they will also indeed remove most of your program settings.
Folder Redirection is defined by automatically re-routing standard folders to use storage on another server. There are specific folders on a WSU employee's workstation that are storing the files or data on a separate server. The separate server can also be described as file shares.
We use folder redirection and UEM because people roam, if your users are never sat at the same desk or device then this is pretty much a must. Even if they don't, FR will help with backup of their data and allows for them to move or use alternative devices if needs be. The best part is backing documents up.
A home folder is a shared drive designation that maps at logon and enables the user to store personal files. On the other hand, folder redirection is an automated way to redirect specific folder contents.
To confirm that the user profile is roaming, open Control Panel, select System and Security, select System, select Advanced System Settings, select Settings in the User Profiles section and then look for Roaming in the Type column.
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