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I've recently stood up a Windows 2012 R2 server. I set up folder redirection using the guidelines here and roaming profiles using Group Policy. All is well except for the fact that if the client is physically disconnected from the network then the profile isn't available.

I've set up folder redirection/roaming profiles on many different version of Windows Server and this is the first time I can remember that the files weren't available offline without further intervention from me. Is there some new setting or default on 2012 R2 that I'm running afoul of?

I note the following screen on the share properties but don't want to go at it until I know more

Offline settings

Here's an article from TechNet (admittedly for v2003/2003R2) that explains why enabling Offline Files on the share is a bad idea. This is where I have the idea in my head from but if it's changed in the meantime perhaps someone would be so kind as to advise me.

If you do not turn off Offline Folders for a user’s profile, you might experience synchronization problems because both Offline Folders and Roaming User Profiles try to synchronize the files in a user’s profile

EDIT 2015-01-16 Some additional information

All the relevant group policy objects (on the server) are at their default "Not configured" value. I've filtered by Windows 7 and Windows 8 as I have nothing below that. I've checked both locations viz.:

  • Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Network\Offline Files
  • User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Network\Offline Files

The same is true for Local Computer Policy, all are set to "Not configured". In Explorer on the client under the Easy Access option all of the salient settings are greyed out as shown below:

Offline files settings on the client

noonand
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  • I'm confused. You have `No files or programs from the shared folder are available offline` selected. And you're asking why the files aren't available offline? – HopelessN00b Jan 12 '15 at 13:34
  • @HopelessN00b that's precisely my point. Hitherto in Windows Server you _didn't_ have to change anything in order for this to work. In fact enabling caching used to actually screw things up as the cache option for offline files is based on the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, and the cache option is SMB share-based. – noonand Jan 12 '15 at 14:15
  • Bonjour @yagmoth555 I can't see how that is? I've given the background to the issue and asked a fairly straightforward question ("Is there some new setting or default on 2012 R2 that I'm running afoul of?") – noonand Jan 12 '15 at 15:19
  • You are right, disregard my last comment. I would tend to think it's a new default, but I can't confirm. More I think about it, more I think it would be better asking on microsoft connect on the other side for an official statement – yagmoth555 Jan 12 '15 at 15:22
  • You state that you're using roaming profiles but you linked to an article about Folder Redirection. Those two things are not the same. Can you give us some more detail about how you've configured roaming profiles? Where did you configure the use of roaming profiles, on the user objects or with Group Policy? – joeqwerty Jan 12 '15 at 16:33
  • @joeqwerty I apologise, I'm often guilty of this because in _my mind_ the two are inextricably linked. I've configured roaming profiles using Group Policy not the user objects in AD – noonand Jan 12 '15 at 17:00
  • @noonand: Re your flag question: I believe you can add another bounty, but this needs to be double the amount, meaning another 100rep of cost for you, but I am not exactly sure about this, so please post this as a question to [meta] or even [meta.se]. – Sven Jan 21 '15 at 16:24

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In case someone else sees this I just wanted to relate how this ultimately turned out for me. It seems to be a bug (or at least a new default) as I raised a case with this and extensive troubleshooting failed to yield a satisfactory answer.

Crucially the clients that are affected by this are Windows 8.1 Update ones, the recent builds of Windows 10 just work automatically again. :-S

As a workaround if I change the Offline Settings of the share properties to "All files and programs..." the option to make one of the redirected folders "Always available offline" now lights up.

This is at variance to what used to happen hence my assertion that it's either a bug or a new default that I'm not aware of.

noonand
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