Offline Files is a Windows feature that enables you to save files to a shared folder on a network (for centralized storage and backup) and still have access to those files when the machine is disconnected from the network. With Offline Files, Windows automatically creates a copy of each file on the user’s machine for offline access. When the Windows automatically syncs the offline copies with the original files in the network folder the next time the machine re-connects to the network. While these features do work very well in a LivePC, there are some drawbacks to consider:
While files can always be saved locally, saving to the file share requires the LivePC to be on the network (or have a VPN connection).
Users may notice some latency when saving files to the file share (particularly when working with large files).
Pre-Requisites
Steps
Using Offline Files to Backup and Sync Data
A LivePC can be set up using Offline Files as a way to backup user data and sync between machines (through a file server on the corporate network). MokaFive recommends using folder redirection in combination with Offline Files for a seamless user experience that allows users to save data as they normally would but, have the data stored centrally. Specifically, we recommend using these features on the “Desktop” and “Documents” folders so user data stored to these locations are:
(i) Automatically saved to a file share,
(ii) Always available (whether online, or offline), and
(iii) Immediately available for disaster recover (e.g. replacing a lost laptop with a new one).
Setting up the Infrastructure
Before rolling out LivePCs, it is necessary to set up a network file server with dedicated space for users to automatically backup and sync data. You can set an AD policy to automatically create users’ home folders and set quota limits as you see fit.
Please refer to the PDF in this article for detailed instructions on how to integrate Microsoft Folder Redirection and Offline Files with MokaFive.