Question : offline folders

Hi, I administer a small (25 users) company. 90% of them uses portables. Each and everyone has a personal drive in which s/he keepes her/his personal information : access databases, psts's, other office documents. I administer a single win2000 server with AD implemented.

I'm looking for a solution for the next thing on my wish list :

I want for everybody that their personal drive is available even when they're are not connected to the network. My first tought is to use offline folders, but there seems to be a problem with pst's and databases and they seem to have to be created from the cliet side and I wanted to push it from the server side (kinda like use a home drive that you can specify in a user account)

Is there anyone out here that can provide me a simple solution?

Thx,
iLDC

Answer : offline folders

I think the reason why MS doesnt allow caching or offlining of mdb files is that mdb files may be updated simlutaneously  by different applications or users.
Same with PSTs, also they can get very large.

If the above issues are not a problem in your environment u can try the following...

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SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to make certain files or folders available offline, the following error message may be displayed:

Offline files (\\server\share): Unable to make file Filename available offline on \\server\share. Files of this type cannot be made available offline.

CAUSE

By default, files with the following extensions are excluded:

.db?
.ldb
.mdb
.mde
.mdw
.pst
.slm

RESOLUTION

Microsoft does not recommend modifying the list of excluded files. See the "More Information" section for more details.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Certain file types are excluded by default as a means to prevent file conflicts and data loss. The mechanism that the Offline Files feature uses is Client-Side Caching (CSC). CSC can recognize when synchronization issues exist (for example, if the copy of a file on the server has been modified since the last synchronization). In such a case, you can select which version to use, but you cannot merge the contents.

There may also be another synchronization mechanism that is typically used for the file type. One such file type is .pst files. This type is included in the list to prevent conflicts with the built-in offline and synchronization features in Microsoft Outlook. The Offline Files feature uses a replacement method of synchronization, so there is no way to merge the two copies.


HERES YOUR SOLUTION
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You can modify the list of excluded extensions by editing the appropriate Group Policy object (local, domain, organizational unit, and so on). For example, to remove the .pst extension from the list of excluded files, enable the following sample policy in Policy Editor:

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\Offline Files\Files not cached

Then, type the following string in the Extensions box:

*.slm;*.mdb;*.ldb;*.mdw;*.mde;*.db?

Log off, and then log back on. This replaces the default list, preserving all but the *.pst extension. You can use the same method for any of the other extensions.

To edit the local policy, click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK. To edit the domain policy, use Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

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