How to Configure Folder
Redirection in Windows Server 2016
What is Folder
Redirection?
This article shows you how simply you can
redirect folder in Windows Server with group policy. The folder redirection is
the way to keep a profile folders to a network location or other location in
the local computer. Typically user profiles and settings are stored in local
profile. By redirecting folders, you can access to data regardless
of which computers you are logs in.
In addition to the immediate benefit of having
that data on a file server that is much easier to keep backed up, the user also
gets the benefit of being able to go to multiple computers in your organization
and still have access to their data. Using the default Windows settings and the
default share settings on your file server, these redirection will be even made
available offline automatically for your users.
The Policy-Based QoS node
This quality of service (QoS) node, known as the Policy-Based QoS node, defines policies
that manage network traffic. For example, you might want to ensure that users
in the Finance department have priority to run a critical network application
during the end-of-year financial reporting period. You can do that by using the
Policy-Based QoS node.
In the User Configuration node only, the Windows
Settings folder contains the additional Folder Redirection node. With folder
redirection, you can redirect user data and settings folders such as AppData, Desktop, Documents, Pictures,
Music, and Favorites from their default
user profile location to an alternate location on the network, where you can
manage them centrally.
Infrastructure Requirement :
·
1 DC SERVER (EXAMPLE-DC01)
·
Client PC running Windows
10 (CLIENT-10)
Lets get started.
01 – Create a Shared Folder
1 – On EXAMPLE-DC01, on the taskbar, click the File Explorer icon, In the navigation pane, click This PC.
2 – In the details pane, double-click Local Disk (C:), and then on the Home tab, click New folder.
3 – In the Name text box, type Redir, and then press Enter.
4 – Right-click the Redir folder, click Share with, and then
click Specific people.
5 – In the File Sharing dialog box, click the drop-down arrow, select Everyone, and then click Add.
6 – For the Everyone group, click the Permission Level drop-down arrow, and then click Read/Write.
7 – Click Share, and then click Done.
Close the Local Disk (C:) window
02 – Create a GPO to redirect the Documents
folder
1 – In Server Manager, click Tools and then click Group Policy Management.
2 – In the navigation pane, right-click
the Windows.ae domain, and then click Create a GPO in this domain and Link it here.
3 – In the New GPO dialog box, in the Name text box, type Folder Redirection, and then click OK.
4 – In the navigation pane,
right-click Folder Redirection, and then click Edit.
5 – In the Group Policy Management Editor window, under User Configuration, expand Policies,expand Windows Settings, and then expand Folder Redirection.
6 – Right-click Documents, and then click Properties.
7 – In the Document Properties dialog box, on the Target tab, click
the Setting drop-down arrow, and then select Basic-Redirect everyone’s folder to the same
location.
8 – Ensure that the Target folder
location box is set to Create a folder for each user under the root path.
9 – In the Root Path text box, type \\EXAMPLE-DC01\Redir, and then click OK.
10 – In the Warning dialog box, click Yes.
Close the Group Policy Management Editor
03 – Test Folder Redirection
1 – Sign in to CLIENT-10 as Windows\Administrator with the password asd@123.
2 – Right-click Start, and then click Command Prompt.
3 – In the Command Prompt window, type the
following command, and then press Enter:
Gpupdate /force
4 – In the command prompt window, when prompted,
type the following, and then press Enter:
Y
5 – Sign in to CLIENT-10 as Windows\Administrator with the password asd@123.
6 – On the taskbar, click the File Explorer icon.
7 – In the navigation pane, in the Quick Access section, right-click Documents, and then click Properties.
8 – Verify that on the General tab,
the Location field has a value of \\EXAMPLE-DC01\redir\Administrator.
If this is not successful, repeat steps 2
through 7, and then check the redirection once again.
9 – Sign out of CLIENT-10.
