Step-by-Step guide to Redirect Users “My Documents” to Server Folder and implement Disk Quota

 

Version 1.0

Author : Padman De Silva

 

1)      In order to Redirect Domain Users My Documents folder,1stly you have to create a Share folder on your Designated File Server and give proper permission to that,

2)      I will assume that you all know how to create a folder on your Server.

3)      Now let’s share that folder with relevant permissions.

 

 

4)      Click on the newly Created Folder and click right mouse button then select Sharing and Security.

5)      Click on Sharing Tab and then select the Share This Folder Option. Make sure you give a meaning full Share name on the share name field. Leave User limit with default values.

6)      To set proper permission on the share folder click on the Permission button.

 

 

 

7)     On the share permission dialog box select Read/Change allows. Then click Ok and close the dialog box, the click ok on the Share folder properties.

Now we have our Share Folder created and shared for users use. Now let’s create the group policy to redirect users My Documents.

 

1)      Navigate to Active directory Users and Computers MMC either through Start à Settings à Control panel à Administrative tools or Start menu à Programs à Administrative tools

 

 

Note: Microsoft recommends creating a Separate OU for this type of a operation rather than changing the Default Users OU. Let’s assume that we have created a separate OU call “Company Users”

 

 

2)      Active directory Users and Computers MMC click on Company Users OU  and click the right mouse button à Properties

This action will open up another window in that click on the group policy tab.

 

3)      Then click new button.

4)      Give a name to the newly created Policy “Users My Documents Policy” or anything else you like.

5)      Then navigate to the My Documents in User configuration à Windows Settings à Folder redirection  à My Documents.

 

6)      Then Right Click on the My Documents and click on Properties.

 

7)      On the Target tab click on the Settings drop down box. And the select  “ Basic- Redirect everyone’s folder to the same location”

 

 

8)      From the Target folder location drop down list, select “Create a folder for each user under the root path”.

9)      Then give your Server Share folder root as the root path.

10)   Leave the default settings on the Settings tab and click OK to save and exit from the dialog box.

Now you have created a Folder redirection policy for “Company Users” OU, now make sure you create all your users wanted to redirect their My Documents under this OU. And make sure you define the home folder location as the server share folder while you create the user.

 

Now let’s talk about implementing a disk quota for these users.

Note: I assume that we are using Windows 2003 R2. Because with R2 version Microsoft have introduce new set of features for Disk quota and better management tool to manage it, so I advise you to use Windows 2003 R2 for this purpose.

 

To install new Management tool and the disk quota functionality

Navigate to Add-remove Program by clicking Start à Settings à Control panel à Add-remove Program à Add-remove windows components.

 

 

 

 

Then Click on Management and Monitoring Toolsà Details

Then check the tick mark on File Server management & File Server resource manager. Click Ok to save and exit.

Note: This process will ask the source file of Windows 2003 R2 and you need to do a reboot after the installation.

 

Once the server is rebooted navigate to Start à Programs à Administrative tools à file resource Manager.

 

 

In file resource Manager MMC navigate to Quota Management à Quotas

 

 

Then Click on Create Quota.

 

Brows and select the Server Share folder, where you want to implement Quota.

If you select the root folder make sure you select the option of “Auto apply template and create quotas on existing and new subfolders”

If you don’t select this option the quota limitation will be applied on the root level.

Then Select the Quota size from the predefined templates or create your own template and select it from the list.

If you want to define different limits for different users you can add individual entries for each folder.

 

Note: unlikely the previous Windows Quota, Windows Server 2003 R2 Quota apply to the folders Not Users.

 

Once quota entry been created you can define your own notification methods to users as per your requirement,  those areas out of the scope of this document and will be doing a different article on that.