User Management
Managing Profiles
Roaming Profiles
- A roaming profile is stored on a network server and allows users to
access their user profile, regardless of the client computer to which
they're logged on. Roaming profiles provide a consistent Desktop for
users who move around, no matter which computer they access. Even
if the server that stores the roaming profile is unavailable, the user can
still log on using a local profile.
- Roaming profiles are useful when a corporation uses Outlook and Exchange for an e-mail system. When a user runs Outlook for the first time, it must be
configured to access the correct Exchange server. The configuration information for Outlook
is stored in the user profile. If a user logged on to a new computer that created a new profile
based on the default profile, Outlook would need to be reconfigured again. If roaming profiles are in place, the Outlook configuration moves from computer to computer as part of the
roaming profile.
- To configure a roaming profile, you must edit the user account to point the profile directory at
a network location. Then you copy the existing user profile up to the network location.
Each time a user logs on, the roaming profile is copied to the local computer. If a user logs on
and cannot contact the server with the roaming proflie, then the local copy of the profile is used.