Offline Files

Mobile users might need access to shared folders even when they’re disconnected from your internal network. Offline Files makes this possible by allowing client computers to automatically cache a copy of files on shared folders and by providing transparent access to the files when the user is disconnected from the network.

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The next time the user connects to the network,

Offline Files synchronizes any updates and prompts the user to manually resolve any conflicts.
Server administrators can configure Offline Files at the shared folder, and users of client computers can configure Offline Files when connected to a shared folder. To configure Offline Files caching behavior for a shared folder, follow these steps:

Right click the folder to be configured, and select Properties. From the Sharing tab select Advanced. Select Caching.

Only The Files And Programs That Users Specify Are Available Offline – Users must manually select the files they want to access while offline. This option works well when users understand how to use Offline Files.

All Files And Programs That Users Open From The Share Are Automatically Available Offline – Files that users access while connected to the network are automatically cached for a limited amount of time. This option works well when users do not understand how to use Offline Files.

No Files Or Programs From The Share Are Available Offline – Prevents users from accessing Offline Files. This option is the best choice for confidential documents that should not be stored on mobile computers.

Select options and click OK. Click OK to complete. The folder is now configured for offline files.

Configuring client to use offline files

Offline files and folders must be enabled on the client machine before they can use this feature. Click on Tools. Select Folder Options… Select the Offline Files tab. Check the box for Enable Offline Files.

There are various options which allow you to configure when synchronization should take place. The default “Synchronize all offline files before logging off” is the most sensible option.” All of your offline files can be accessed from the Offline Files folder. Selecting this box will add a convenient shortcut to the desktop.

The Encrypt offline files to secure data option is generally a good option on laptop machines containing sensitive data. Unfortunately the data is still unencrypted when it is transferred over the network. Click on OK to enable Offline Files. Right-click on the share or network drive that you wish to make available offline. Select Make Available Offline. Click on OK to make the entire contents of the folder available offline. The folder is then synchronized. The icon indicates that this folder is now available offline. The folder can be synchronized at any time by right-clicking on it and selecting synchronize. Offline files and folder settings can be changed by selecting the Setup button during synchronization or by selecting the reminder icon on the taskbar.

You can choose when you want synchronization to take place and change settings depending on what type of network connection you are using. There’s a wide variety of settings for when synchronisation should occur. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Examine the contents of each tab carefully. Questions about this are examination favourites.

No Files Or Programs From The Share Are Available Offline Prevents users from accessing Offline Files. This option is the best choice for confidential documents that should not be stored on mobile computers.