[Samba] Re: PDC, BDCs - how do you synchronize roaming profiles?

[Tomasz Chmielewski]

John H Terpstra wrote:
> NT4 does not 
> replicate or synchronize desktop profiles - nor does Samba. Where on earth 
> did you obtain the idea that this ought to happen?

Well, I know Samba doesn't replicate profiles.
I just asked what is the best way to do it.


> The notion that all roaming profiles are stored on a central server and that 
> profiles are transferred over a wide-area link at login time is not one I 
> have created. Where did you get such a notion? I would not call that silly, 
> I'd call that insane and completely unworkable.

I got such a notion in one of replies to my post; which I criticized as 
not very useful/possibly harmful.


> The answer is: Practice good account management. Locate the users' profile on 
> a server close to where the user is - preferably on the same network segment.
> I a user roams across multiple network segments and the wide-area bandwith can 
> not handle the roaming profile then do exempt that user from having a roaming 
> profile and instead store the profile locally on the workstation (or 
> notebook) that is used by this user.

Yes, this is why I asked my question. I want to introduce good account 
management.

But if there are two buildings, 2 minutes walk, connected by a 1 Mbit 
VPN/WAN link, and users (students) need to use their profile in each 
building (and they use different computers in different rooms, so can't 
store profiles locally), I need some profile replication mechanism.

I thought of this approach:

- keep profile size to the minimum (20-30 megs),
- rsync changes of the profile to the other domain controllers when user 
logs out.

Do you think it's a good approach, or should I think of something else?


Tomek