[Samba] roaming profile doubles in size at client logout

[miguelmedalha at sapo.pt]

>
>> I've connected a Windows 7 client and logged in with a roaming profile
>> user, copied some 4GB of data in the profile and logged out. Surely enough,
>> the data was synchronized but when I login and logout again, the profile
>> gets copied on the samba server in full versus just the modified data.
>
>> For instance, if the profile on the server has 4GB and I logout from the
>> client, the profile will grow up to 8GB and then drop down to 4GB (in case
>> no new data get's added meanwhile). This looks to me like instead of doing
>> an incremental diff, the whole profile get's copied and then compared and
>> the same data deleted.
>
(...)
>
> This is, unfortunately, "normal". As much as the Microsoft's definition of
> "normality" goes.
> What I'm doing is I'm excluding local Documents and a number of other folders
> from profile sync (through GPO) and then doing a manual rsync in background
> every now and then. That is for folders that are not located in the network
> already.
> This also helps with profile size that is getting copied back and forth
> between server and client. 4Gb multiplied by sixteen users… I don't want to
> see it happening to my network.
>
>
>

Roaming profiles are, generally speaking, outdated technology. Folder  
redirection is much more effective. It covers most of the benefits of  
roaming profiles without the penalties.