Think like a user to help head off problems
In "Configuring Offline Files," May 2002, InstantDoc ID 24554, I discuss setting up and configuring Windows 2000's Offline Files feature. When you configure the feature, you need to understand its day-to-day use so that you can assist users as they take advantage of Offline Files and help them troubleshoot problems that might arise.
Marking Files for Offline Use
To start using Offline Files while connected to the network, a user opens My Computer, Windows Explorer or My Network Places and selects a shared remote folder or individual files in that folder. When a user selects an entire folder for offline access, any files placed in that folder in the future automatically become part of the user's Offline Files selections, and Win2K automatically synchronizes them for offline use. Setting up Offline Files for a folder is an excellent way to make sure that users stay up to date regarding important department information. You can create shared folders according to department, division, or project, then instruct users to select the appropriate folder or folders for offline use. To help users get started with Offline Files, you might want to familiarize yourself with the steps they'll need to go through.
To configure a selected folder or file for offline use, you (as a user) select the folder or file, then choose File, Make Available Offline from the menu bar. Win2K launches the Offline Files Wizard to walk you through the process. Click Next in the wizard's opening screen to begin. On the next screen, specify whether you want to automatically synchronize the Offline Files when you log on and log off. This option is selected by default, but you can clear the choice if you prefer not to automate the synchronization process. Click Next.
Specify whether you want a periodic synchronization reminder message (in the form of a balloon over the taskbar system tray) to appear when you're working offline. Also specify whether you want to place a shortcut to your Offline Files Folder on your desktop. A better idea is to drag the desktop shortcut to the Quick Launch toolbar for even faster access. (As I explain in "Configuring Offline Files," you can enable these features for users when you configure their local systems. Even when you do so, though, users will see these options in the Offline Files Wizard.)
Click Finish. The wizard synchronizes the files, putting a copy of each file you selected in your Offline Files Folder. As soon as the Synchronizing Files message disappears, the files are ready for offline use.
Open the Offline Files Folder. This folder displays information about the status of the files and the network connection. The Offline Files Folder also displays the path to each file's source folder—important information because the local system stores all offline files in one folder, even when they come from multiple network folders. Keep in mind that the permissions on offline files remain the same as on the shared resource. A read-only file is still read only when you're working locally.
Files You Can't (or Shouldn't) Use Offline
As I explain in "Configuring Offline Files," Win2K preconfigures some file types (i.e., .slm, .mdb, .ldb, .mdw, .mde, .db, and .pst files) as being unsuitable for offline work. When you select any of these file types or a folder that contains any of these file types for offline access, you receive an error message. (See the sidebar "Excluding File Types," page 70, to learn how to specify other restricted file types.)
On a similar note, when you select an encrypted file for offline access, you receive a warning that the offline copy won't be encrypted. You can opt to skip the encrypted files or receive the files without benefit of encryption. Working offline with decrypted files can be dangerous, especially when using a laptop computer; these systems have a high rate of theft and intrusion. Encourage users not to work offline with encrypted files.
Working Offline and Synchronizing Changes
As a user, when you log off the network or shut down your computer, you see a Synchronization reminder (assuming that you didn't configure Offline Files to skip this handy function). Unless you have an extremely large number of offline files or your offline files are very large, the synchronization process takes only a few seconds.
To work with a file offline, open the local Offline Files Folder and double-click the file you want to work with. This action opens the file in the appropriate software application. When you make changes and save the file, the file's status changes in the Offline Files Folder's Synchronization column, as Figure 1 shows. (You might need to choose View, Refresh to update the display.)
If you've enabled automatic synchronization to occur when you log on, Win2K automatically synchronizes your offline files as soon as you click OK in the Log On to Windows dialog box. If you disabled automatic synchronization during logon, you need to manually synchronize your modified offline files. To do so, open your Offline Files Folder, then choose Tools, Synchronize from the menu bar. This action opens the Items to Synchronize dialog box, which Figure 2 shows. Select the check boxes for the items that you want to synchronize, then click Synchronize.
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