Roaming Windows User Profiles: Difference between revisions

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= Introduction =
== Microsoft Windows User Profiles ==
Every user on your network prefers to work on their computer in a different ways. Some users prefer certain settings one way, others prefer it another way. An operating system's job is to retain these user's settings without clobbering other user's settings.


A Windows profile is a set of files that contains all settings of a user including per-user configuration files and registry settings. In an Active Directory or NT4 domain you can set that the profile of a user is stored on a server. This enables the user to log on to different Windows domain members and use the same settings.
In the Unix/Linux world, these systems provide "Home Directories" for it's users. These "Home Directories" store all of the program settings, documents, and other files for each individual user. It is trivial to offer "Network Wide" home directories for all of your users using NFS (Network File System). When properly implemented, this system is transparent to the user and provides a nice way to centralize data storage and allow any user to log into any workstation using their own preferences and settings and have all of their data readily available.


When using roaming user profiles, a copy of the profile is downloaded from the server to the Windows domain member when a user logs into. Until the user logs out, all settings are stored and updated in the local copy. During the log out, the profile is uploaded to the server.
In the Microsoft Windows world, these systems provide "User Profiles" for all of it's users settings. These "User Profiles" store all the registry settings, program settings, documents and other files for each individual user. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not trivial to offer "Network Wide" user profiles for all of your users.


To help maintain your sanity (and to help you keep your job), these wikis will focus on the wonderful world of Microsoft's User Profiles. They will cover how profiles work, the different options you have in implementing profiles, how to configure Samba for "Network-Side (Roaming) Profiles" or "Local Profiles", and various tips and tricks to get the most out of user profiles.


==Windows Profile Basics==


==Implementing Local Profiles with Samba==
The easiest type of profile to implement with Samba is the Local Profile. Local Profiles are stored on each individual computer and are not centrally located on a server. To utilize Local Profiles simply set the following directives to nothing:


* logon path =
* logon home =


= Windows Roaming Profile Versions =
'''NOTE:''' When using Local Profiles, Samba's "logon drive" directive has no meaning. If you still want the user's home directory on a Samba server set to a drive letter, you must set it with a Logon Script.


Depending on the operating system version, Windows uses separate profile folders for a user to support Windows version-specific features. Version 2 profiles and later append the <code>.V*</code> suffix to the user's profile folder.
Even though local profiles are stored on the User's computer, it is still a good idea to redirect certain folders within their profile to a Samba Share, such as the "Documents" folder. To do this see the wiki article on implementing Windows Policies.


The following Windows profile versions exist:
==Implementing Roaming Profiles with Samba==
To implement Roaming Profiles with Samba a few things must happen. First you must create a share to store these profiles, then you must set a few Samba directives to enable roaming profiles.


:{| class="wikitable"
'''NOTE:''' You can theoretically store profiles within the users home directory, unfortunately Windows does not release a share immediately after logging out. So if you do store user's profiles within the home directories and another user logs into a machine immediately after another user logs out, the newly logged in user could invariably use the other users profile resulting in a possible security issue, as well as other issues. It is best to simply store all of the user profiles within a separate Samba share.
!Windows Client OS Version
!Windows Server OS Version
!Profile Suffix
!Example Profile Folder Name
|-
|Windows NT 4.0 - Windows Vista
|Windows NT Server 4.0 - Windows Server 2008
|''none''
|user
|-
|Windows 7
|Windows Server 2008 R2
|V2
|user.V2
|-
|Windows 8.0 - 8.1*
|Windows Server 2012 - 2012 R2*
|V3
|user.V3
|-
|Windows 8.1*
|Windows Server 2012 R2*
|V4
|user.V4
|-
|Windows 10 (1507 to 1511)
|Windows Server 2016
|V5
|user.V5
|-
|Windows 10 (1607 and later)
|
|V6
|user.V6
|}


: <nowiki>*</nowiki> Using the default settings, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 use V3 profiles. However, the profiles are incompatible with Windows 8.0 and Windows Server 2012. For this reason it is recommended that you configure Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 to use V4 profiles. For further details, see: [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2890783/incompatibility-between-windows-8.1-roaming-user-profiles-and-those-in-earlier-versions-of-windows Incompatibility between Windows 8.1 roaming user profiles and those in earlier versions of Windows].
=== Creating the Profile Share ===


When you set the profile path for a user, you always set the path without any version suffix. For example:
To create a Samba share to use for your user's profiles simply add something similar to your share section of the smb.conf file:
\\server\profiles\user_name


*[profiles]
* comment = Network Profiles Share
* path = /srv/samba/profiles
* read only = No
* store dos attributes = Yes
* create mask = 0600
* directory mask = 0700
* browseable = no
* guest ok = no
* printable = no
* hide files = /desktop.ini/outlook*.lnk/*Briefcase*/


Then ensure that everyone has write access to the directory listed as the path:


* chmod o+rw /srv/samba/profiles


=== Setting relevant directives for Roaming Profiles ===
The smb.conf settings required to use Roaming Profiles by default are:


= Setting up the Share on the Samba File Server =
* logon path = \\%L\profiles\%U
* logon home = \\%L\%U\.9xprofile
* logon drive = P:


== Using Windows ACLs ==
The logon home directive is only used if you have any Windows 9x based machines on your Domain, otherwise it does not need to be set. The logon drive specifies the Drive Letter Windows will assign your home directory, this alleviates the need to create a logon script that essentially would do the same thing.


To create a share, for example, <code>profiles</code> for hosting the roaming profiles on a Samba file server:
The logon path directive is where you actually setup roaming profiles. This directive should contain a Windows Network path to the location of the profile for each user. If the user's profile directory does not exist, one will be created at that location (as long as the user has write access to that directory).


* Create a new share. For details, see [[Setting up a Share Using Windows ACLs]]. Set the following permissions:
You can also take full advantage of Samba's Variable Substitutions and further separate User's profiles, such as by architecture. Using the directive:


:* Share permissions:
* logon path = \\%L\profiles\%U\%a
::{| class="wikitable"
!Principal
!Access
|-
|Domain Users
|Change
|-
|Domain Admins
|Full Control
|}


:* File system permissions on the root of the <code>profiles</code> share:
will separate the user's profiles relating to each version of Windows, such as WinXP, WinNT, etc. This is extremely helpful if you have users that jump from computer to computer that have different versions of Windows on them. This can solve a whole slew of problems relating to the registry on different versions of Windows, especially when running different version of Internet Explorer. Separating profiles in this way can be a very powerful feature, especially when you include Folder Redirection into the mix.

::{| class="wikitable"
!Principal
!Access
!Applies to
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|Domain Users *
|Traverse folder / execute file<br />List folder / read data<br />Create folder / append data
|This folder only
|-
|CREATOR OWNER
|Full control
|Subfolders and files only
|-
|Domain Admins
|Full control
|This folder, subfolders and files
|-
|SYSTEM **
|Full control
|This folder, subfolders and files
|}
::<nowiki>*</nowiki> You can alternatively set other groups, to enable the group members to store their user profile on the share. When using different groups, apply the permissions as displayed for <code>Domain Users</code> in the previous example.

::<nowiki>**</nowiki> For details, see [[The SYSTEM Account]].

:: Verify that permission inheritance is disabled on the root of the share. If any permission entry in the <code>Advanced Security Settings</code> window displays a path in the <code>Inherited from</code> column, click the <code>Disable inheritance</code> button. On Windows 7, unselect the <code>Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent</code> check box to set the same setting.

::[[Image:Profiles_Folder_File_System_ACLs.png]]

These settings enable members of the <code>Domain Users</code> group to store their roaming profiles on the share, without being able to access other user's profiles. Members of the <code>Domain Admins</code> group are able to access all directories on the share.



== Using POSIX ACLs on a Unix domain member ==

On a Unix domain member server, you can set up the <code>profiles</code> share using POSIX ACLs instead of using Windows access control lists (ACL). This will not work on a Samba Active Directory Controller.



{{Imbox
| type = warning
| text = When setting up the share on a Samba Active Directory (AD) domain controller (DC), you cannot use POSIX ACLs. On an Samba DC, only shares using extended ACLs are supported. For further details, see [[Setting_up_a_Share_Using_Windows_ACLs#Enable_Extended_ACL_Support_in_the_smb.conf_File|Enable Extended ACL Support in the smb.conf File]]. To set up the share on a Samba AD DC, see [[#Using_Windows_ACLs|Setting up the Profiles Share on the Samba File Server - Using Windows ACLs]].
}}


* Add the following share configuration section to your <code>smb.conf</code> file:

[profiles]
comment = Users profiles
path = /srv/samba/profiles/
browseable = No
read only = No
force create mode = 0600
force directory mode = 0700
csc policy = disable
store dos attributes = yes
vfs objects = acl_xattr

: For details about the parameters used, see the descriptions in the <code>smb.conf(5)</code> man page.

* Create the directory and set permissions:

# mkdir -p /srv/samba/profiles/
# chgrp -R "Domain Users" /srv/samba/profiles/
# chmod 1750 /srv/samba/profiles/

: These settings enable members of the <code>Domain Users</code> group to store their roaming profiles on the share, without being able to access other user's profiles. Alternatively, you can set a different group.

* Reload Samba:

# smbcontrol all reload-config





= Assigning a Roaming Profile to a User =

Depending on the Windows version, Windows uses different folders to store the roaming profile of a user. However, when you set the profile path for a user, you always set the path to the folder without any version suffix. For example:
\\server\profiles\user_name

For further details, see [[#The_Windows_Roaming_Profile_Versions|The Windows Roaming Profile Versions]].

Note that you must not set a trailing backslash.



== In an Active Directory ==

=== Using <code>Active Directory Users and Computers</code> ===

In an Active Directory, you can use the <code>Active Directory Users and Computers</code> Windows application to set the path to the user's profile folder. If you do not have the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed, see [[Installing RSAT|Installing RSAT]].

To assign <code>\\server\profiles\demo</code> as profile folder to the <code>demo</code> account:

* Log in to a computer using an account that is enabled to edit user accounts.

* Open the <code>Active Directory Users and Computers</code> application.

* Navigate to the directory container that contains the <code>demo</code> account.

* Right-click to the <code>demo</code> user account and select <code>Properties</code>.

* Select the <code>Profile</code> tab.

* Fill the path to the home folder into the <code>Profile path</code> field.
: Set the path always without any profile version suffix and without trailing backslash. For details, see [[#The_Windows_Roaming_Profile_Versions|The Windows Roaming Profile Versions]].

:[[Image:ADUC_Set_Profile_Folder.png]].

* Click <code>OK</code>.

The setting is applied the next time the user logs in.



=== Using a Group Policy Object ===

Using group policy objects (GPO), you can assign settings to organizational units (OU) or to a domain. This enables you, for example, to automatically assign profile paths to all users that log on to a computer that is a member of the OU or domain. If you move the computer to a different OU or domain, the setting is removed or updated. Using this way, you do not have to assign manually the settings to each user account.

{{Imbox
| type = note
| text = Windows only supports assigning a profile path using GPOs on a per-computer basis. This means that the path is also applied to local users on domain members, which have no access to the profile share. To set the profile path on a per-user basis, see [[#Using_Active_Directory_Users_and_Computers|Using Active Directory Users and Computers]].
}}

To create a group policy object (GPO) for the domain that automatically assigns the <code>\\server\path\''user_name''</code> path to every user that logs on to a Windows domain member:

* Log in to a computer using an account that is allowed to edit group policies, such as the AD domain <code>Administrator</code> account.

* Open the <code>Group Policy Management Console</code>. If you are not having the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed on this computer, see [[Installing RSAT|Installing RSAT]].

* Right-click to your AD domain and select <code>Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here</code>.

:[[Image:GPMC_Create_GPO.png]]

* Enter a name for the GPO, such as <code>Profiles on ''server''</code>. The new GPO is shown below the domain entry.

* Right-click to the newly-created GPO and select <code>Edit</code> to open the <code>Group Policy Management Editor</code>.

* Navigate to the <code>Computer Configuration</code> &rarr; <code>Policies</code> &rarr; <code>Administrative Templates</code> &rarr; <code>System</code> &rarr; <code>User Profiles</code> entry.

* Double-click the <code>Set roaming profile path for all users logging onto this computer</code> policy to edit:

:* Enable the policy and set the profile path. For example:

\\server\profiles\%USERNAME%

:: Windows replaces the <code>%USERNAME%</code> variable with the user name during login. Set the path without trailing backslash.

::[[Image:GPME_Set_Profiles_Properties.png]]

:* Click <code>OK</code>.

* Close the <code>Group Policy Management Editor</code>. The GPOs are automatically saved on the <code>Sysvol</code> share on the domain controller (DC).

* Close the <code>Group Policy Management Console</code>.

The GPO is applied at the next reboot of the Windows domain members or when they reload the group policies.



=== Using <code>ldbedit</code> on a Domain Controller ===

On a domain controller (DC), to assign, for example, the <code>\\server\profiles\demo\</code> path as profile folder to the <code>demo</code> account:

* Edit the <code>demo</code> user account:

# ldbedit -H /usr/local/samba/private/sam.ldb 'sAMAccountName=demo'

* The accounts attributes are displayed in an editor. Append the following attribute and value to the end of the list:

profilePath: \\server\profiles\demo

: You must not set a trailing backslash to the path.

* Save the changes.

The setting is applied the next time the user logs in.



== In an NT4 Domain ==

In an Samba NT4 domain, to set <code>\\server\profiles\%U</code> as path to the profile folder:

* Add the following parameter to the <code>[global]</code> section in your <code>smb.conf</code> file:

logon path = \\%L\Profiles\%U

: During logging in to the domain member, Samba automatically replaces the <code>%U</code> variable with the session user name. For further details, see the <code>Variable Substitutions</code> section in the <code>smb.conf(5)</code> man page.

* Reload Samba:

# smbcontrol all reload-config





= Configuring Windows Profile Folder Redirections =

See [[Configuring Windows Profile Folder Redirections]].

Revision as of 09:31, 4 December 2018

Introduction

A Windows profile is a set of files that contains all settings of a user including per-user configuration files and registry settings. In an Active Directory or NT4 domain you can set that the profile of a user is stored on a server. This enables the user to log on to different Windows domain members and use the same settings.

When using roaming user profiles, a copy of the profile is downloaded from the server to the Windows domain member when a user logs into. Until the user logs out, all settings are stored and updated in the local copy. During the log out, the profile is uploaded to the server.



Windows Roaming Profile Versions

Depending on the operating system version, Windows uses separate profile folders for a user to support Windows version-specific features. Version 2 profiles and later append the .V* suffix to the user's profile folder.

The following Windows profile versions exist:

Windows Client OS Version Windows Server OS Version Profile Suffix Example Profile Folder Name
Windows NT 4.0 - Windows Vista Windows NT Server 4.0 - Windows Server 2008 none user
Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 V2 user.V2
Windows 8.0 - 8.1* Windows Server 2012 - 2012 R2* V3 user.V3
Windows 8.1* Windows Server 2012 R2* V4 user.V4
Windows 10 (1507 to 1511) Windows Server 2016 V5 user.V5
Windows 10 (1607 and later) V6 user.V6
* Using the default settings, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 use V3 profiles. However, the profiles are incompatible with Windows 8.0 and Windows Server 2012. For this reason it is recommended that you configure Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 to use V4 profiles. For further details, see: Incompatibility between Windows 8.1 roaming user profiles and those in earlier versions of Windows.

When you set the profile path for a user, you always set the path without any version suffix. For example:

\\server\profiles\user_name



Setting up the Share on the Samba File Server

Using Windows ACLs

To create a share, for example, profiles for hosting the roaming profiles on a Samba file server:

  • Share permissions:
Principal Access
Domain Users Change
Domain Admins Full Control
  • File system permissions on the root of the profiles share:
Principal Access Applies to
Domain Users * Traverse folder / execute file
List folder / read data
Create folder / append data
This folder only
CREATOR OWNER Full control Subfolders and files only
Domain Admins Full control This folder, subfolders and files
SYSTEM ** Full control This folder, subfolders and files
* You can alternatively set other groups, to enable the group members to store their user profile on the share. When using different groups, apply the permissions as displayed for Domain Users in the previous example.
** For details, see The SYSTEM Account.
Verify that permission inheritance is disabled on the root of the share. If any permission entry in the Advanced Security Settings window displays a path in the Inherited from column, click the Disable inheritance button. On Windows 7, unselect the Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent check box to set the same setting.
Profiles Folder File System ACLs.png

These settings enable members of the Domain Users group to store their roaming profiles on the share, without being able to access other user's profiles. Members of the Domain Admins group are able to access all directories on the share.


Using POSIX ACLs on a Unix domain member

On a Unix domain member server, you can set up the profiles share using POSIX ACLs instead of using Windows access control lists (ACL). This will not work on a Samba Active Directory Controller.



  • Add the following share configuration section to your smb.conf file:
 [profiles]
         comment = Users profiles
         path = /srv/samba/profiles/
         browseable = No
         read only = No
         force create mode = 0600
         force directory mode = 0700
         csc policy = disable
         store dos attributes = yes
         vfs objects = acl_xattr
For details about the parameters used, see the descriptions in the smb.conf(5) man page.
  • Create the directory and set permissions:
# mkdir -p /srv/samba/profiles/
# chgrp -R "Domain Users" /srv/samba/profiles/
# chmod 1750 /srv/samba/profiles/
These settings enable members of the Domain Users group to store their roaming profiles on the share, without being able to access other user's profiles. Alternatively, you can set a different group.
  • Reload Samba:
# smbcontrol all reload-config



Assigning a Roaming Profile to a User

Depending on the Windows version, Windows uses different folders to store the roaming profile of a user. However, when you set the profile path for a user, you always set the path to the folder without any version suffix. For example:

\\server\profiles\user_name

For further details, see The Windows Roaming Profile Versions.

Note that you must not set a trailing backslash.


In an Active Directory

Using Active Directory Users and Computers

In an Active Directory, you can use the Active Directory Users and Computers Windows application to set the path to the user's profile folder. If you do not have the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed, see Installing RSAT.

To assign \\server\profiles\demo as profile folder to the demo account:

  • Log in to a computer using an account that is enabled to edit user accounts.
  • Open the Active Directory Users and Computers application.
  • Navigate to the directory container that contains the demo account.
  • Right-click to the demo user account and select Properties.
  • Select the Profile tab.
  • Fill the path to the home folder into the Profile path field.
Set the path always without any profile version suffix and without trailing backslash. For details, see The Windows Roaming Profile Versions.
ADUC Set Profile Folder.png.
  • Click OK.

The setting is applied the next time the user logs in.


Using a Group Policy Object

Using group policy objects (GPO), you can assign settings to organizational units (OU) or to a domain. This enables you, for example, to automatically assign profile paths to all users that log on to a computer that is a member of the OU or domain. If you move the computer to a different OU or domain, the setting is removed or updated. Using this way, you do not have to assign manually the settings to each user account.

To create a group policy object (GPO) for the domain that automatically assigns the \\server\path\user_name path to every user that logs on to a Windows domain member:

  • Log in to a computer using an account that is allowed to edit group policies, such as the AD domain Administrator account.
  • Open the Group Policy Management Console. If you are not having the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed on this computer, see Installing RSAT.
  • Right-click to your AD domain and select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here.
GPMC Create GPO.png
  • Enter a name for the GPO, such as Profiles on server. The new GPO is shown below the domain entry.
  • Right-click to the newly-created GPO and select Edit to open the Group Policy Management Editor.
  • Navigate to the Computer ConfigurationPoliciesAdministrative TemplatesSystemUser Profiles entry.
  • Double-click the Set roaming profile path for all users logging onto this computer policy to edit:
  • Enable the policy and set the profile path. For example:
\\server\profiles\%USERNAME%
Windows replaces the %USERNAME% variable with the user name during login. Set the path without trailing backslash.
GPME Set Profiles Properties.png
  • Click OK.
  • Close the Group Policy Management Editor. The GPOs are automatically saved on the Sysvol share on the domain controller (DC).
  • Close the Group Policy Management Console.

The GPO is applied at the next reboot of the Windows domain members or when they reload the group policies.


Using ldbedit on a Domain Controller

On a domain controller (DC), to assign, for example, the \\server\profiles\demo\ path as profile folder to the demo account:

  • Edit the demo user account:
# ldbedit -H /usr/local/samba/private/sam.ldb 'sAMAccountName=demo'
  • The accounts attributes are displayed in an editor. Append the following attribute and value to the end of the list:
profilePath: \\server\profiles\demo
You must not set a trailing backslash to the path.
  • Save the changes.

The setting is applied the next time the user logs in.


In an NT4 Domain

In an Samba NT4 domain, to set \\server\profiles\%U as path to the profile folder:

  • Add the following parameter to the [global] section in your smb.conf file:
logon path = \\%L\Profiles\%U
During logging in to the domain member, Samba automatically replaces the %U variable with the session user name. For further details, see the Variable Substitutions section in the smb.conf(5) man page.
  • Reload Samba:
# smbcontrol all reload-config



Configuring Windows Profile Folder Redirections

See Configuring Windows Profile Folder Redirections.