Connect to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials without affecting your DNS, staying in workgroup mode

[jmwills 284]

Not it would not give access to their desktop, but who keeps stuff on the desktop?  It's really a bad idea as the "Desktop" is an active application. 

 

Folder redirects are the way to go and by default SBS used to do that.

[Drashna Jaelre 157]

Yes, it would. All of the user folders.

Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, Contacts, Favorites, Links, Saved Games, and Searches.

 

Those are the default ones. You can enable "AppData" if you really want to, manually. But I'd recommend against that.

 

And the first time you log in after applying the GPO (or after running the "Implement Group Policy" option, specifically), it copies the files from the original location into the shared folder location (\\SERVER\FolderRedirection\username\). It does the same if you disable it too.

[Jason 73]

Unfortunately enabling folder redirection for remote users connected via DirectAccess is a mess. WSE12 doesn't seem to be able to properly gauge the connection speed to know when to sync files from client to server vs not. Just ended up turning it off for the remote client altogether.

[Drashna Jaelre 157]

Yeah, if it doesn't properly determine that, it could cause an issue....

 

But then again, I never setup DirectAccess, nor am I using Enterprise editions of Windows. Just WIn 8.1 Pro.

[Jason 73]

I've only installed Win 8 Ent on a remote, older family member's PC so it can connect via DirectAccess and be a remote member of the domain. Can then enforce group policy, security, etc. you can reboot, it auto reconnects. Can restrict network share access and so on.

 

I noticed WSE12R2 has an option to always connect a client's VPN DUN connection but not sure what it does or if it works.

[Drashna Jaelre 157]

It connects to the RRAS SSTP VPN. Automatically.  It's not as seemless as DirectAccess, but it works with every version of Windows (and is done over port 443, so no additional ports to be opened)