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• 01-20-2009, 11:34 AM

  diezg Joined on 11-17-2008, 11:52 AM Posts 15

  (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Hi all, I'm trying to configure offline folders for shared configuration on a Windows 2008 server and I'm having a problem. I have enabled offline folders as described in the article http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/212/offline-files-for-shared-configuration/ But when I right-click on the network folder that I want to make available offline and check the option "Always available offline" nothing happens (the offline symbol does not appear in the folder). When I right-click again in the folder the option is not checked.   Anyone knows what I'm missing? Thanks!

  Tags: Shared ConfigurationIIS 7 Shared ConfigurationWeb Farm

• 01-20-2009, 7:45 PM

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  steve schofield Joined on 06-10-2002, 8:54 PM MI Posts 3,957	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Are you doing the option from the machine that will host the network folder or remotely?  I'd try on machine hosting the network folder.  Steve Schofield Windows Server MVP - IIS http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield http://www.IISLogs.com Log archival solution Install, Configure, Forget

• 02-18-2009, 3:48 AM

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  diezg Joined on 11-17-2008, 11:52 AM Posts 15

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact  Sorry steve, I have been out for a long time. The problem was that you not only need to enable offline files but you have also to install Desktop Experience feature because it contains necessary modules for synchronization. But Desktop Experience also includes features like Windows Media Player, Media codecs, Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Sound Recorder, Windows Messenger... I am using Windows Server 2008, and I consider that intalling Desktop Experience in a server is not an acceptable solution, so I have discarded the use of offline folders for shared configuration. Regards.

• 02-19-2009, 3:52 AM

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  steve schofield Joined on 06-10-2002, 8:54 PM MI Posts 3,957	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Interesting.  I agree installing the Desktop Experience shouldn't be a requirement.  I don't see that mentioned in the link by Walter.   Did you discover this somewhere else? Steve Schofield Windows Server MVP - IIS http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield http://www.IISLogs.com Log archival solution Install, Configure, Forget

• 02-19-2009, 3:54 AM

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  steve schofield Joined on 06-10-2002, 8:54 PM MI Posts 3,957	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Google was my friend.  Does this look familiar? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc296092(VS.85).aspx Steve Schofield Windows Server MVP - IIS http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield http://www.IISLogs.com Log archival solution Install, Configure, Forget

• 02-19-2009, 5:05 AM

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  diezg Joined on 11-17-2008, 11:52 AM Posts 15	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact  I was no able to find that article... I opened a case to Microsoft and after some struggling they realized desktop experience was needed. The build date that appears in your link is 5th of Feb, so probably they have added it recently.

• 02-19-2009, 12:36 PM

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  steve schofield Joined on 06-10-2002, 8:54 PM MI Posts 3,957	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact That's too bad Desktop Experience is needed.   It expands the attack and patching surface of the box.  Wonder how they'll handle this type of thing in Server Core.   Steve Schofield Windows Server MVP - IIS http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield http://www.IISLogs.com Log archival solution Install, Configure, Forget

• 07-24-2009, 7:20 AM

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  darianva Joined on 10-09-2008, 1:48 PM Posts 31

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact this would raise the concern to me that if we are using a service account for our shared config account (that has a password expiration) how do we best make use of shared config? has anyone got best practices for automating the password when it is changed on the domain to ensure that the IIS servers can still access the UNC shared config? thanks

• 07-25-2009, 9:55 AM

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  steve schofield Joined on 06-10-2002, 8:54 PM MI Posts 3,957	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact I don't know but I'm going to see if anyone knows.  Stay tuned and hopefully someone replies. SS Steve Schofield Windows Server MVP - IIS http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield http://www.IISLogs.com Log archival solution Install, Configure, Forget

• 07-25-2009, 10:20 PM

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  Ken Schaefer Joined on 09-17-2002, 9:05 PM Sydney, Australia Posts 53

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Hi darianva, You raise a good question - there's no one "best" way to do this. I would start by asking how you handle password expiry for service accounts elsewhere in your organisation? Do you have automated tools? Or do you rely on documented written processes? or some combination of scripts and processes etc? Secondly, you could look at using machine accounts instead of a user account for your service account. Then password changes are handled for you. Alternatively, Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory introduces "managed service accounts" where password changes are managed by the machine account password change process, but the psuedo-user account is managed in Active Directory. Cheers Ken Microsoft MVP - Window Server (IIS) MCITP (EA, SA), MCTS (ISA, SQL Server, Hyper-V, MOSS, Ops Manager), MCSE+Security, MCDBA

• 07-27-2009, 3:53 AM

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  darianva Joined on 10-09-2008, 1:48 PM Posts 31

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Morning Ken, Thanks for the reply....We have many service accounts that we use for various services, and we have a tool we use that allows us to update the password in AD and dynamically update the services (short story basically it updates LSA cache) which allows the services to contine running without requiring restarts......so on that front we are good! :) Now that being said I have read that the password for the IIS7 shared config is hashed in a file, which I have found little documentation on. Do you know of any docs that show where its stored/hashed etc, as I will be able to write a custom component to update the password if I could find the tool that does the hashing etc. Also can you please let me know how the use of the machine accounts is done? The machine account to my knowledge if compromised can be a very bad thing as it has elevated privileges, so do you think its ok using this account? thanks! Darian

• 07-28-2009, 11:12 PM

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  darianva Joined on 10-09-2008, 1:48 PM Posts 31

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact Hi All, We have recently suffered an outage for all our sites and services as a result of patching. the pathcing was not at fault, the fact that the shared config server is a SPOF. Please all note, if you didnt already know this that if you reboot your shared config server all your sites will fail! All docs incl Steves notes are that IIS will cache that info, but in reality this does not appear to be true! :( what is worse is that you need to reset IIS on all web servers once the share config server is back online afterwards....just a warning to shared config users out there.

• 11-23-2009, 8:47 PM

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  2revup Joined on 10-17-2007, 10:54 PM Posts 18

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact darianva: Hi All, We have recently suffered an outage for all our sites and services as a result of patching. the pathcing was not at fault, the fact that the shared config server is a SPOF. Please all note, if you didnt already know this that if you reboot your shared config server all your sites will fail! All docs incl Steves notes are that IIS will cache that info, but in reality this does not appear to be true! :( what is worse is that you need to reset IIS on all web servers once the share config server is back online afterwards....just a warning to shared config users out there.   I do share the same result as you on my production environment, however in my dev environment this seems to work fine as documented... I cant for the life of me find any differences apart from the fact one environment works and the other does not.... does anyone else have these issues, were they able to resolve the issues? - MCP - - MCTS -

• 11-24-2009, 5:07 AM

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  darianva Joined on 10-09-2008, 1:48 PM Posts 31	Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact ensure you enable the offline files on your web server, so it caches the applicationhost.config file when the FILE server goes offline. follow this article to make the changes http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/212/offline-files-for-shared-configuration/ regards darian

• 11-24-2009, 3:23 PM

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  2revup Joined on 10-17-2007, 10:54 PM Posts 18

  Re: (shared configuration) offline folders problem Reply Contact darianva: ensure you enable the offline files on your web server, so it caches the applicationhost.config file when the FILE server goes offline. follow this article to make the changes http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/212/offline-files-for-shared-configuration/ regards darian   Hi darian, This is something that has been enabled since day one... what is funny is that the OS could actully browse and see the offline files even open and edit, however IIS would refuse to open, it was throwing an error saying it could not open the shared location .config file... - MCP - - MCTS -