When is Work Folders Active Directory Attribute Updated?

Q: I'm using Work Folders however once a user connects for the first time I notice that the Active Directory (AD) attribute for the user that defines the Work Folder server is not updated, why?

A: An attribute is available for user objects, MSDS-SyncServerURL. It can contain the URL of the Work Folder server utilized by the specific user. This attribute isn't automatically configured but rather has to be set manually by administrators.

The reality is, for most organizations, the MSDS-SyncServerURL attribute isn't required. Once a user connects from a device, the user will always go back to the same server.

The MSDS-SyncServerURL attribute is important if there are multiple Work Folder servers, and users will be connecting from multiple devices. By using the MSDS-SyncServerURL attribute, when a user connects to a Work Folder that doesn't have a folder for the user, it will check the MSDS-SyncServerURL attribute from AD, and, if populated, refer the user to the correct Work Folder server.

If you intend to have multiple Work Folder servers (which will all have WorkFolders DNS aliases that would then be presented round-robin to requesting users) then you should pre-populate the MSDS-SyncServerURL attribute for users to point to the correct server as needed.

I walk through Work Folders in my video.