Enable background sync rules

Enable this group policy to to choose which folders to sync in the background for users with mobile accounts. You can also choose not to sync specific files or folders.

Background sync is used for files in the user's home folder (~), but it will not sync files in ~/Library or ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data.

If this policy is not configured or disabled, user's background sync rules on the Mac computer will take effect. This means you cannot prevent files from syncing by disabling this policy.

When enabled, a default list of synchronize/skip items will be added automatically into skip/synchronize items setting. You can add or remove synchronize/skip items, but it is recommended not to remove the default skip items.

Skip items have higher precedence over synchronize items. If a folder is in both skip items setting and synchronize items setting, then this folder will be skipped.

If a file in one home folder is modified and the file in the other home folder isn't, the newer file overwrites the older file. If both files have been modified since the last sync, the user chooses which file to keep.


Once enabled, this group policy takes effect when users log out and back in.

=== Stopping Files from Syncing for a Mobile Account ===

To stop a mobile account from syncing files, you must enable this policy and deselect "Sync in the background". You also need to set "Sync in the background" policy to "Not Configured" or "Disabled". If you don't manage these policies, the user's current sync settings remain in effect and the user can choose his or her sync settings in the Accounts pane of System Preferences.

=== Strategies for Syncing Content ===

Administrators can enable and configure syncing through group policy, and users can configure syncing through Accounts preferences. Each method of creating mobile accounts has different sync capabilities:

* When you create mobile accounts through group policy, you can sync any folder in the user's home folder.

* When a user creates a mobile account through the Accounts System Preferences, he or she can only sync top-level folders like ~/Desktop or ~/Documents.


If a file in one home folder has been modified and the file in the other home folder has not, the newer file overwrites the older file. If both files have been modified since the last sync, the user is prompted to choose which file to keep.

Do not use background syncing with folders containing files accessed by multiple computers. There are several scenarios where this could cause users to load older, unsynced files:

* The user saves a file on one computer and loads the same file on another computer. If that file was not synced to the server since its last save, the user loads an outdated version of the file located on the server.

* The file might not exist on the server because it was not synced. If the file was not synced from the server before loading, the user either does not see the file or loads an outdated local version.

* The user uses the same mobile account to log in to two computers simultaneously. This might create sync issues with the two computers, causing the computers to display error messages.


If you want to sync parts of a user's ~/Library folder, you must use login and logout syncing. Syncing the ~/Library folder retains user's bookmarks and application preferences.

Consider syncing smaller files (such as preference files) at login and logout, while syncing larger files (such as movies) in the background. This reduces login and logout times because only preference files sync, and movies sync throughout a user's session (instead of while the user is trying to log out). You can further reduce network traffic by choosing not to sync the movies folder, requiring users to access the movies folder locally.

Supported on:

Registry HiveHKEY_CURRENT_USER
Registry PathSoftware\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync
Value NameEnableBackgroundSynchronizationRules
Value TypeREG_SZ
Enabled Value1
Disabled Value0

Sync in the background
Registry HiveHKEY_CURRENT_USER
Registry PathSoftware\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync
Value NamesyncBackgroundSetInBackground
Value TypeREG_SZ
Default Valuesync
True Valuesync
False ValuedontSync
Enable policy:
Registry PathValue NameValue TypeValue
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem1REG_SZ~/.SymAVQSFile
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem2REG_SZ~/.Trash
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem3REG_SZ~/.Trashes
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem4REG_SZ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem5REG_SZ~/Library
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\FullPathFullPathItem6REG_SZ~/NAVMac800QSFile
Software\Policies\Centrify\CentrifyDC\Settings\MacMCX\Mobility\105\BackgroundSync\SynchronizeBackgroundItem1REG_SZ~

centrify_mac_settings.admx

Administrative Templates (Computers)

Administrative Templates (Users)