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Outlook cached mode is not available on a server with Terminal Services enabled

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Mark Wilson

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I was putting together a demo environment earlier today and needed to publish a Terminal Services RemoteApp, so I installed Terminal Services (and IIS) on my Windows Server 2008 notebook. Later on, I noticed that Outlook was not working in cached mode and I found that offline store (.OST) files and features that rely on them are disabled when running Outlook on a computer with Terminal Services enabled.

I can see why cached mode on a terminal server would be a little odd (it’s fair enough caching data on a remote client but it’s also resonable to expect that the terminal server would be in the data centre – i.e. close to the Exchange Server) – even so, why totally disable it – surely administrators can be given the choice to enable it if circumstances dictate it to be an appropriate course of action?

Oh well… I’ve since removed the Terminal Services role and Outlook is working well again.

Comments

One response to “Outlook cached mode is not available on a server with Terminal Services enabled”

  1. VODA-LP avatar
    VODA-LP

    I fully agree. I work with a lot of customers who run terminal services for as little as 5 employees, but many in the 10-50 neighborhood. So with branch offices running terminal servers at their locations their Outlook experience is rotten. Also, situations where we want to move small offices to Microsoft’s Exchange Online are horrible in terminal services because of no offline caching. This is a really poor move on Microsoft’s part. At least make it an option, a reg hack, or something, and put all the warnings you want.

    For a small office running 15 users on a terminal server, we’re already running PST files when they’re using POP, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be “allowed” to have OST files on the server. The servers are hardly taxed.

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