Offline files break over WAN

[Guest]

Laptop User (Win2K Pro - SP4) has data on server available offline.
Travels to banch office and connects to network and logs in (different
subnet - WAN speeds range from 512Kbps to 64Kbps), then sychronises files to
bring them up to date. Synch fails, user disconnects and comes home
dispondent and irritated.
Connects back on corporate LAN and synchronizes files, all appears ok. Goes
home only to find that files are not up to date. Sync is now stuffed and
needs to be totally reset to get it to work again.

We've had this scenario happen to six or seven users now.

Is this common?
Is there anyway short of increasing bandwidth to improve the reliability?
For now we have it set to prompt and we are trying to train users to say
"no" if they are on a remote site. We then give them alternative means of
accessing live data (a.k.a. Citrix). Would rather they could work effectively
offline and resync over the wan.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Laptop User (Win2K Pro - SP4) has data on server available offline.
Travels to banch office and connects to network and logs in (different
subnet - WAN speeds range from 512Kbps to 64Kbps), then sychronises
files to bring them up to date. Synch fails, user disconnects and
comes home dispondent and irritated.
Connects back on corporate LAN and synchronizes files, all appears
ok. Goes home only to find that files are not up to date. Sync is now
stuffed and needs to be totally reset to get it to work again.

We've had this scenario happen to six or seven users now.

Is this common?
Is there anyway short of increasing bandwidth to improve the
reliability? For now we have it set to prompt and we are trying to
train users to say "no" if they are on a remote site. We then give
them alternative means of accessing live data (a.k.a. Citrix). Would
rather they could work effectively offline and resync over the wan.

Personally, I have had too many problems with offline files to ever use them
again. Check out www.centered.com for an inexpensive alternative - I use it
on all my clients' laptops now. I know this doesn't address your precise
question, but it's what I'd use instead.