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If you use network home folders, they require one dedicated home folder server for every 150 concurrent connections. If you use mobile accounts with portable home directories, you need one dedicated home folder server for every 300 concurrent connections.
For example, if you have 400 computers and 2000 users on network home folders, you need three dedicated home folders servers. If those users are deployed with portable home folders, you need two dedicated home folder servers.
If you have 1800 computers and 2500 users, you should have 12 dedicated home folder servers for network home folders and 6 dedicated servers for portable home directories.
Group folders require one server for every 450 concurrent connections. For example, if you have 400 computers, you need one group folder server. For 1800 computers, you need four group folder servers.
Storage requirements vary because users have varying storage needs. Some users may store very few files in their home folders, while other users fill theirs. A simple guideline is to start with 1 gigabyte (GB) of storage per user account, but allow for expansion.
Don’t establish disk quotas or other space restrictions unless you have closely examined your users' storage needs. For example, 2000 user accounts might only need 2 terabytes (TB) of storage over the course of several years. However, if you give that same 2000 users their own computers with 60 GB drives, they could use as much as 120 TB of storage. In this case, every user fills his or her own drive, and portable home directory syncing mirrors files from his or her local home folder to the network file server.
Choosing a Home Folder Structure
When deploying computers, one of the most crucial decisions is choosing how and where to host home folders.
There are three types of home folders: a local home folder, a network home folder, and a portable home directory. These home folders are typically tied, respectively, to local, network, and mobile accounts.
When considering your home folder structure, keep the following in mind:
ÂUsers with local accounts typically have local home folders.
When users save files in local home folders, the files are stored locally. To save the files over the network, users must connect to the network and upload the file.
Using local home folders provides the least amount of control over a user’s managed preferences, and is also not inherently tied to a network account.
ÂUsers with network accounts typically have network home folders.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with User Management
