The off-line desktop is a feature of SchoolSuite and can be very useful in reducing the network bandwidth required by workstations using a common windows desktop over the network. Off-line desktops are particularly suited for use with wireless networks where reduced bandwidth, lost packets and fragmentation can contribute to the users desktop appearing extremely unresponsive.

Off-line desktops require the users workstation to be configured to use the SchoolSuite Desktop Synchronisation tool to obtain their desktop from compressed folders (the desktop cache files) rather than directly from a centralised network location. The desktop update wizard is used to ensure that any changes made to the desktop folders are replicated in the desktop cache files and hence the user's off-line desktop folders.

Off-line Desktop Advantages:

• User's desktop is held locally on each computer, so desktop and start menu require no network bandwidth once a user is logged on. This also ensures the desktop and start menu remain operational during the intermittent network disruptions often associated with wireless networks in areas of weak signal quality.
• The local desktop is only updated at logon if the central copy has been updated or the new user belongs to a different security group to the previous user. Zero bandwidth is required at logon if the new user belongs to the same security group as the previous user and the central desktop has not been updated, as is the case in more than 80% of classroom computer access.
• The centralised desktop folders are compressed into single files in order to reduce the bandwidth required when updating the local desktop by 33% (on average) and minimise the impact of file the fragmentation incurred when copying large quantities of smaller files.
• The Desktop Synchronisation tool can be set to validate the target paths of all shortcuts as they are updated to ensure the user will only be presented with links that are valid for the computer they are about to use.