How to configure the Shadow Copies of Shared Folders feature on a Windows Server 2003-based server cluster file share (838421)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 includes the Shadow Copies of Shared Folders feature to permit you to revert to an earlier version of a specific file or a group of files in a folder. This article describes how to configure a Shadow Copies of Shared Folders target on a server cluster in Windows Server 2003.

MORE INFORMATION

To configure a shadow copy, you must first create a file share resource in your server cluster by using the Cluster Administrator tool. Additionally, Microsoft recommends that you add another hard disk to the same group that contains the file share resource. This additional disk will function as the destination drive for shadow copy backups. For additional information about how to create a file share on a Microsoft Windows 2000-based server cluster, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

224967 How to create file shares on a cluster

Note Although you can use the same drive that contains your file share resource as the destination drive for your shadow copies, for performance reasons, Microsoft recommends that you use a separate physical hard disk drive.

Important You must assign a drive letter to the hard disk that you use for shadow copy backups. If possible, avoid creating a shadow copy on a mount point. Setting shadow storage on a mount point in a cluster is supported on a server cluster in Windows Server 2003. For additional information about setting shadow storage on a mount point in a cluster, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

883282 You cannot create a shadow storage area association between volumes when you use the Windows Server 2003 Volume Shadow Copy service


To configure shadow copies

When you configure shadow copies on the server cluster, a dependency is automatically configured between the host drive and the destination drive. You do not have to manually create this dependency. To configure shadow copies, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
  2. Right-click Shared Folders, point to All Tasks, and then click Configure Shadow Copies.
  3. In the Select a volume list, click the drive that contains the file share resource that you want to create a shadow copy for. For example, click drive R.
  4. Click Settings, and then click the destination drive for the shadow copy in the Located on this volume list.

    Note To appear in the Located on this volume list, the destination drive must contain a share.
  5. If you do not want to configure a limit to the size of the shadow copy, click No limit.
  6. Click OK, and then click Enable.
  7. Click Yes to enable shadow copies.

    Note There may be a delay while the initial shadow copy is created.
  8. Click OK.
When you enable shadow copies, the following behavior occurs:
  • The host drive becomes dependent on the destination drive.
  • A Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource type is created in the resource group that contains the drives that you created the shadow copy on. This resource is used to synchronize shadow copy schedules.

833167 A Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) update package is available for Windows Server 2003



For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/scr.mspx

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/14/2005
Keywords:kbStorageMgmt kbwinservsetup kbFileSystems kbhowto kbClustering kbinfo KB838421 kbAudITPRO
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.