File Replication Service

Restoring Replicated Files

Replicated files and folders can be backed up like any other share as long as you are aware of how replicated data is restored, in case a restore becomes necessary. In fact, a backup copy of SYSVOL or a Dfs replica is a good idea in case disaster recovery must be carried out.

Backup does not distinguish what type of data (replicated or otherwise) is being backed up or restored. If FRS replicates the restored files after a restore, this can be good or bad depending whether the files contain the latest or most valid data.

For example, when only one member in a replica set is lost, say, from the failure of a disk drive, restore its contents from a backup tape, and then let FRS restore the files that have changed since the backup tape was made. This minimizes network traffic by not restoring static files. This is called a nonauthoritative restore.

On the other hand, if the entire replica set or every copy of SYSVOL has been corrupted, restore one replica from the backup tape, and then replicate the restored files and folders to the other members in the replica set. This is called an authoritative restore.

Note

Backup does not back up the FRS database (that is, the tables in Ntfrs.jdb). If the database becomes corrupted or lost, the server reconstructs it by comparing the files in its replica with the files in another replica on a different computer.