Enable Shadow Copies for Shared Folders in a cluster

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders in a cluster

1. On the cluster node where you want to enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, create a cluster-managed file share.

2. Set up the File Share resource so that it has a dependency on the Physical Disk resource that manages the shadow copies and designated storage volumes, as well as the Network Name resource for the file share.

   For more information, see "To create a cluster-managed file share" in Related Topics below.

   Important

   • If the shadow copy volume and the designated storage volume are on separate disks, the Physical Disk resources that manage those volumes must both be in the same resource group.

3. Open Computer Management.

4. In the console tree, right-click Shared Folders, select All Tasks, and click Configure Shadow Copies.

   Where?

   • Computer Management/System Tools/Shared Folders

5. Click the volume where you want to enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, and then click Enable.

   Important

   • The Computer Management tool automatically generates a scheduled task to create the shadow copies on the storage volume and a Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource to manage that scheduled task. It also creates a dependency on the Physical Disk resource that manages the storage volume containing the shadow copies. For more information on the default settings for the Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource created when you enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, see "Using Shadow Copies of Shared Folders in a server cluster" in Related Topics below.

Important

• If the shadow copy volume and the designated storage volume are on separate disks, enabling Shadow Copies of Shared Folders will automatically make the Physical Disk resource that manages the shadow copy volume dependent on the Physical Disk resource that manages the storage volume.

• When you enable shadow copies, the shadow copy volumes (and all other resources directly or indirectly dependent on the disk) go offline for a brief period while the resource dependencies are created. The shadow copy volumes are not accessible to applications and users while they are offline.

Notes

• To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure.

• To open Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

• You cannot enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders for the quorum resource, although you can enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders for a File Share resource.

• You can also access Shadow Copies of Shared Folders by right-clicking a fixed NTFS volume in My Computer or in the Disk Management snap-in details pane (in Computer Management). Click Properties, and then click the Shadow Copies tab.

• You can use the Disk Management snap-in to manage Shadow Copies of Shared Folders on remote servers as well. In the Computer Management console tree, right-click Disk Management, point to All Tasks, and then click Configure Shadow Copies.

• By enabling Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, you also create a default schedule and settings for subsequent shadow copies. To make changes to these defaults, click Settings.

• You can only enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders on a per-volume basis; that is, you cannot select specific shared folders and files on a volume to be copied or not copied.

• The scheduled task that is automatically created when you enable shadow copies on a cluster node will only appear in the Scheduled Tasks folder when the associated Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource is online. If you want to change the schedule, use Computer Management; do not use the Scheduled Tasks folder.

Information about functional differences

• Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Shared Folders overview
Change the settings for Shadow Copies of Shared Folders
Shadow Copies for Shared Folders
Volume Shadow Copy Service resource type
Create a new resource
Using Shadow Copies of Shared Folders in a server cluster
Create a cluster-managed file share
Resource dependencies