This article describes the pre-staging process for the File
Replication service (FRS) replicated files on System Volume (SYSVOL) and on
Distributed file system (Dfs) shares for optimal synchronization.
In Windows Server 2003, the Active Directory Installation
wizard (Dcpromo.exe) contains a Source from Media feature, which enables the
Active Directory to be sourced from a recent copy of the database on a CD-ROM
as opposed to performing a full synchronization of the Active Directory over
In Windows 2000 build 2195 and Windows XP, the release
of FRS supports a similar feature when the target folders on new replica
members are restored by the NTBackup program for any existing members before
joining the replica set. This operation can be used on new or reinitialized
SYSVOL and Dfs replica members:
- Set up at least two Dfs alternates, such as,
\\Server1\Apps, \\Server2\Apps, and \\ServerX...\Apps.
- Enable replication only between two replica members, such
as, \\Server1 and \\Server2. You can designate any server as primary, but the
replicated folders must be empty when the computers are added to the Dfs/FRS
- Copy the files destined for the replica set into the
replicated \\Server1\Apps folder.
Because \\Server1 has at least one
outbound partner (\\Server2), when you copy a file into \\Server1, it causes
FRS to generate a staging file and a change order is sent to \\Server2. An MD5
(a hash algorithm) checksum is computed during the staging file generation and
the result is saved in the IDTable on \\Server1 and in the change order sent to
\\Server2. When \\Server2 processes this change order it saves the MD5 checksum
in the IDTable on\\Server2. This process is the only way an MD5 checksum is
saved in the IDTable and the use of the MD5 is necessary to avoid overhead when
new members are added later.
When step 3 is finished, the replicated
files should exist on both \\Server1 and \\Server2, and both IDTables should
have MD5 checksums for each file and folder.
- Use NTBackup or a third-party equivalent to backup the
contents of the replica tree from either \\Server1 or \\Server2. NTBackup saves
and restores the object identification (ID) attribute associated with each file and folder. Neither the
Windows NT nor the MS-DOS copy commands preserve this information when files
are copied from \\Server1 to \\Server2. This object ID must be restored with
the files when new members are added later.
- If fewer than seven days have passed since the replica set containing Server1 and Server2 was created, the outbound log must be cleared so that a full vvjoin is triggered when the next member joins.
Note Setting the following registry value to 0 clears the outbound log:
Outlog Change History In Minutes
- On \\Server3 and all future replica members, restore the
backup to the \\Server3\Apps replicated folder (using the Restore files
to menu) to an "alternate location" before you add the computer to the
- To enable replication to \\Server3\Apps, FRS on \\Server3
moves all files from the target folder to the pre-existing folder, and then
initiates a full synchronization (also referred to as a version vector join
operation) from all computers that \\Server3 has inbound Windows NT Directory
Services (NTDS) connection objects. In the case of Dfs replica sets with a full
mesh topology preferred by the Windows 2000 Dfs snap-in, the sets can include
all servers participating in the replica set, such as, \\Server1 and \\Server2.
The Windows XP release of the Dfs snap-in supports more optimal topologies
including a custom option.
The key requirement in this situation is
that \\Server3 has inbound connections from an upstream partner, \\Server1 and
\\Server2 in this case, whose IDTABLE contains MD5 checksums for files
contained in the replica sets of interest.
FRS on \\Server1
enumerates all the files and folders in its IDTable and sends directed (that
is, single target) change orders to \\Server3. Because the IDTable has an MD5
checksum, it is included in the change order. As \\Server3 processes these
change orders, this server takes the object ID for the file or folder from the
change order and attempts to locate the corresponding file in the pre-existing
folder. If the server locates the file, it re-computes the MD5 checksum on the
content of that file, compares the result to the MD5 checksum it received in
the change order and, if they match, uses the pre-existing file instead of
attempting to obtain the file from \\Server1. If \\Server3 does not find the
file, or if the MD5 checksum does not match, the server obtains the file from
\\Server1. Any change to the file content, such as, to the access control
lists, data streams, or attributes can cause an MD5 mismatch and the file is
obtained from \\Server1 or other upstream partner.
Meanwhile, FRS on
\\Server2 (and all other upstream partners of the new or reinitialized replica
member) is performing the same process as \\Server1. \\Server3 processes a
change order for a given file or folder from either Server1 or Server2,
whichever arrives first. The other change is ignored.
replication activity has settled out, the IDTables on all three servers have an
identical MD5 checksum and identical file content in the replicated folder.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 to add additional servers to the replica set.
Optimizing the Initial or VV Join Process
The current VV join is inherently inefficient. During normal
replication, upstream partners build a single staging file, which can source
all downstream partners. In a VV join, all computers that have outbound
connections to a new or reinitialized downstream partner build staging files
designated solely for that partner. If 10 computers do an initial join from
\\Server1, the join builds 10 files in stage for each file being replicated.
Optimizations to limit the impact of the VV join include:
- Pre-stage content on new members using NTBackup (previously
- Reduce the number of servers building staging files for new
or reinitialized downstream partners.
- Remove or reduce the number of files in the replicated
folder until all the computers have completed the VV join phase.
- Enable only one join to occur on a given upstream
Reduce the Number of Servers Building Staging Files for New or Reinitialized Downstream Partners
Replica domain controllers (backup domain controllers) joining
existing Windows-based domains attempt to replicate the SYSVOL folder from the
same domain controller used to source the Active Directory. The SYSVOL source
server is identified in the Replica Set Parent
value of the registry. You must confirm that FRS is running and
responsive on the designated source server.
For SYSVOL replica sets
being reinitialized with a non-authoritative restore (Burflags=D2),
administrators can limit the generation of staging files to a specific server
by setting the Replica Set Parent
registry key to point to a same site or designated staging
For more information about the Replica Set Parent registry key, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Troubleshooting missing SYSVOL and Netlogon shares on Windows 2000 domain controllers
The Replica Set Parent
registry key optimization is not possible for Dfs replica
members. Possible workarounds include:
- Turning off the FRS service on all possible upstream
partners (those computers that the new or reinitialized member has inbound
connections from) so that sourcing occurs from the only remaining
This work around is not the preferred solution because
stopping the FRS service does not stop the accumulation of change records in
the NTFS change journal. If the journal wraps (overflows), a VV join is needed
when the service is later restarted. If you know that there is negligible or no
file modification activity (such as, creates, deletes, renames, updates) on any
of the disk volumes hosting a replica set, the risk of journal wraps is likely
to be low.
- Remove or reduce the number of files in the replicated
folder until all the computers have completed the VV join phase (discussed in
the following section).
This operation may not be a viable
alternative if the central servers are connected to the new branch servers by
means of low bandwidth links and you have gigabytes of file data to initialize.
However, you should consider the following option.
- Control the number of inbound connections from source
servers available to the new or reinitialized member (that is, the join occurs
with a single inbound connection).
- Propagate the data from the hub servers over the weekend or
Even with a 64 kilobit link at 75 percent available
bandwidth, you can move 21 MB of data each hour or 506 MB each day. With two
hub computers and 200 branches connected by means of 64 kilobit links, you can
initialize them with 1 GB of content over a two day weekend. If you obtain an
average compression ratio of 50 percent, you can move 2 GB of data during a
weekend. This operation requires no backup or restore operations, no phasing of
branch startup to avoid overwhelming the hub servers, and all progress
monitoring can be done from the hub servers using the ntfrs sets command and the Connstat report tool to check for any backlogs to
specific branches. The staging space and staging limit parameter on the hub
servers must be large enough to hold all the data because the staging file
generation can easily outpace the branch data delivery over the slow links.
Remove or Reduce the Number of Files in the Replicated Folder Until all Computers Have Completed the VV Join Phase
Typically, you want all replica set members to join replica sets
with empty or nearly empty folders to avoid the inefficient generation of
staging files on multiple servers. This process is less of an issue for SYSVOL
because the servers are built incrementally, the contents are typically smaller
than Dfs shares, and the Replica Set Parent
registry key means FRS attempts to source from a single upstream
For large Dfs replica sets, where replication is typically
enabled instantly on 2 to 50 servers for tens of gigabytes of content, the
impact is greater. Consider adding the majority of the computers to
FRS-replicated Dfs shares after they have been deployed. Also, you want the
replicated folder on the primary server to be empty so that the VV join occurs
without having to replicate files. Files can be added, perhaps incrementally,
with normal efficiency.
An empty or minimal VV join can be used to
recover a deployment where Active Directory and/or FRS experienced a "melt
down" and needs to be reinitialized. After you confirm that Active Directory
replication is functional, move files out of the replicated folder on the
primary server, and then reinitialize the replica members. In the case of
SYSVOL, keep the default domain and domain controller policy in the \Policies
folders intact on the primary server (Burflags="D4" or remaining source
servers) so that reinitialized domain controllers can replicate in and apply
the policy (for example, the "Access This Computer from Network and Other
Required Rights" policy) for proper domain and client operation.
Enable Only One Join to Occur on a Given Upstream Partner
For large-sized Dfs replicas containing tens of gigabytes of
files, you may consider adding only one member at a time to FRS-replicated
folders. Specifically, let the new member complete the full synchronization and
move out of VV Join mode. The upstream partner should clean up their files from
the staging folder before adding additional members.
set the staging space limit (defined in the following article, Q221111,
"Description of FRS entries in the registry") on all potential source servers
equal or greater than the largest 128 files being replicated by the upstream
partners (the number of VV joins occurring at any given
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Description of FRS entries in the registry
Article ID: 266679 - Last Review: December 3, 2007 - Revision: 6.4
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition
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