Deploying the client software for shadow copies

  • Article

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

Deploying the client software for shadow copies

The client software for Shadow Copies of Shared Folders is available from several locations:

  • The Windows XP client is installed with Windows°XP Service Pack°2 (SP2).

  • Windows 2000 (Service Pack 3 and later), Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows XP clients are available at the Microsoft Web site.

  • The client is also available on the server in the \\%systemroot%\system32\clients\twclient directory.

You can distribute the client software in a variety of ways. Consider the various options before deployment. There are several tools included in Windows Server 2003 operating systems, such as Group Policy, that can make deploying and maintaining the client software easier.

  • We recommend that you place the client software on a shared resource and send an e-mail to users about what the client does and how to install it.

    Example e-mail:

    There is a new feature called Previous Versions that is available for employees who use shared folders for corporate documents. If you work with files that are located in shared folders on your network, you may be able to access previous versions of your files. Accessing previous versions of your files is useful because you can:

    • Recover files that were accidentally deleted. If you accidentally delete a file, you can open a previous version and copy it to a safe location.

    • Recover from accidentally overwriting a file. If you accidentally overwrite a file, you can recover a previous version of the file.

    • Compare versions of file while working. You can use Previous Versions when you want to check what has changed between two versions of a file.

    This feature has been enabled on the following file server: \\server\sharedresource. Copies are scheduled to be taken at 7:00 A.M. and 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday. Remember that these are copies of the files that were taken at these times. If you have worked on the file, you will lose all the work you did after the copy was taken. Saving your work frequently is still the best way to ensure your work is not lost.

    To install the software for accessing previous versions on your desktop, go to: \\server\sharedresource and double-click twclient.msi.

  • Use Group Policy to assign the client to users within your network.

    For more information about deploying client software using Group Policy, see "Group Policy Software Deployment Background" at the Microsoft Windows Resource Kits Web site.

  • Use Systems Management Server (SMS) or another software management application to deploy the client software. For more information about using Systems Management Server to deploy the client .msi package, see Deploying Windows Installer Setup Packages with SMS 2.0 at the Microsoft Web site.

Note

  • The client software refers to shadow copies as "previous versions"; this was done to make the concept clearer for end users.

For more information, see Accessing Previous Versions of Shared Files and Folders.