Collect data for backup purposes using DFS Replication

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2

To collect data for backup or other purposes, use the New Replication Group Wizard to set up a replication group for data collection. This option sets up a two-way replication between two servers, such as a branch server and a hub server. Administrators at the hub office can use backup software to back up the branch server’s data from a hub server, eliminating the often error-prone process of having end users performing the backups at branch offices that are not staffed by trained information technology (IT) personnel.

Important

The data collection topology allows data to replicate from the hub server to the branch server. If you do not want changes made at the hub server to replicate to the branch server, set up shared folder permissions to prevent data from changing on the hub server, or disable the hub-to-branch connection after you set up the replication group.

Important

Using DFS Replication for data collection is not a replacement for performing regular backups.

Use the following procedure to create a replication group for data collection purposes:

To customize the replication group, use the following procedures as appropriate:

After you configure the replication group, you can create a namespace to simplify the way users access the published data and increase the availability of the data.

To configure a namespace for data collection, perform the following procedures in the order specified:

  1. Publish a replicated folder in an existing namespace

  2. Set the ordering method for targets in referrals

  3. Set target priority to override referral ordering (Optional)

  4. Enable client failback (Optional)