File and subfolder filters
Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2
You can configure file and subfolder filters to prevent files and subfolders from replicating. Both types of filters are set on a per-replicated folder basis. You exclude subfolders by specifying their name or by using the asterisk (*) wildcard. You exclude files by specifying their name or by using the asterisk (*) wildcard to specify file names and extensions.
By default, no subfolders are excluded. The default file filters exclude the following files from replication:
File names starting with a tilde (~) character
Files with .bak or .tmp extensions
Regardless of which filters are set, the following types files are always excluded from replication:
NTFS mounted drives.
Files encrypted by using encrypting file system (EFS).
Any reparse points except those associated with DFS Namespaces. If a file has a reparse point used for Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) or Single Instance Store (SIS), DFS Replication replicates the underlying file but not the reparse point.
Files on which the temporary attribute has been set.
When creating filters, note the following restrictions:
You cannot create file or subfolder filters by specifying a full path, such as C:\Replicatedfolder\Temp or C:\Replicatedfolder\file.dat.
You cannot specify a comma in a filter because commas are used as delimiters.
Important
Filter changes are not applied immediately. The updated filters must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest domain controller to obtain the changes. The amount of time this takes depends on Active Directory replication latency and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member.
It is also important to understand what happens when filters are created and removed.
When a filter is created. After a member detects a new filter, the member scans its database and removes any file records of files that match the filter. Because the files are no longer listed in the database, any future changes to the files are ignored.
When a filter is removed. After a member detects that a filter has been removed, the member scans the file system, adds records for all files that match the removed filter, and replicates the files.