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Introduction to Shadow CopyVolume Shadow Copy is one of the best new features of Windows Server 2003. You may see in the press the following names for this service: Previous Version, Shadow Copy of Shared folders, Volume Shadow Copy. Here we have a rare event, a feature which is loved by both users and Tech Support. Users like Shadow Copy or ‘Previous Version’ because it gives them the power to retrieve a copy of a file that they made yesterday but made a mistake today. Tech Support like this new feature because it saves them a boring and time consuming job of retrieving a file from last night’s backup. Here are some terms used to describe Volume Shadow Copy :
What you need to do at the server endShadow Copy is only available on Server 2003 machines and naturally you need NTFS (not FAT32). Configuration is easy, just click on the root of the any drive, Select a Volume, now press the Settings button. A crucial point is that Shadow Copy only works on network shares, and not on plain un-shared folders. So in passing, note that the number of shares for each volume. ‘Best Practice’ suggests that you place the ‘Shadow’ on a separate disk or at least on a separate partition. Personally, I would dedicate a disk to this service thereby improving performance. To change the drive, select the ‘Details Button’. Microsoft provide a schedule of two shadow copies a day, at 7:00 am and 12:00. You may wish to adjust these timings. When you select a schedule bear in mind that when you reach 64 shadows, the system starts over-writing. So make a calculation of how far back you would like to keep copies. My point is that if you go mad and schedule every hour, then you will start over writing within 3 days. Is that desirable? Would you want copies to be over-written so soon? I think not both on the grounds of load on the server and on how long you would want to retain previous versions. To see configuration diagrams,Check here </a> </font> </h2>Shadow Copy Client sideWhat the clients see is ‘Previous Version’ when they connect to the file on the server share. However, to see this extra tab the XP machines need a TWClient (Shadow Copy Client), so firstly, share out this folder: Next send a memo to your users explaining how to install the client. Perhaps an even better idea would be to install twclient via a Software Group Policy. Finally, when the clients need to retrieve a previous version of a file, explain to your users how to connect to the share on the server, and then select the ‘Previous Version’ tab from the file in question. To test Shadow Copy you need to make sure that the server has created a Shadow copy and also that the file has been altered compared to the original. Guy Recommends: The Free IP Address Tracker (IPAT) |
