HOW TO: Set Up File and Folder Replication for IIS 5.0 Using the Most Common Method in Windows 2000

This article describes how to set up replication of your Internet data between servers. The procedures cover the most common method, which is to use Distributed File System (DFS) and File Replication Service (FRS). The Internet folders will need to be setup before performing these procedures. A member of the Domain Administrators group performed the following procedures on a domain controller system running Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0.

Enable DFS for the Internet Data Folder

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Distributed File System to start the DFS snap-in.
2. Right-click Distributed File System, point to New, and then click New Dfs root.
3. On the Welcome to the New Dfs Root Wizard screen, click Next.
4. On the Select the Dfs Root Type screen, click to select Create a domain Dfs root, and then click Next.
5. On the Select the Host Domain for the Dfs Root screen, type the name of your domain in the Domain name box, click to select the trusting domains in the Trusting Domains box, and then click Next.
6. On the Specify the Host Server for the Dfs Root screen, type the host server name in the Server name box, and then click Next.
7. On the Specify the Dfs Root Share screen, click to select Create a new share, type the share path in the Path to share box, type the descriptive name for the share in the Share name box, and then click Next.
8. On the Name the Dfs Root screen, type a unique name for the new root in the Dfs root name box, type an appropriate comment about the new root in the Comment box, and then click Next.
9. Review the creation information, and then click Finish.

Enable FRS replication

1. Open the DFS snap-in: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Distributed File System.
2. Right-click the DFS link for the replica set, and then click Replication Policy.
3. In the Replication Policy dialog box, click Enable, and then click OK.Note: If replication is being enabled for the first time, the files and folders on the first server that is enabled (the initial master) become authoritative, which means that those files and folders are duplicated to other replicas for the first replication cycle before multimaster replication takes effect.

Create a Root Replica for Another Server

1. In the Distributed File System snap-in console tree, right-click the DFS link for the replica set, and then click New Root Replica.
2. On the Specify the Host Server for the Dfs Root screen, type the name of the other server that will access the folder in the Server name box, and then click Next.
3. On the Name the Dfs Root screen, type a unique name for the existing root in the Dfs root name box, type an appropriate comment about the new root in the Comment box, and then click Next.
4. Review the creation information, and then click Finish.

Troubleshooting

• Stand-alone DFS stores its configuration in the registry of the local computer. It is intended for backward compatibility with previous versions of DFS. A stand-alone DFS root has the following characteristics:
  • It does not use Active Directory (or FRS).
  • It cannot have replicas at the root level.
  
  
• Replication is not allowed, which means that the shared folder appears as not applicable under the following conditions:
  • A shared folder on a computer on which FRS is not installed.
  • A shared folder that is not on the version of the NTFS File System that is used in Windows 2000.
  • A shared folder that uses a cluster name in its path name.
  • A shared folder on a computer that does not belong to a Windows 2000 domain.
  • A shared folder on a computer whose domain is inaccessible by the user who is currently logged on.
  
  
• In addition, the following events do not trigger replication:
  • Changes to a file or folder's last access time.
  • Changes to a file or folder's archive bit.

For more information about using file replication with the Cluster service, see the following Microsoft Web site: For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: