Using Shadow Copies


Any time your organization uses shared folders you might want to consider creating shadow copies of these shared folders as well. Shadow copies are point-in-time backups of data files that users can access directly in shared folders. These point-in-time backups can save you and the other administrators in your organization a lot of work, especially if you routinely have to retrieve lost, overwritten, or corrupted data files from backup.

Understanding Shadow Copies

You can create shadow copies only on NTFS volumes. On NTFS volumes, you use the Shadow Copy feature to create automatic backups of the files in shared folders on a per volume basis. For example, if a file server has three NTFS volumes , each containing shared folders, you'd need to configure this feature for each volume separately.

If you enable this feature in the default configuration, shadow copies are created twice each weekday (Monday “Friday) at 7:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. You need at least 100 MB of free space to create the first shadow copy on a volume. The total disk space used beyond this depends on the amount of data in the volume's shared folders. You can restrict the total amount of disk space used by Shadow Copy by setting the allowable maximum size of the point-in-time backups.

You configure and view current Shadow Copy settings using the Shadow Copies tab of the disk properties dialog box. Right-click the icon for the disk you want to work with in Windows Explorer or Computer Management, select Properties, and then click Shadow Copy. The Select A Volume panel shows:

  • Volume

    Volume label of NTFS volumes on the selected disk drive

  • Next Run Time

    Shows the status of Shadow Copy as Disabled or the next time a Shadow Copy of the volume will be created

  • Shares

    Number of shared folders on the volume

  • Used

    Amount of disk space used by Shadow Copy

Individual shadow copies of the currently selected volume are listed in the Shadow Copies Of Selected Volume panel by date and time.

Creating Shadow Copies

To create a shadow copy on an NTFS volume with shared folders, follow these steps:

  1. Start Computer Management and then right-click Computer Management in the console tree. On the shortcut menu, select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, choose the computer you want to work with.

  2. In the console tree, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. The volumes configured on the selected computer are displayed in the details pane.

  3. Using the Volume List or Graphical View, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.

  4. In the Shadow Copies tab, select the volume you want to work with in the Select A Volume list.

  5. Click Settings to configure the maximum size of all shadow copies for this volume and to change the default schedule. When you're finished, click OK.

  6. Once you've configured the volume for shadow copying, click Create Now. This creates the first shadow copy and sets the schedule for later shadow copies.

Deleting Shadow Copies

Each point-in-time backup is maintained separately. You can delete individual shadow copies of a volume as necessary. This recovers the disk space used by the shadow copies.

To delete a shadow copy, follow these steps:

  1. Start Computer Management and then right-click Computer Management in the console tree. On the shortcut menu, select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, choose the computer you want to work with.

  2. In the console tree, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. The volumes configured on the selected computer are displayed in the details pane.

  3. Using the Volume List or Graphical View, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.

  4. In the Shadow Copies tab, select the volume you want to work with in the Select A Volume list.

  5. Individual shadow copies of the currently selected volume are listed in the Shadow Copies Of Selected Volume panel by date and time. Select the shadow copy you want to delete and then click Delete Now.

Disabling Shadow Copies

If you no longer want to maintain shadow copies of a volume, you can disable the Shadow Copy feature. Disabling this feature turns off the scheduling of automated point-in-time backups and removes any existing shadow copies.

To disable shadow copies of a volume, follow these steps:

  1. Start Computer Management and then right-click Computer Management in the console tree. On the shortcut menu, select Connect To Another Computer. In the Select Computer dialog box, choose the computer you want to work with.

  2. In the console tree, expand Storage and then select Disk Management. The volumes configured on the selected computer are displayed in the details pane.

  3. Using the Volume List or Graphical View, right-click the volume you want to work with and then select Properties.

  4. In the Shadow Copies tab, select the volume you want to work with in the Select A Volume list and then click Disable.

  5. When prompted, confirm the action by clicking Yes.



Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administrator[ap]s Pocket Consultant
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administrator[ap]s Pocket Consultant
ISBN: 735622450
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 141

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