| The Public Folder Replication Agent (PFRA), part of the public information store service, manages public folder replication. Exchange 2003 activates background PFRA threads when starting the public folder store. The PFRA performs several tasks: maintaining folder replica lists, monitoring replication schedules, dispatching replication messages at scheduled times, sending status messages to servers ensuring receipt of all replicated data, generating backfill requests if a server misses a piece of data, and responding to other servers' backfill requests. Configuring Public Folder Replication Settings Every folder in a public folder tree has it own replication settings. Initially, the contents of a public folder are replicated only to the default public store for the tree. Although this is okay as a basic setup, administrators will want to replicate folders to additional public stores for easier user access and to optimize system performance. Use the following steps to configure public folder replication: 1. | In ESM, expand administrative groups and then expand the group to work with.
| 2. | Expand the Folder node and then expand the folder tree that contains the folder to replicate.
| 3. | Right-click the folder and select Properties. Select the Replication tab and review where replicas are currently being created, as shown in Figure 7.2.
Figure 7.2. Configuring public folder replication settings in Exchange System Manager. 
| 4. | Replicate the folder to another server by clicking Add; then select another public folder store to use. Click OK to complete. Add additional replicas by repeating this step. Remember, you can have only one public folder store per server, so be sure to pick a public folder store that resides in a different storage group on another server.
| 5. | The replication interval determines when folder changes are replicated. The schedule can be set to use the public store replication schedule or can be customized by selecting Use Custom Schedule and then clicking Customize. In the Schedule dialog box, select the preferred replication time.
| 6. | The replication priority settings determine how items in the folder are replicated. Items in folders assigned a higher priority are replicated before messages in other folders. The three available priorities are Urgent, Not Urgent, and Normal, which is the default setting. Select the priority setting as appropriate for your organization. If you're unsure, accept the default settings.
| 7. | Click OK to complete the configuration.
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Removing Public Folder Replicas Administrators may also want to remove a replica of a folder. To remove a replica, follow these steps: 1. | In ESM, right-click the folder to work with and then select Properties.
| 2. | Click the Replication tab to display the current replicas. To stop replication, select the store and click Remove.
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Viewing Replication Status The best way to check public folder replication is by checking the replication status. Administrators can look at individual public folders in Exchange 2003 and review the status of the folder replication details, such as server name, replication status, average replication time, and the last time a replication was received. Use the following steps to check the status for an individual public folder: 1. | In ESM, right-click the folder to work with and then click the Replication tab.
| 2. | Review the replication status in the Details pane on the right.
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