Shadow copy feature for Windows 2003 shared folders

In previous Windows File Server resource sharing, when a client accidentally deletes or overwrites a shared file, the administrator must rebuild the shared file so that the shared resource can return to normal. In Windows Server 2003, all this changes with the "shadow copy of Shared Folders" feature.

The shadow copy feature is essentially the technology that can replicate existing shared resources. After you use the shadow copy feature, the server replicates the properties of the shared folder automatically (or manually) and on a regular basis (the default state is a shadow copy operation for two days) at the specified time.

After the client has deleted, changed, overwritten, and so on the shared resources in the server, if you want to restore the original shared resources, you can call these shared resources to restore the version that is produced after the shadow copy feature is used on the server.

Enabling and setting of the shadow copy feature

To use the shadow copy feature of a shared folder, first enable the shadow copy feature on the file server for disks that use NTFS partitions. The client must also install a "previous version of Client" program for Windows Server 2003 to be able to use these features normally.

1. Enable shadow copy feature

Right-click any disk that uses NTFS partitions in the My Computer window and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. In the Properties window, in the Shadow Copy tab, set the interface, select the disk to use the shadow copy feature and click the "Enable" button, and wait a moment, the disk's shadow copy feature will be activated.

Shadow copies are automatically created two times a day by default, so after you enable the disk shadow copy feature, you should click the Create Now button to create a shadow copy of the current shared resource.

2. Set up the client

Because the Volume Shadow copy feature requires the client to install a previous version of the client program, the server should twcli32.msi the installation file for the program to the client for installation, such as sharing or replication. The client selects this file and clicks the right button to install the program by selecting "Install" from the pop-up menu.

Tip: The previous version of the client program can only be installed on Windows XP or newer versions of the system.

Ii. restoration of shared resources

First delete the "Twcli32.msi" file in the "x86" directory in the client's network Places, and then select "x86" in the "My Network Places" directory and right-click and choose "Properties" from the pop-up menu.

A previous Version tab appears in the Properties window, and after you enter the tab to set the interface, you can find one or more versions available in the folder versions list in the window (see figure).

After selecting a version and clicking the "View" button, if you see a file that needs to be recovered in the pop-up window, you can click the "Restore" button. A "Previous version" prompt box will pop up and the system will begin a restore of the shared files when you click "Yes" when prompted to do so.

Because the restore operation is actually done on the server, the restore process is very rapid. When you see a prompt box on the client screen that has successfully restored a file to previous version, you can press F5 to refresh your network Places and find the "Twcli32.msi" file that was deleted and is now successfully recovered in the "x86" directory that appears after the refresh.

Small knowledge

"Previous version" means that when a user makes a change to a shared file, the "backup file" that was made in advance through the shadow copy feature becomes old, and the new backup file is recreated. This original "Backup file" is the so-called "previous version."

PostScript: Through the introduction of this article, we can see as a new feature, "Shadow copy of Shared Folders" function if the LAN can be fully and reasonably utilized, then the network administrator related maintenance work will greatly reduce the burden.