Microsoft KB Archive/296944

= How To Use File Replication Service File and Folder Filters in Windows 2000 =

Article ID: 296944

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

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This article was previously published under Q296944



IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY Overview Using Dfs File and Folder Filters Setting the File and Folder Filters on an FRS Replica in Active Directory
 * Setting Filters for Sysvol
 * Setting Filters for Dfs Replicas

Using Registry Entries



SUMMARY
This article describes how to use file and folder filters for content that is replicated by the File Replication service (FRS).

FRS is a multithreaded, multiple-master replication engine that replaces the LAN Manager Replication (LMREPL) service in Microsoft Windows NT versions 3.x and 4.0. Windows 2000-based domain controllers and servers use FRS to replicate system policies and logon scripts for Windows 2000-based and earlier clients.

FRS can also replicate content between Windows 2000-based servers that host the same fault-tolerant distributed file system (Dfs) roots or child node replicas.

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Overview
File and folder filters are managed by the fRSFileFilter and fRSDirectoryFilter attributes of the NTFRS-Replica-Set class. File and folder filters are maintained for each FRS replica including the following:
 * Sysvol. Replication for Sysvol is implicitly enabled.
 * Fault-tolerant roots on which replication has been enabled.
 * Dfs child nodes that are located on Windows 2000-based servers on which replication has been enabled. Dfs replication must be enabled in the Distributed File System Manager snap-in (Dfsgui.msc) on each level of the Dfs namespace that is &quot;backed&quot; by more than one Windows 2000-based server or domain controller.

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Using Dfs File and Folder Filters
You can apply file and folder filters on NTFRS-Replica-Set objects to prevent files on the Windows 2000 system volume or replicated Dfs volumes from being replicated. You can define the file and folder filters in the Active Directory service for each FRS replica individually, or in the registry, which affects all FRS replicas that are hosted on that server. The final filter that is applied to the replica is formed from the settings in Active Directory and the registry as per the following configurations:

Value supplied in Active Directory: No

Value supplied in the registry: No

Resulting filter string that is used: A default file filter of *.tmp, *.bak, ~*, no folder filter

Value supplied in Active Directory: No

Value supplied in the registry: Yes

Resulting filter string that is used: The value from the registry

Value supplied in Active Directory: Yes

Value supplied in the registry: No

Resulting filter string that is used: The value from Active Directory

Value supplied in Active Directory: Yes

Value supplied in the registry: Yes

Resulting filter string that is used: The value from Active Directory and the value from the registry

By default, the file filter value in Active Directory is set to &quot;*.tmp, *.bak, ~*&quot; and the value in the registry is not set. The folder filter is not set in Active Directory or in the registry.

Based on the configurations listed earlier in this article, if an administrator wants to replicate all the files in an FRS replica and therefore deletes the default file filters in Active Directory, the resultant filter that is applied to the replica excludes the files with names that include *.tmp, *.bak, and ~*. For the default file filter not to be used, the file filter in Active Directory must not be blank. Setting the file filter to a comma is sufficient to allow all files to be replicated.

Running the ntfrsutl ds command displays the file and folder filters that are defined on the FRS replica in Active Directory. However, this may not be the actual filter that is applied to the replica. Running the ntfrsutl sets command displays the resultant file and folder filters on the FRS replica, which are created based on the configurations that are listed earlier in this article.

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Setting the File and Folder Filters on an FRS Replica in Active Directory

 * 1) Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
 * 2) On the View menu, verify that the Advanced Features command has a check mark.
 * 3) In the left pane, double-click System, then double-click File Replication Service.

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Setting Filters for Sysvol

 * 1) Right-click Domain System Volume (Sysvol share), and then click Properties.
 * 2) On the Replica Set tab, configure the file and folder filters that you want.
 * 3) Click OK to save the settings.

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Setting Filters for Dfs Replicas

 * 1) Double-click Dfs Volumes, and then double-click the Dfs Root container.
 * 2) Right-click the object that represents the Dfs replica that you want to modify, and then click Properties.
 * 3) On the Replica Set tab, configure the file and folder filters that you want.
 * 4) Click OK to save the settings.

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Using Registry Entries
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

You can use the following registry entries to set file and folder filters for all replica sets that are hosted on a server:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Ntfrs\Parameters

Name: File Exclusion Filter List

Type: REG_SZ

Data: File names excluded from replication

Name: Directory Exclusion Filter List

Type: REG_SZ

Data: Folder names excluded from replication

NOTE: The filters that you set in the registry must be set on all servers that are members of those replicas if you want to maintain a consistent replication policy across all servers.

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Additional query words: ntfrs

Keywords: kbhowtomaster KB296944

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