To enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders in a cluster

1. On the cluster node where you want to enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, create a cluster-managed file share.
2. Set up the File Share resource so that it has a dependency on the Physical Disk resource that manages the shadow copies and designated storage volumes, as well as the Network Name resource for the file share.

   For more information, see "To create a cluster-managed file share" in Related Topics below.

   Important

   • If the shadow copy volume and the designated storage volume are on separate disks, the Physical Disk resources that manage those volumes must both be in the same resource group.
3. Open Computer Management.
4. In the console tree, right-click Shared Folders, select All Tasks, and click Configure Shadow Copies.

Where?

• Computer Management
• System Tools
• Shared Folders
5. Click the volume where you want to enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, and then click Enable.

   Important

   • The Computer Management tool automatically generates a scheduled task to create the shadow copies on the storage volume and a Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource to manage that scheduled task. It also creates a dependency on the Physical Disk resource that manages the storage volume containing the shadow copies. For more information on the default settings for the Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource created when you enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, see "Using Shadow Copies of Shared Folders in a server cluster" in Related Topics below.

Important

• If the shadow copy volume and the designated storage volume are on separate disks, enabling Shadow Copies of Shared Folders will automatically make the Physical Disk resource that manages the shadow copy volume dependent on the Physical Disk resource that manages the storage volume.
• When you enable shadow copies, the shadow copy volumes (and all other resources directly or indirectly dependent on the disk) go offline for a brief period while the resource dependencies are created. The shadow copy volumes are not accessible to applications and users while they are offline.

Notes

• XOX
• XOX
• You can also access Shadow Copies of Shared Folders by right-clicking a fixed NTFS volume in My Computer or in the Disk Management snap-in details pane (in Computer Management). Click Properties, and then click the Shadow Copies tab.
• You can use the Disk Management snap-in to manage Shadow Copies of Shared Folders on remote servers as well. In the Computer Management console tree, right-click Disk Management, point to All Tasks, and then click Configure Shadow Copies.
• By enabling Shadow Copies of Shared Folders, you also create a default schedule and settings for subsequent shadow copies. To make changes to these defaults, click Settings.
• You can only enable Shadow Copies of Shared Folders on a per-volume basis; that is, you cannot select specific shared folders and files on a volume to be copied or not copied.
• The scheduled task that is automatically created when you enable shadow copies on a cluster node will only appear in the Scheduled Tasks folder when the associated Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource is online. If you want to change the schedule, use Computer Management; do not use the Scheduled Tasks folder.

Related Topics