Reset the File Replication service staging folder to a different logical drive

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Use this procedure to reset the FRS Staging folder to a different logical drive.

Administrative Credentials

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in Active Directory.

To reset the File Replication service staging folder to a different logical drive

  1. Click Start, click Run, type adsiedit.msc, and then press ENTER.

  2. Under Domain [computername], locate the NtFrs Subscriber object under the host computer account in Active Directory. The generic path for this attribute is: CN=Replica Set Name,CN=NTFRS Subscriptions,CN=Computername,DC=Domain Name,DC=COM.

    For example, to reset the staging path for the SYSVOL replica set of domain controller \\DC1 in the contoso.com domain, the distinguished name (also known as DN) path for the FrsStagingPath parameter is:

    CN=Domain System Volume (SYSVOL share), CN=NTFRS Subscriptions,CN=DC1,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM

    Where (when you read the distinguished name path from right to left):

    DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM is the domain hosting the computer account.

    CN=DC1 is the host computer account in the domain naming context (NC).

    CN=NTFRS Subscriptions is the NtfrsSubscriber object that holds the FrsStagingPath parameter.

    CN=Domain System Volume (SYSVOL share) is the FRS subscriber object.

  3. Right-click the CN=Domain System Volume container, and click Properties.

  4. Ensure that the Show mandatory attributes check box is selected. Select it if it is not.

  5. In Attributes, click fRSStagingPath, and then click Edit. The current value appears in the Value box in the String Attribute Editor dialog box.

  6. Enter the path to the new location for the FRS Staging folder in the Value box and click OK.

  7. Click OK to close Properties.

  8. To make sure that the staging path has been updated in the registry:

    1. Click Start, click Run, and type regedit on the server where you are changing the staging path and then press ENTER.

    2. Locate the following subkey:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NtFrs\Parameters\Replica Sets

    3. Double-click Replica Sets. All replica sets are displayed as a GUID.

    4. To locate the replica set you are updating the staging area for, click a GUID and, in the details pane, find the Replica Set Name. Repeat until you find the correct replica set.

    5. After you locate the correct GUID and replica set name, right-click Replica Set Stage and then click Modify.

    6. In the Value data box, type the new staging area path, and then click OK.

      When the service detects a change in the staging path, event ID 13563 is logged with a series of self-explanatory steps on how to proceed:

      Event Type: Warning

      Event Source: NtFrs

      Event Category: None

      Event ID: 13563

      Date: 3/6/2005

      Time: 7:13:01 PM

      User: N/A

      Computer: <Computer name>

      Description: The File Replication service has detected that the staging path for the replica set DOMAIN SYSTEM VOLUME (SYSVOL SHARE) has changed.

      Current staging path = E:\Windows\Sysvol\Staging\Domain

      New staging path = E:\Frsstage

      The service will start using the new staging path after it restarts. The service is set to restart after every restart.

      It is recommended that you manually restart the service to prevent loss of data in the Staging folder.

      To manually restart the service do the following:

      [1] Run "net stop ntfrs" or use the Services snap-in to stop File Replication service.

      [2] Move all the staging files corresponding to replica set DOMAIN SYSTEM VOLUME (SYSVOL SHARE) to the new staging location. If more than one replica set are sharing the current staging folder then it is safer to copy the staging files to the new staging folder.

      [3] Run "net start ntfrs" or use the Services snap-in to start File Replication service, followed by "net start ntfrs".

  9. To perform steps 1 through 3 in the event message, open a Command Prompt.

  10. Type the following command and then press ENTER:

    net stop ntfrs

  11. Move all the staging files corresponding to replica set DOMAIN SYSTEM VOLUME (SYSVOL SHARE) to the new staging location. If more than one replica set is sharing the current Staging folder, then it is safer to copy the staging files to the new Staging folder.

  12. At a command prompt type the following command and then press ENTER:

    net start ntfrs

    Microsoft recommends that you follow step 11 (step 2 in the preceding event message) because the FRS Staging folder may contain thousands or tens of thousands of files in the original Staging folder, all of which may be destined for one or more downstream partners. In Windows Explorer, you can view the files in the staging folder. On the Folder Options menu, click the View tab, and then click to select the Show hidden files and folders check box. Copy the files to the new Staging folder, and then follow the remaining steps in the event log message.