DFS Replication uses staging folders for each replicated folder to act as caches for new and changed files that are ready to be replicated from sending members to receiving members. These files are stored under the local path of the replicated folder in the DfsrPrivate\Staging folder.

When a file is modified on two or more members before the changes can be replicated, the most recently updated file "wins" the conflict and DFS Replication moves the "losing" file or files to the Conflict and Deleted folder. The losing file or files are stored in the DfsrPrivate\ConflictandDeleted folder under the local path of the replicated folder on the member that resolves the conflict. The Conflict and Deleted folder is also used to store files that are deleted from replicated folders.

By default, the quota size of each staging folder is 4,096 MB, and the quota size of each Conflict and Deleted folder is 660 MB. The size of each folder on a member is cumulative per volume, so if there are multiple replicated folders on a member, DFS Replication creates multiple staging and Conflict and Deleted folders, each with its own quota.

The following subsections provide information about how to edit the quota of the staging folder and Conflict and Deleted folder and how to optimize the size of staging folders.

Note

The files in the Conflict and Deleted folder are renamed and are accessible only by members of the local Administrators group. The access control lists (ACLs) on the conflict files are preserved to help ensure security. You can view a log of conflict files and their original file names by viewing the ConflictandDeletedManifest.xml file in the DfsrPrivate folder.

Edit the quota size or location of the staging folder and Conflict and Deleted folder

You can edit the quota of the staging folder and Conflict and Deleted folder on a per-replicated folder, per-member basis. You can also change the location of the staging folder.

To edit the quota size or location of the staging folder and Conflict and Deleted folder
  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DFS Management.

  2. In the console tree, under the Replication node, click the replication group that contains the replicated folder with the quotas that you want to edit.

  3. In the details pane, on the Memberships tab, right-click the replicated folder on the member with the quota that you want to edit, and then click Properties.

  4. On the Staging tab, adjust the staging folder quota and path as necessary.

  5. On the Advanced tab, adjust the Confict and Deleted folder quota as necessary.

Note

Changes are not applied immediately. The updates must be replicated to all domain controllers, and the member must poll its closest domain controller to obtain the changes. The amount of time this takes depends on AD DS replication latency and the short polling interval (5 minutes) on the member.

Optimize the size of staging folders

Although you can adjust the size of each staging folder, you must take the following factors into account while doing so:

  • Increase the staging folder quota when you must replicate multiple large files that change frequently.

  • If possible, increase the staging folder quota on hub members that have many replication partners.

  • If a staging folder quota is configured to be too small, DFS Replication might consume additional CPU and disk resources to regenerate the staged files. Replication might also slow down because the lack of staging space can effectively limit the number of concurrent transfers with partners.

  • For the initial replication of existing data on the primary member, it is important that you size the staging folder quota large enough so that if multiple large files are blocked in staging due to partners not being able to download the files, the remaining files can continue replicating. To properly size the staging folder for initial replication, you must take into account the size of the files to be replicated. At a minimum, the staging folder quota should be twice the size of the largest file in the replicated folder. For increased performance, the staging folder quota should be increased to the size of the four largest files in the replicated folder on spoke members and to the size of the sixteen largest files in the replicated folder on hub members.

  • If free disk space is a concern, you might need to configure the staging quota to be lower than the default quota when several replicated folders share staging space on the same volume.

  • During normal operation, if the event that indicates the staging quota (event ID 4208 in the DFS Replication event log) is over its configured size and is logged multiple times in an hour, increase the staging quota by 20 percent.

  • To improve input/output (I/O) throughput, locate staging folders and replicated folders on different physical disks. This can be done by editing the path of the staging folder.

Note

The staging quota for DFS Replication is not a hard limit, and it can grow over its configured size, unlike the staging quota for FRS. When the quota is reached, DFS Replication deletes old files from the staging folder to reduce the disk usage under the quota. The staging folder does not reserve hard disk space, and it only consumes as much disk space as is currently needed.