XADM: Discussion of Public Folders and Temporary Replicas

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SUMMARY

This article outlines the creation and capabilities of public folder temporary replicas (temp replicas). Temp replicas are created when you create child folders under parent folders that do not have local replicas on the public folder server of the client. These temp replicas home the child folder temporarily, until replication can be completed and the folder is rehomed to its parent server.
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The Temp Replica Creation Process

The simplest way to describe the temp replica creation process is with an example. This example uses a simple two server site that contains Server M and Server P, where Server M is the client mailbox server and Server P is a public folder replica server.

When the client initially logs on to the Exchange Server computer, the client must determine which server it obtains public folder tree (or hierarchy) information from. This property is stored in the directory as the Home-Public-Server attribute of the Private Information Store object.

After the client determines which public folder server it uses, the client connects to the public information store of that server to obtain the public folder tree that is displayed in the client view (note that the public folder tree is replicated to every Exchange Server computer in the organization that has a Public Information Store directory object). In this example, this public folder server is Server M.

A temp replica is created if a user creates a child folder under a parent folder that has no local replica on the public folder server of the client. A temporary replica is created on the public folder server of the user, and then the client server is added to the list of replicas. This replica exists until the content can be replicated to the home server of the parent folder. After the data is replicated to the replica servers and the replication engine on the hierarchy server determines that this folder has indeed been replicated to other servers, the client server removes itself from the replica list so that the replica list is identical to its parent again. At this point, the home-server attribute is updated. If the replica list still contains another server in the same site as the client's server, that server becomes the new home server. If there are no other replicas in the same site, a server in a different site is chosen as the home server. Usually, this server is the home server of the parent folder, but no there is no set algorithm to determine the home server. The following example describes this process in detail.

This example assumes that the top-level folder structure has been created, all of the folders are homed on Server P, and the only replicas are on Server P.

In this example, during the initial client connection the following occurs:
  • A user starts the client.
  • The client connects to the directory and determines that the client uses Server M as the public folder server (the client reads the Home-Public-Server attribute of the Private Information Store object).
  • The client connects to the public information store on Server M, retrieves the public folder tree data, and the public folder tree data is displayed in the client.
When the user creates a child folder (named the Our Folder folder) under the top-level folder from the client, a temp replica is created. The folder structure is displayed as follows: 
public folder
      |
      +----top-level folder
                   |
                    ----Our Folder

Using the Exchange Server Administrator Program to Open Folder Properties

  1. In the Exchange Server Administrator program, open the properties of the object for a child folder that you created (in the example above, the properties of the Our Folder object).
  2. Click the Replicas tab. In the example above, the only replica for the Our Folder folder is on Server P, even though the user created this folder while connected to Server M. This is because the user inherits all of the properties (copy) from the parent folder.
  3. Navigate to the Servers container, open the properties of the Public Information Store container of the server that you were connected to when you created the child folder (in the example above, Server M), and then select the Public Folder Resources tab. In the example above, there is no listing for the Our Folder object, even though the user created the folder there.

Determining If a Folder Is in a Temp Replica State

To determine if a folder is in a temp replica state:
  1. Open the properties of the Public Information Store container.
  2. Click the Age Limits tab.
  3. Click Columns.
  4. Add the Delete Pending column to the right side, and then click OK.
  5. If the folder that you want to determine the status of (in the example above, the Our Folder folder) is displayed as True in the Delete Pending column, the folder is in a temp replica state.

Conditions That Change the Temp Replica State of a Folder

  • The folder must be synchronized with the replica on the public folder replica server (in the example above, Server P).
  • All of the client connections must be disconnected from the temp replica on the server that the child folder was created on (in the example above, Server M). This includes the Exchange Server Administrator program.
  • If the time on the system passes midnight and the two conditions above are met, the temp replica is removed and the folder is rehomed to the public folder replica server (in the example above, Server P). If these conditions are not met, the folder remains on the server that the user was connected to when the child folder was created (in the example above, Server M).

Issues Associated with Folders in the Temp Replica State

  • A folder may appear to be homed on a server that has no replica. A user may assume that the folder has been rehomed, when in fact the folder is in a temp replica state.
  • The client may appear to connect to a server that does not have a replica.
  • Until the clients disconnect from the temp replica, the folders do not rehome to the proper server. This can result in a folder content discrepancy between clients if they are connected to different servers, and in the Exchange Server Administrator program it appears that there is only one replica, when in fact there are two.
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Article ID: 253297 - Last Review: October 20, 2013 - Revision: 3.2
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Standard Edition
Keywords: 
kbnosurvey kbarchive kbinfo KB253297
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