Replicating Public Folders

A public folder is a storage area that enables users to store, organize, retrieve, and distribute information. Public folders can be used in different ways. For example, a project manager can create a public folder containing important background information about the project or a help desk team can create a public folder to store answers to commonly asked questions.

A public folder can be configured to have replicas on multiple public folder servers. Each public folder server in the organization can have zero or one replica of each public folder. Each replica of a public folder is equivalent; that is, there is no master replica. The process of keeping these replicas up-to-date is called public folder replication. Replicas are useful for distributing the user load on servers, distributing public folders geographically or across sites, and even as a means of backing up public folder data.

To administer public folder replication, you must:

• Decide which public folder replicas each public folder server will have.
• Set schedules for public folder replication (on a per-server or per-folder basis).
• Set up public folder affinities between sites.