Performing an Authoritative Restore

The D4 (authoritative restore) makes the replica tree on one member authoritative for all the members of this replica set. This is done by stamping a new unique file ID on every single file and folder. To get these new files replicated to all the partners, you must also initiate a nonauthoritative (D2) restore on every member of the replica set.

This D4 (authoritative restore) procedure should be performed only in consultation with your Microsoft Product Support provider. The D4 process is a last resort only used in selected situations. For more information about performing an authoritative restore, see article 290762, "FRS: Using the BurFlags Registry Key to Reinitialize File Replication Service Replica Sets" at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=290762.

Important

• The FRS service must be stopped on all replica members of a replica set before you perform this D4 process. Failure to do so will cause morphed folders to appear on all replica partners. You can use the Sonar tool with the Settings column set to confirm that all members are stopped and have the correct D2 BURFLAGS set.