How to change the path for replication's temp folders from the default location?

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

The OS’s ProgramData folder is not scoped (for most customers' server build standards) to have large amounts of disk space available for a single application. Customers have expressed their interest in a coresetting or registry entry to specify an alternate path for replication's temp folders.

 

Environment

Symantec Management Platform 7.1 SP2 MP1 and later

Resolution

Symantec introduces a new core setting "ReplicationStoragePath" that lets you specify a path to the replication storage folder. This folder contains temporary replication data during the replication and is emptied after successful replication.
 
If this value in CoreSettings.config is missing or empty, then the following default path is used:
C:\ProgramData\Symantec\SMP\Replication\Temp

Pre-SMP 8.5:

You can change this setting in the NSConfigurator tool, under ...\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Bin\Tools.
Note that this value can be changed only when no replication activity is in process. You can check that in the Current Replication Activity report, under Reports > All Reports > Notification Server Management > Server > Replication.

 

Post-SMP 8.5

You can still use NSConfigurator to access this core setting. However, with most recent SMP releases, it is better to do it using the "Core Settings" page in the SMP Console:

1. In the Symantec Management Console open Settings>Notification Server>Core Settings
2. Search for "ReplicationStoragePath" 
    
   
   
   Or just go to Core Settings>Replication folder and double-click on "ReplicationStoragePatch" to make the necessary modification by adding the desired path under "Value" field.
   
   
   
   

For more details on how to update Core Settings in ITMS 8.5 and later, please refer to "Updating Core Settings in ITMS 8.5" (KB 189700)

 

 

WARNING: When a non-existing folder is specified, the folder is created automatically during replication. However, if a non-existing hard drive or an existing network share but with no write permissions is specified in the path, replication will hang without writing any errors/warnings to the NS's a.log file.