Unmonitored Replicated Data Access

To enforce the rules of the file system, the Agent monitors all access to the set of replicated data. The Agent achieves this through the use of a file system driver. When the Agent is running, file system access is directed through the Agent’s file system driver and then processed through the rest of the WAFS system. However, it might occasionally be necessary to shut down the Agent for diagnostic purposes, such as when servicing the host operating system or during the short periods when the host machine is rebooting. Access to the replicated data during this period is considered to be “unmonitored” access.

The WAFS Agent has the ability to either provide or prohibit access to the set of replicated data when it is not running. To provide access when not running, the Agent modifies the Job’s top-level folder to redirect to the internal copy of the Agent’s replicated data. When set to not provide access, the Agent does not perform this modification; accessing the top-level folder results in an “Invalid Access” warning when the Agent is not running.

The "unmonitored access" setting must be specified during initial Job creation or when linking to an existing replication Job. This setting is also customizable on the Agent on the Change Options tab of the Availl Job Properties and Options dialog box.

Because the Agent is unable to monitor access to the replicated data when it is not running, it is unable to perform its duties of coordinating shared access to the data set across the multiple Agents. Thus, it is possible that a user might edit a file at one site while a user at another site edits the same file. This results in 2 disparate revisions of the file being uploaded to the WAFS Server after the Agent restarts. Additionally, the Agent is unable to ensure that the data is the most recent version residing at the WAFS Server, making it possible for a user to access out-of-date data.

To prevent this possibly unexpected behavior, it is highly recommended that you configure the Agent to prohibit access to the replicated data when it is not running. Typically, the period when the Agent is not running is small and the affect on end users is minimal. However, a particular site might require that access be provided when the Agent is not running. In this case, the Agent can be configured to provide access. This setting may be modified at any time while the Agent is running.

When the Agent is configured to prohibit access when not running, users receive a "The device is not ready" message if they attempt to access files and folders.