This document will explain what the distrubuted file system is and how to set it up in Windows 2003. After having read it you will have a general idea of why it is used and why you might want to consider making use of it in your organization. IntroductionThe Distributed File System is used to build a hierarchical view of multiple file servers and shares on the network. Instead of having to think of a specific machine name for each set of files, the user will only have to remember one name; which will be the 'key' to a list of shares found on multiple servers on the network. Think of it as the home of all file shares with links that point to one or more servers that actually host those shares. DFS has the capability of routing a client to the closest available file server by using Active Directory site metrics. It can also be installed on a cluster for even better performance and reliability. Medium to large sized organizations are most likely to benefit from the use of DFS - for smaller companies it is simply not worth setting up since an ordinary file server would be just fine. Understanding the DFS Terminology Dfs root: You can think of this as a share that is visible on the network, and in this share you can have additional files and folders. Dfs link: A link is another share somewhere on the network that goes under the root. When a user opens this link they will be redirected to a shared folder. Dfs target (or replica): This can be referred to as either a root or a link. If you have two identical shares, normally stored on different servers, you can group them together as Dfs Targets under the same link.
Windows 2003 offers a revamped version of the Distributed File System found in Windows 2000, which has been improved to better performance and add additional fault tolerance, load balancing and reduced use of network bandwidth. It also comes with a powerful set of command-line scripting tools which can be used to make administrative backup and restoration tasks of the DFS namespaces easier. The client windows operating system consists of a DFS client which provides additional features as well as caching. Setting Up and Configuring DFSThe Distributed File System console is installed by default with Windows 2003 and can be found in the administrative tools folder. To open, press Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Distributed File System or in the Control Panel, open the Administrative Tools folder and click on the Distributed File System icon. This will open the management console where all the configuration takes place. The next screen is the one where you have to select which trusted domains will be hosted. Since I only have one domain in my network, only domain.com is visible.
The following screen allows you to specify the root name of your primary DFS root. You should give it something which will accurately define the contents of that share.
You will now have to select the location of a folder in which all the files will be stored.
Tip: for added security, when selecting a folder, try to choose one that is located on a partition other than that of the operating system. To add a new link, right click the root for which you want the link to be created, and select New Link.
Links are visible right under the node. Below is a screenshot displaying the three links I have created for the COMPANY root.
Publishing the root in Active Directory To do this right click the desired dfs root, select Properties and go to the Publish tab. Enter the appropriate details in each box and press OK.
The dfs root will now be published in Active Directory. File Replication Services There are two types of replication: The advantages and disadvantages of replication are as follows: Disadvantages - limited configuration options, there is no method of programmatically initiating a replication session. Source: |
[1] http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Windows2003-Distributed-File-System.html
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