Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Install a Domain DFS Namespace

Begin by installing the domain DFS namespace. Perform this action on a server running the File Services role with DFS, DFS Namespaces, and DFS Replication. You need domain administrator credentials to create a domain DFS root, though you can delegate this management task to other groups through the action pane.

1. Launch the Server Manager, and go to the File Services | DFS Management node.
2. Click New Namespace in the actions pane.
3. In the New Namespace Wizard, enter the information found in Table-2.
4. Complete the wizard pages.

The DFS namespace root is ready. Now you can add root hosts as well as targets for the root.

CAUTION: Domain DFS roots should be hosted on member servers and not domains. If you host the DFS root on both member servers and DCs, clients will be directed to the domain controller if the names are the same. In addition, DFS roots are more secure on member servers.

TABLE-2 New Namespace Wizard Entries

Wizard Page	Entry
Namespace Server	Enter the name of the server to host the namespace. This server can be a domain controller (DC) or a member server. A member server is recommended. Use the file server you are creating to host the namespace.
Namespace Name and Settings	Name the namespace. Use a common name that will not be duplicated within the enterprise. For example, for the public share, use Public as the root name. Use the Edit Settings button to set share permissions (see Table-1) and point to the appropriate shared folder source. For example, for the public share, go to D:\Data\Public. You will get a warning that the existing share will be used. Click Yes to use the existing share with existing permissions.
Namespace Type	Assign a domain-based namespace because it provides the best and simplest fault tolerance, and enable WS08 mode to increase scalability and enable access-based enumeration.
Review Settings and Create Namespace	Review your settings and create the namespace. Close the wizard when done.

Now add a root target or namespace server. Namespace servers are the elements that provide fault tolerance and redundancy within the same sites and that provide same-site access when they are in different sites. If this share will be required by all personnel, such as the Public share, you need to add as many namespace servers as you have Active Directory sites.

1. To add a namespace server, right-click the name of the new domain DFS root (\\domain\share) in the details pane, and select Add Namespace Server.
2. Type the name of the new namespace server, and click OK. Repeat as many times as required.

Your namespace is ready. It now requires folders to provide user access to information. The namespace creation process allows you to change the default setting for client caching of namespace targets. By default, this setting is 300 seconds, or five minutes. This setting is usually appropriate for domain DFS namespaces.

Add DFS Folders

Now that your DFS namespace has been prepared and is fault-tolerant, you can begin to add DFS folders. Folders are the elements that users see when accessing DFS shares.

1. To add a folder, right-click the DFS namespace and select New Folder.
2. In the New Folder dialog box, type the name of the folder. The UNC path to the shared folder will be filled in automatically.
3. Since this is a fault-tolerant folder, you will need to add new folder targets to the initial folder. Targets make the shared folder redundant. To add a target, click the Add button in the New Folder dialog box.
4. Either type the UNC path to the shared folder or use the Browse button to locate the appropriate share. Click OK when done. Note that you can create a share from this dialog box if you need to.
5. Now add a second target for the folder. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to do so, but make sure you place it on another server. Click OK to close the New Folder dialog box.
6. Because you added at least two targets, DFS suggests that you configure a replication group for the shares within the folder. In the Replication message box, click Yes to launch the Replicate Folder Wizard. Use the values in Table 8-3 to fill out this wizard.

The folder creation process allows you to change the default setting for client caching of folder targets. By default, this setting is 1800 seconds, or 30 minutes. This setting is usually appropriate for DFS folders.

DFS Clients

Clients can view DFS shares in the same way they view standard shared folders: through network locations. But the best way to give access to domain DFS roots to clients is to send them a shortcut to the root. The advantage of the DFS alias is that it is not tied to a single server, but rather to the domain as a whole. The shortcut must point, not to a server UNC, but to a domain UNC. For example, in this case, the domain UNC would be:

\\Intranet.TandT.net\Public.
The domain DFS root is listed as a component of the entire network.

TABLE-3 Entries for the Replicate Folder Wizard

Wizard Page	Entry
Replication Group and Replicated Folder Name	These entries should already be filled in by the wizard. You can change the name of the group if you wish to.
Replication Eligibility	Folder targets and eligibility should already be entered.
Primary Member	Select the server that contains the original data to be replicated. This will be the source server.
Topology Selection	Three topology choices are available. Select Hub and Spoke if your servers are located in different sites and your wide area network (WAN) includes links at differing speeds. You will need to identify the hub server if you select this replication topology. This should be the central server. You need three or more targets to be able to select this topology. Select Full Mesh if the servers staging the share are all in the same site and are connected with high-speed links or if your WAN links are all at the same speed. Do not select this topology it you have more than ten servers acting as targets. Select No Topology if you want to configure your own replication topology later.
Replication Group Schedule and Bandwidth	Two choices are available for replication scheduling. If you choose Continuous Replication, you have access to bandwidth controls. Choose the proper bandwidth setting based on the speed of the links that bind the targets together. If you do not want replication to occur continuously, then select specified days and times, and edit the schedule to suit your needs.
Review Settings and Create Replication Group	Review your settings. Use the Previous button to modify choices. Click Create when ready.
Confirmation	Close the wizard when done. You will get a Replication Delay message when you do so. This advises you that replication cannot begin until the configuration changes have been picked up by all group members.

The shortcut can be made available to users through the logon script. By double-clicking the shortcut, users have access to all of the published folders in the namespace, and this access is independent of the location of the user. In fact, the server they are connected to is completely transparent to users.

If you want your users to use the DFS links instead of standard shared folders, you should name all of your actual shared folders with a dollar sign (for example: Server$). This will hide your actual shares from being displayed on the network. Users will then only see DFS shares and not actual shares.