Step-by-Step Guide for the Distributed File System Solution

in Windows Server 2003 R2

Updated: August 22, 2005

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2

About This Guide

Welcome to the Step-by-Step Guide for the Distributed File System (DFS) solution in Microsoft® Windows
Server™ 2003 R2. This guide provides system requirements, installation instructions, and step-by-step
walkthroughs for deploying the DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication features in the Distributed File System
solution in Windows Server 2003 R2 in a lab environment.

If you are not familiar with DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication in Windows Server 2003 R2, we
recommend that you read the document titled "Overview of the Distributed File System Solution in
Windows Server 2003 R2" on the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46801). The
overview describes the benefits of DFS Replication and the improvements it offers over File Replication
service (FRS). It also describes the DFS Namespaces enhancements exposed in Windows Server 2003 R2.
These enhancements, introduced as updated application programming interfaces (APIs) in
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), provide easier management and more flexibility for
namespaces used in branch offices.

Lab Requirements
Two step-by-step sections are provided in this guide. The requirements for completing each of the step-by-
step sections are as follows:

Lab Requirements for Completing the Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying a Namespace

To complete all tasks in this section, you need a minimum of two servers configured in the test lab as
follows:

 One server must run Windows Server 2003 R2. This is the server on which you will install the DFS
Management snap-in to perform the tasks in this guide.

 The second server must run Windows Server 2003 SP1 or Windows Server 2003 R2.

 To create domain-based namespaces in these tasks, you must have Active Directory® deployed in
the test lab. You must also be a member of the Domain Admins group or have been delegated the
ability to create domain-based namespaces. For more information about delegation, see "Security
requirements for creating and managing namespaces" in the DFS Management snap-in Help.

 To deploy DFS Replication in the namespace, you must have extended the schema to include the
new DFS Replication objects in Active Directory. Refer to the section "Installing
Windows Server 2003 R2 and Distributed File System" later in this guide for specific configuration
requirements.

You can complete a subset of tasks if you have a single server or if you do not have Active Directory
deployed in the test lab.

Lab Requirements for Completing the Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying DFS Replication
To complete all tasks in this section, you need to configure the test lab as follows:

 You need a minimum of three file servers. All three servers must have Windows Server 2003 R2 and
the DFS Replication service installed. One of the servers must have the DFS Management snap-in
installed. Follow the procedures in "Installing Windows Server 2003 R2 and Distributed File System"
later in this guide to install the service and snap-in.

 The test lab must have Active Directory installed, and you must extend the schema using the
instructions described in "Installing Windows Server 2003 R2 and Distributed File System" later in
this guide.

Before beginning either step-by-step section, it is important to review the following requirements and
limitations of DFS Replication.
  Servers in a replication group must be in the same forest. You cannot enable replication across
servers in different forests.

 Replicated folders must be stored on NTFS volumes.

 On server clusters, replicated folders should be located in the local storage of a node, because the
DFS Replication service is not cluster aware and the service will not fail over to another node.

 Antivirus software must be compatible with DFS Replication. Contact your antivirus software vendor
to check for compatibility. 

 DFS Replication might not work across firewalls because it uses the RPC dynamic endpoint mapper.
Additionally, configuring DFS Replication using the DFS Management snap-in does not work when a
firewall is enabled. To allow DFS Replication to work through a firewall, you can define a static port
using the Dfsrdiag.exe command-line tool.

Getting Started
The following sections provide instructions on installing Windows Server 2003 R2 and the DFS Management
snap-in.

Installing Windows Server 2003 R2 and Distributed File System

During Setup, follow the on-screen prompts to install Windows Server 2003 R2. Refer to the section "Lab
Requirements" earlier in this guide for details about which servers must run Windows Server 2003 R2 and
which servers can run Windows Server 2003 SP1.

If you plan to use DFS Replication, you must first update the Active Directory schema to install the
Active Directory components of DFS Replication. To upgrade the schema, on the schema operations master,
run adprep.exe /forestprep. The adprep.exe command-line tool is available in the Cmpnents\R2\Adprep
folder on the second Windows Server 2003 R2 installation CD.

After Windows Server 2003 R2 is installed and the schema is updated as necessary, you can install the
Distributed File System (DFS) components and open the DFS Management snap-in by using the following
procedures.

Note

Two methods for installing Distributed File System are provided. The method using the Manage Your Server file
server tool allows you to install Distributed File System as a part of the file server role. This method also installs
other file server tools, such as File Server Resource Manager and File Server Management. The method usingAdd
or Remove Programs allows you to install either the DFS Management snap-in, the DFS Replication Service, or
both.
Use the following procedure if the file server role has not been added.

To install Distributed File System using Manage Your Server

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Manage Your
Server.

2. Click Add or remove a role.

3. In the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Next. On the Server Role page, click File Server,

and then clickNext. Click Next again.

4. In the Add File Server Role Wizard, click Next, and then click Replicate data to and from this
server. Follow the steps in the wizard to complete the installation. You will be asked to restart the
server when the installation is complete.

Use the following procedure if the file server role has already been installed and you see an option
called Update this role in Manage Your Server.

To update the file server role using Manage Your Server

1. In Manage Your Server, click Update this role.
 2. In the File Server Role Wizard, click Next.

3. On the File Server Environment page, click Replicate data to and from this server.

4. Follow the steps in the wizard to complete the installation. You will be asked to restart the server
when the installation is complete.

To install Distributed File System using Add or Remove Programs

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs.

2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components, highlight Distributed File System, and then

click Details.

3. Click all three options, and then click OK.

Note

Installing DFS Management also installs Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, which is required to run the DFS
Management snap-in.
To open the DFS Management snap-in
 Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DFS
Management.

Overview of the DFS Management Snap-in

The DFS Management snap-in is the graphical user interface tool for managing DFS Namespaces and DFS
Replication. This snap-in is new and differs from the Distributed File System snap-in in
Windows Server 2003. Therefore, before you begin using DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication, you might
want to review the components of this snap-in, which are shown in the following figure and described in the
sections that follow.

Console Tree
The console tree has two nodes, Namespaces and Replication, from which you can manage namespaces and
DFS Replication.
Namespaces node
The following figure shows the elements under the Namespaces node in the console tree.

As the figure shows, the Namespaces node contains the namespaces you create as well as any existing
namespaces you add to the console display. In the previous figure, one namespace is
shown, \\Contoso.com\Public. Under each namespace is a hierarchical view of folders. Folders that have
targets use a special icon to differentiate them from folders that do not have targets.

Note

If you are not familiar with namespace terminology, see the section "Introduction to Namespaces" later in this
guide.
Replication node
The following figure shows the elements under the Replication node in the console tree.

As the figure shows, the Replication node contains the replication groups you create as well as any existing
replication groups that you add to the console display. A replication group represents a group of servers that
participates in the replication of data. For more information about replication groups, see "Introduction to
DFS Replication" later in this guide.

Details Pane
The contents of the details pane change according to what you have selected in the console tree. For
example, if you select a namespace in the console tree, you see tabs named Namespace, Namespace
Servers, and Delegation in the details pane. If you select a replication group, you see tabs
named Memberships, Connections, Replicated Folders, and Delegation. You can double-click objects
in the details pane to view their properties.

Action Pane
The Action pane shows two types of tasks: common tasks and tasks that apply to the selected object. If the
Action pane is not visible, you can open it using the following steps: click the View menu, click Customize,
and then click theAction pane option in the Customize View dialog box.

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying a Namespace

The following sections introduce namespaces and walk you step-by-step through the process of deploying a
namespace in a test lab. The tasks in these sections are designed for administrators who are new to DFS
Namespaces as well as administrators who have experience using DFS in Windows Server 2003 and
Windows® 2000 Server. These tasks walk you through deployment steps and point out aspects of the DFS
Management snap-in that are new or significantly different from previous DFS management tools.

If you have not used DFS in Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server, we recommend that you read
the introduction section that follows to learn more about namespaces before you begin the tasks.

Introduction to Namespaces
DFS Namespaces allows you to group shared folders located on different servers by transparently connecting
them to one or more namespaces. A namespace is a virtual view of shared folders in an organization. When
you create a namespace, you select which shared folders to add to the namespace, design the hierarchy in
which those folders appear, and determine the names that the shared folders show in the namespace. When
a user views the namespace, the folders appear to reside on a single, high-capacity hard disk. Users can
navigate the namespace without needing to know the server names or shared folders hosting the data.

The path to a namespace is similar to a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of a shared folder, such as
\\Server1\Public\Software\Tools. If you are familiar with UNC paths, you know that in this example the
shared folder, Public, and its subfolders, Software and Tools, are all hosted on Server1. Now, assume you
want to give users a single place to locate data, but you want to host data on different servers for
availability and performance purposes. To do this, you can deploy a namespace similar to the one shown in
the following figure. The elements of this namespace are described after the figure.

 Namespace server. A namespace server hosts a namespace. The namespace server can be a
member server or a domain controller.

 Namespace root. The root is the starting point of the namespace. In the previous figure, the name
of the root is Public, and the namespace path is \\Contoso\Public. This type of namespace is known
as a domain-based namespace, because it begins with a domain name (for example, Contoso) and
its metadata is stored in Active Directory. Although a single namespace server is shown in the
previous figure, a domain-based namespace can be hosted on multiple namespace servers.

 Folder. Folders help build the namespace hierarchy. Folders can optionally have folder targets.
When users browse a folder with targets in the namespace, the client computer receives a referral
that directs the client computer to one of the folder targets.

 Folder targets. A folder target is a UNC path of a shared folder or another namespace that is
associated with a folder in a namespace. In the previous figure, the folder named Tools has two
folder targets, one in London and one in New York, and the folder named Training Guides has a
single folder target in New York. A user who browses to \\Contoso\Public\Software\Tools is
transparently redirected to the shared folder \\LDN-SVR-01\Tools or \\NYC-SVR-01\Tools,
depending on which site the user is in.

To view an online demo that describes the purpose and benefits of Distributed File System in
Windows Server 2003, click the link "Distributed File System: Simplifying Complexity" on the Distributed File
System and File Replication services page on the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?
LinkId=39468).

Deploying a Namespace
The tasks in this section walk you through the process of deploying a namespace that looks similar to the
namespace shown in the figure that appears in "Introduction to Namespaces" earlier in this guide.

Task 1: Create a Namespace

In this task, you create a new namespace using the DFS Management snap-in.

To create a namespace
1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Namespaces node, and then
click New Namespace.

2. Follow the steps in the New Namespace Wizard and supply the information described in the
following table.

New Namespace What to Enter

 Wizard Page

Namespace Server Enter the name of the server to host the namespace. The server can be a domain
controller or a member server.

Namespace Name In Name, type Public.

and Settings

Namespace Type If Active Directory is deployed in your test lab and you are a member of the Domain
Admins group or have been delegated permission to create domain-based namespaces,
chooseDomain-based namespace. Otherwise, choose Stand-alone namespace.
To learn how a member of the Domain Admins group can delegate permission to create
domain-based namespaces, see "Security requirements for creating and managing
namespaces" in DFS Management Help.

Review Settings and Click Create to create the namespace.

Create Namespace

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

When the wizard finishes, your new namespace will be added to the console tree. Double-click
the Namespaces node, if necessary, to view your namespace, which should be similar to the following
figure.

To browse the new namespace, type the following command in the Run dialog box, substituting either the
server name (if you created a stand-alone namespace) or the domain name (if you created a domain-based
namespace) as appropriate:

\\ server_or_domain \Public

Task 2: Add a Namespace Server

If you created a domain-based namespace, perform this task to specify an additional server to host the
namespace. Doing so increases the availability of the namespace and allows you to place namespace servers
in the same sites as users. If you created a stand-alone namespace, you must skip this task because stand-
alone namespaces only support a single namespace server.

To add a namespace server

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\domain\Public, and then
click Add Namespace Server.

2. In Namespace server, type the name of another server to host the namespace, and then click OK.

After you finish this procedure, click the \\domain\Public namespace in the console tree and review the
contents of the Namespace Servers tab in the details pane, which should look similar to the following
figure. Notice that two UNC paths are listed. The site of each namespace server is also displayed.

Task 3: Delegate Management Permissions

You can delegate management permissions so that users who are not members of the Domain Admins
group can create domain-based namespaces, and you can delegate management permissions so that users
or groups can manage existing namespaces. In this section, you will delegate permissions to manage the
namespace you created in the previous task.

To delegate permission to manage an existing namespace

 1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public, and
then clickDelegate Management Permissions.

2. Type the name of a user or group that you want to manage the namespace, and then click OK.

After you finish this procedure, review the contents of the Delegation tab in the details pane. It should look
similar to the following figure.

Notice that the user or group you added shows "Explicit" in the How Permission Is Granted column.
"Explicit" means that you can remove the user or group from the delegation list by right-clicking the user or
group, and then clickingRemove. Any users or groups that show "Inherited" have inherited management
permissions from Active Directory, and you cannot remove them from the delegation list using the DFS
Management snap-in.

Note

To delegate the ability to create domain-based namespaces, see "Security requirements for creating and
managing namespaces" in DFS Management Help.
Task 4: Add Folders to the Namespace
In this task, you add three folders to the namespace. Two of the folders will have folder targets. The
hierarchy of the folders you will add is shown in the "Elements of a Namespace" figure earlier in this guide.

To create a folder named Software in the namespace

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public, and
then click New Folder.

2. In Name, type Software, and then click OK.

Note that the previous procedure creates a new folder in the namespace to build depth in the namespace
hierarchy. You are not specifying the name of an existing folder, nor will you store data in this folder. This
folder will not have folder targets that direct clients to other servers.

After you finish this procedure, the Software folder is added to the console tree as shown in the following
figure. (You might need to double-click the \\server_or_domain\Public root to display the Software folder.

Next, you add two folders with targets to the namespace. You create one folder named Tools within the
Software folder, and you create another folder named Training Guides directly under the root named Public.

To create a folder named Tools in the namespace

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Software folder, and then
click New Folder.

2. In Name, type Tools.

3. Click Add to add a folder target.

4. Click Browse to open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.

 5. In Server, enter the name of the server that will host the Tools shared folder.

6. Click New Shared Folder.

7. In the Create Share dialog box, in the Share name box, type Tools, and then enter the local path
where you want the shared folder to be created. If the folder does not exist, you are prompted to
create it. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.

After you finish this procedure, the Tools folder is added to the console tree as shown in the following figure.
(You might need to double-click the Software folder to display the Tools folder.) Notice the icon next to the
Tools folder and how it differs from the Software folder’s icon. This icon appears next to all folders that have
targets to differentiate them from folders that do not have targets.

Now, select the Tools folder and review the contents of the Folder Targets tab in the details pane. Notice
there is a single path shown. This means that only one server hosts the folder target that corresponds to the
Tools folder. If that server becomes unavailable, the shared folder is also unavailable.

To increase the availability of the Tools folder, you can add a second folder target.

To add a second folder target to the Tools folder

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Tools folder, and then click Add
Folder Target.

2. Click Browse to open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.

3. In Server, enter the name of another server that will host the Tools shared folder. Be sure to enter
a different server from the one you specified in the previous procedure.

4. Click New Shared Folder.

5. In the Create Share dialog box, in the Share name box, type Tools, and then enter the local path
where you want the shared folder to be created. If the folder does not exist, you are prompted to
create it. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.

6. You are prompted to choose whether to create a replication group for these folder targets. For now,
click No. You will enable DFS Replication on this folder in a later task.

To create a folder named Training Guides in the namespace

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public, and
then click New Folder.

2. In Name, type Training Guides.

3. Click Add to add a folder target.

4. Click Browse to open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.

5. In Server, enter the name of the server that will host the Training Guides shared folder.

6. Click New Shared Folder.

7. In the Create Share dialog box, in the Share name box, type Training Guides, and then enter
the local path where you want the shared folder to be created. If the folder does not exist, you are
prompted to create it. ClickOK to close all dialog boxes.

When you finish these procedures, your namespace will look like the following figure.
Task 5: Change How Targets Are Ordered in Referrals
In this task, you change settings that optimize how targets are ordered in referrals. If you are not familiar
with referrals, a referral is a list of targets that a client computer receives from a domain controller or
namespace server when the user accesses a namespace root or folder with targets in the namespace. The
referral tells the client which servers host the associated root target or folder target. So, for example, when
a client navigates to \\server_or_domain\Public, the client receives a root referral that contains a list of root
targets on the namespace servers. When the client then navigates to the Tools folder, which has folder
targets, the client receives a folder referral that contains a list of folder targets that correspond to the Tools
folder.

When a client requests a referral, the Distributed File System service takes into account the site of the client
and the site of the target and provides a referral with targets that are ordered according to the current
referral ordering method. By default, targets in a client’s site are listed first in a referral in random order,
followed by a list of targets outside of the client’s site, sorted by lowest cost.

To fine-tune how targets outside of a client’s site are ordered, you can change the ordering method for an
entire namespace or for individual folders with targets. Changing the ordering method is an important
consideration in namespaces whose targets span sites. For example, there might be situations in which you
want to prevent the client from accessing targets outside of its own site. If so, you can configure the
namespace root or folder with targets so that clients receive referrals only for targets within their own site.

To further optimize how targets are listed in referrals, you can set target priority, which overrides the
ordering method. For example, you can specify that a target is always first or last in a referral, regardless of
the client’s site, or you can specify that a target is always first or last among the targets that have the same
connection cost. One common scenario for using target priority is when you have a "hot standby" server
that is considered the server of last resort. In this scenario, you can specify that the standby server always
appears last in referrals, and clients will fail over to this server only if all the other servers fail or become
unavailable due to network outages.

In the following procedures, you verify the referral ordering method for the namespace and choose target
priority of a folder target.

To verify the referral ordering method for a namespace

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public, and
then clickProperties.

2. On the Referrals tab, in Ordering method, verify that Lowest cost is selected.

In the lowest cost ordering method, also called least expensive target selection or site costing in previous
documentation, targets in a referral are ordered as follows:

1. Targets in the same site as the client are listed in random order at the top of the referral.

2. Targets outside of the client’s site are listed in order of lowest cost to highest cost. Referrals with
the same cost are grouped together and within each group the targets are listed in random order.

This method ensures that clients do not traverse expensive wide area network (WAN) links to access targets
when lower-cost targets are available. This ordering method works in both stand-alone and domain-based
namespaces, as long as all namespace servers and all domain controllers are running Windows Server 2003.

Note

If you do not want clients to access folder targets outside of their site, you can override the ordering method for
individual folders. To do this, right-click a folder with targets in the console tree, click Properties, click
theReferrals tab, and then click Exclude targets outside of the client’s site. Note that if no same-site
targets are available, the client fails to access the folder because no folder targets are returned in the referral.
In the next procedure, you change the priority of one of the folder targets of the Tools folder.

To change the priority of a folder target

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, click the Tools folder.

2. In the details pane, on the Folder Targets tab, right-click one of the folder targets, and then
click Properties.

3. On the Advanced tab, click Override referral ordering, and then click Last among all targets.

Task 6: Rename and Move a Folder

You can use the DFS Management snap-in to rename folders or move folders to another location in the
namespace. This is useful if you need to change a folder name or restructure the namespace.

In this task, you rename the Training Guides folder to Training Demos and move it to the Software folder.
Currently, your namespace should look similar to the following figure.

 To rename the Training Guides folder

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Training Guides folder, and
then clickRename Folder.

2. In the Rename Folder dialog box, in New name, type Training Demos.

To move the Training Demos folder

 In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, click the Training Demos folder, and then
drag it to theSoftware folder.

After you finish these procedures, your namespace should look like this:

Task 7: Replicate a Folder in the Namespace Using DFS Replication

In this task, you enable DFS Replication on the Tools folder. If you recall from "Task 4: Add Folders to the
Namespace," you created two folder targets for the Tools folder. Because users can be directed to either one
of the folder targets, you need to ensure that the contents of the folders are kept synchronized.

If you are familiar with File Replication service (FRS) in Windows Server 2003, you know that FRS is only
supported in domain-based namespaces. In Windows Server 2003 R2, you can use DFS Replication in both
stand-alone and domain-based namespaces. Therefore, you can complete this task regardless of the type of
namespace you created in "Task 1: Create a Namespace."

Important

To perform this task, you need to have Active Directory deployed in your test lab environment, and you must be
a member of the Domain Admins group or have been delegated the ability to create replication groups to
perform this task.

Important

After you complete this task, replication does not begin immediately. The topology and DFS Replication settings
 must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest
domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on Active Directory replication
latency and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member.
To enable DFS Replication on the Tools folder
1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Tools folder, and then
click Replicate Folder.

2. Follow the steps in the Replicate Folder Wizard and supply the information in the following table.

Replicate Folder Wizard

Page What to Enter

Replication Group and Accept the defaults.

Replicated Folder Name

Replication Eligibility Accept the defaults.

Primary Member If the folder targets are empty, choose either member. If both folder targets
contain content, choose the member that has the most up-to-date content.

Topology Selection Select Full mesh.

Replication Group Schedule Select Replicate continuously using the specified bandwidth.

and Bandwidth

Review Settings and Create Click Create to create the replication group.

Replication Group

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

Replication Delay Click OK to close the dialog box that warns you about the delay in initial
replication.
After you finish the previous procedure, navigate to the Replication node in the console tree. Notice that a
new replication group has been created, as shown in the following figure.

If you are not familiar with DFS Replication terminology, a replication group is a set of servers, known as
members, that participates in the replication of one or more replicated folders. A replicated folder is a folder
that is kept synchronized on each member. When you enable DFS Replication on a folder with targets, the
servers that host the folder targets become members of the replication group, and the folder targets are
associated with the replicated folder. The name of the replication group matches the namespace path
(Contoso.com\Public\Software\Tools), and the name of the replicated folder matches the folder name
(Tools).

From the Replication node, you can manage aspects of DFS Replication, such as the schedule and
bandwidth usage, file and subfolder filters, and the topology (a framework of replication paths between
members). On the Replicated Folders tab in the details pane, you can also view the namespace path that
corresponds to the replicated folder, as shown in the following figure.
If you navigate back to the Tools folder in the Namespaces node, notice that the Replication tab in the
details pane shows that the Tools folder is being replicated using DFS Replication.

If one of the folders targets contained data when you enabled DFS Replication, you can verify that
replication has completed by clicking the Folder Targets tab, right-clicking the folder target that initially
held no data, and then clicking Open in Explorer. After the initial replication delay, the files in this folder
target should match the files in the target that initially held the data.

Another way to view the status of replication is to create a diagnostic report. You will do this in the following
task.

Task 8: Create a Diagnostic Report

In this task, you create a diagnostic report to check the status of replication. The diagnostic report is an
.html file that includes error and warning events, replication statistics, backlogged files, and other
information for each member of the replication group.

To create a diagnostic report

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, under the Replication node, right-click
the \\domain\Public\Software\Tools replication group, and then click Create Diagnostic Report.

2. Follow the steps in the Diagnostic Report Wizard and supply the information in the following table.

Diagnostic Report
Wizard Page What to Enter

Path and Name Accept the defaults.

Members to Include Accept the defaults.

Options Ensure that Yes, count backlogged files in this report is selected, and also click
theCount the replicated files and their sizes on each member check box.

Review Settings and Click Create to create the diagnostic report.

Create Report

Confirmation The wizard closes automatically, and the diagnostic report appears.
Review the diagnostic report created for the Tools replication group. In particular, take a look at the
following sections:

 Note the DFS Replication efficiency savings. This savings will change over time as files are added
and changed. 

 Review any errors or warnings, if any, for the members. These are typically event log errors that
appear in the member's respective DFS Replication event log.

 In the informational section for each member, review the replicated folder status (the status will be
"Normal" after initial replication is complete) and other information. Notice that the primary member
will show different statistics from the non-primary member; this is because data originated from the
primary member and replicated to the non-primary member during initial replication.

Task 9: Browse the Namespace

In this task, you browse the namespace you created and view the referrals in the client’s referral cache as
you browse portions of the namespace. Viewing referrals cached on the client is useful in troubleshooting
scenarios. The following procedures assume you are performing these tasks from a client computer running
Windows XP or Windows Server 2003.

To browse to the namespace root and view the root referral

1. Click Start, click Run, type \\server_or_domain\Public, and then click OK.

Windows Explorer opens and your view of the namespace looks similar to the following figure:

2. In Windows Explorer, click the Folders button to display the Public root in the folder tree.

3. In the folder tree, right-click Public, and then click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.

4. On the DFS tab, review the paths listed under Referral list. These are the root targets in the root
referral that the client received when it accessed \\server_or_domain\Public. These should match
the root targets you created earlier in this guide. The target marked Active is the target currently
connected to your client computer.

5. Click OK to close the dialog box.

To browse to the Tools and Training Demos folders and view their folder referrals
1. In Windows Explorer, double-click the Software folder. You should see two
folders, Tools and Training Demos.

2. Double-click the Tools folder to open it.

3. In the folder tree, right-click the Tools folder, and then click Properties.

4. On the DFS tab, review the paths listed under Referral list. These are the folder targets in the
folder referral that the client received when it
accessed \\server_or_domain\Public\Software\Tools. These should match the folder targets
you created earlier in this guide, and the target you marked as Last among all targets, when you
set the target priority, should be listed last. The target marked Active is the target currently
connected to your client computer.

5. Click OK to close the dialog box.

6. Click the Training Demos folder in the folder tree to open it.

7. Right-click the Training Demos folder in the folder tree, click Properties, and then click
the DFS tab. Notice that only one folder target is listed in the referral list. Your client computer is
currently connected to this folder target.

Task 10: Test Failover

In this task, disable the network card or turn off the server that hosts one of the root targets for
the \\domain\Publicnamespace. Do the same for a server that hosts one of the folder targets for the Tools
folder. After the network cards are disabled or the servers are turned off, repeat the procedures in "Task 9:
Browse the Namespace." The procedures should work because another server continues to host
the \\domain\Public namespace and the Tools folder.
Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying DFS Replication
This section walks you through the process of deploying DFS Replication in a test lab. Although it is not
necessary to have completed the tasks in "Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying a Namespace," it is helpful to
complete the previous section first so that you have an existing namespace in which to publish a replicated
folder.

Introduction to DFS Replication

DFS Replication is the new state-based, multimaster replication engine in Windows Server 2003 R2.
Although some DFS Replication concepts and processes are similar to the concepts and processes in File
Replication service (FRS), there are several important differences that you should be aware of before you
deploy DFS Replication.

DFS Replication Concepts

First, let’s review the basic concepts of DFS Replication. These concepts—replication groups, connections,
members, and replicated folders—are illustrated in the following figure.

As this figure shows, a replication group is a set of servers, known as members, that participates in the
replication of one or more replicated folders. A replicated folder is a folder that is kept synchronized on each
member. In the previous figure, there are two replicated folders, Projects and Proposals. As data changes in
each replicated folder, the changes are replicated across connections between the members. The
connections between all members form the replicationtopology.

Creating multiple replicated folders in a single replication group simplifies the process of deploying replicated
folders, because the topology, schedule, and bandwidth throttling for the replication group are applied to
each replicated folder. To deploy additional replicated folders, you can use a short wizard to define the local
path and permissions for the new replicated folder. Each replicated folder also has its own settings, such as
file and subfolder filters, so that you can filter out different files and subfolders for each replicated folder.

The replicated folders stored on each member can be located on different volumes in the member, and the
replicated folders do not need to be shared folders or part of a namespace, though the DFS Management
snap-in makes it easy to share replicated folders and optionally publish them in an existing namespace. You
will do both in one of the tasks later in this guide.

What to Expect During Initial Replication

When you first set up replication, you must choose a primary member. Choose the member that has the
most up-to-date files that you want replicated to all other members of the replication group, because the
primary member's content is considered "authoritative." This means that during initial replication, the
primary member's files will always win the conflict resolution that occurs when the receiving members have
files that are older or newer than the same files on the primary member.

The following explanations will help you better understand the initial replication process:

 Initial replication does not begin immediately. The topology and DFS Replication settings must be
replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest
domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on
Active Directory replication latency and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member.

 Initial replication always occurs between the primary member and the receiving replication partners
of the primary member. After a member has received all files from the primary member, then that
 member will replicate files to its receiving partners as well. In this way, replication for a new
replicated folder starts from the primary member and then progresses out to the other members of
the replication group. 

 When receiving files from the primary member during initial replication, the receiving members that
contain files that are not present on the primary member move those files to their respective
DfsrPrivate\PreExisting folder. If a file is identical to a file on the primary member, the file is not
replicated. If the version of a file on the receiving member is different from the primary member’s
version, the receiving member's version is moved to the Conflict and Deleted folder and remote
differential compression (RDC) can be used to download only the changed blocks.

 To determine whether files are identical on the primary member and receiving member, DFS
Replication compares the files using a hash algorithm. If the files are identical, only minimal
metadata is transferred.

 After the initialization of the replicated folder, the "primary member" designation is removed.
Initialization takes place after all files that exist before DFS Replication picks up the configuration
are added to the DFS Replication database. The member that was previously the primary member is
then treated like any other member and its files are no longer considered authoritative over those of
other members that have completed initial replication. Any member that has completed initial
replication is considered authoritative over members that have not completed initial replication.

Deploying DFS Replication

The tasks in this section walk you through the process of deploying DFS Replication, adding a member to a
replication group, publishing a replicated folder in a namespace, and creating a diagnostic report.

Task 1: Create a Multipurpose Replication Group and Two Replicated Folders

To enable DFS Replication, you use the New Replication Group Wizard to specify the members, topology,
and default schedule and bandwidth for the replication group. In this task, you create a replication group
named Data Distribution and two replicated folders named Antivirus Signatures and LOB Data.

Important

When you create a new replication group, replication does not begin immediately. The topology and DFS
Replication settings must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must
poll its closest domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on
Active Directory replication latency and each member's long polling interval (60 minutes).
Before you enable replication, you will create two folders on one of the servers to be added to the replication
group. You will then add files to the folders.

Create folders named Antivirus Signatures and LOB Data

1. On one server, create two separate (non-overlapping) folders named Antivirus Signatures and LOB
Data. Add some files to each folder but do not exceed the recommended limits described in "DFS
Replication limits" in DFS Management Help.

2. Optionally, you can create the same folders on the second server. You can add the same files or
different files from the primary member. If you add the same files, the files will be used for
prestaging and will not be re-replicated. If you add files that don’t exist on the primary member,
those files will be moved to the PreExisting folder on the second member. (This folder is in the
DfsrPrivate folder under the replicated folder’s local path.) If you want to observe how the primary
member's content becomes authoritative during initial replication, use updated versions of the files
you added to the primary member. These updated files will be moved to the Conflict and Deleted
folder on the non-primary members.

Next, create a replication group to replicate files between the two servers.

To create a replication group and two replicated folders

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Replication node, and then
click New Replication Group.

2. Follow the steps in the New Replication Group Wizard and supply the information in the following
table.
 

New Replication Group

Wizard Page What to Enter

Replication Group Type Select Multipurpose replication group.

Name and Domain In Name of replication group, type Data Distribution.

Replication Group Click Add to select at least two servers that will participate in replication. The servers
Members must have the DFS Replication Service installed.

Topology Selection Select Full mesh.

Replication Group Select Replicate continuously using the specified bandwidth.

Schedule and
Bandwidth

Primary Member Select the member that has the most up-to-date content that you want to replicate to
the other member.

Folders to Replicate Click Add to enter the local path of the LOB Data folder you created earlier on the first
server. Use the name LOB Data for the replicated folder name. Repeat this procedure
and enter the local path of the Antivirus Signatures folder.

Local Path of LOB Data On this page, you specify the location of the LOB Data folder on the other members of
on Other Members the replication group. To specify the path, click Edit, and then on the Edit Local
Path dialog box, click Enabled, and then type the local path of the LOB Data folder.

Local Path of Antivirus On this page, you specify the location of the Antivirus Signatures folder on the other
Signatures on Other members of the replication group. To specify the path, click Edit, and then on the Edit
Members Local Path dialog box, click Enabled, and then type the local path of the Antivirus
Signatures folder.

Review Settings and Click Create to create the replication group.

Create Replication
Group

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

Replication Delay Click OK to close the dialog box that warns you about the delay in initial replication.
After you finish the New Replication Group Wizard, click the new replication group named Data
Distribution located under the Replication node in the console tree as shown in the following figure:

Notice the four tabs in the details pane: Memberships, Connections, Replicated Folders,

and Delegation. Each of these tabs displays different details about the selected replication group, its
members, and its replicated folders. Review the following details about each tab.

 On the Memberships tab, notice that entries on the tab are sorted by replicated folder and that
there are two replicated folders listed. For example, the rows under the Replicated Folder:
Antivirus Signatures heading are the members that host the Antivirus Signatures replicated
folder. Double-click a member to view per-member, per-replicated folder properties on
 the General, Replicated Folder, and Advanced tabs. For example, on the Advanced tab, you
can view the location and size of the staging folder and Conflict and Deleted folder on the selected
member.

 On the Connections tab, two connections are listed. Each connection is a one-way replication path,
so replication between two members requires two connections that replicate data in the opposite
direction. Each connection has a schedule and other settings, such as a check box for enabling or
disabling remote differential compression (RDC). Double-click a connection to view its settings.

 On the Replicated Folders tab, notice that two replicated folders are listed and that they are not
published in a namespace. Double-click a replicated folder to view its properties, such as file and
subfolder filters.

 On the Delegation tab, review the default users and groups granted permissions to manage the
replication group. Any users or groups shown as "Inherited" have inherited management
permissions from Active Directory, and you cannot remove them from the delegation list using the
DFS Management snap-in.

Task 2: Add a New Member to a Replication Group

In this task, you add a third server to the Data Distribution replication group and specify where one of the
two replicated folders, Antivirus Signatures, will be stored on the new member. You'll use a new feature in
DFS Replication to specify that the LOB Data replicated folder is not replicated to the new member. You also
will create a custom schedule that applies only to the connections to and from the new member.

Important

Replication does not begin immediately on the new member. The DFS Replication settings for the new member
must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest
domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on Active Directory replication
latency, the short polling interval (5 minutes) on the new member, and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on
existing members.
To add a new member to the Data Distribution replication group
1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Data Distribution replication
group, and then click New Member.

2. Follow the steps in the New Member Wizard and supply the information in the following table.

New Member
Wizard Page What to Enter

New Member Enter the name of the server to add to the replication group. The server must have the DFS
Replication Service installed.

Local Path of Select the Antivirus Signatures replicated folder, click Edit, click Enabled, and then enter
Replicated the local path of the replicated folder to be created on the new member. When you close
Folders theEdit Local Path dialog box, notice that the LOB Data replicated folder
shows <Disabled>, which means that this replicated folder will not be replicated to the new
member. Because you only want the Antivirus Signatures folder to be replicated to the new
member, you can ignore the warning message that appears.

Connections Under Available members, click a member, and then click Add. Repeat this step to add
the second member. The new member will replicate directly with both existing members.

Replication Select Custom connection schedule, and then click Edit Schedule. In the Edit Schedule
Schedule dialog box, click Details to expand the schedule, and then select the entry that
beginsSunday 12:00 AM and then click Edit. In the Edit Schedule dialog box,
under Bandwidth usage, click 128 Mbps.

Review Settings Click Create to add the new member to the Data Distribution replication group.
and Create
Member

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

 Replication Delay Click OK to close the dialog box that warns you about the delay in initial replication.
After you finish the wizard, click Data Distribution in the console tree, and then review the contents of
theConnections tab. It should look similar to the following figure:

Notice that in the Schedule Type column, connections to and from the new member show Custom
Connection Schedule instead of Replication Group Schedule. These show Custom Connection
Schedule because you chose a custom schedule when you added the new member. Creating custom
schedules for individual connections allows you to fine-tune the replication interval and bandwidth used
when replicating to specific members. Although it isn’t obvious in the user interface, each connection
marked Custom Connection Schedule is a separate schedule. You can modify one schedule
marked Custom Connection Schedule, but the other custom schedules are not affected.

Note

To change how the items are grouped, click a column heading. For example, to group the items by schedule
type, click the Schedule Type heading.
Entries marked Replication Group Schedule use the default replication schedule; this schedule is applied
to all connections in the replication group that do not have a custom schedule. To modify the default
replication schedule, right-click the Data Distribution replication group in the console tree,
click Properties, and then click Edit Schedule. To change a connection schedule from a custom connection
schedule to the replication group schedule or vice versa, on the Connections tab in the details pane,
double-click the connection, click the Schedule tab, and then clickReplication group schedule or Custom
connection schedule.

Task 3: Share and Publish Replicated Folders in a Namespace

When you created replicated folders in the previous tasks, you specified the local path of a folder on each
member of the replication group. Unless the local path on each server was previously shared, users cannot
access the replicated folders after they are created. To make replicated folders available to users, you must
share them and, optionally, publish them in an existing namespace.

In this task, you publish the LOB Data replicated folder in the \\server_or_domain\Public namespace that
you created in the DFS Namespaces step-by-step section. If you did not complete the previous step-by-step
section or do not have a namespace in your test lab, skip this procedure.

To share the LOB Data replicated folder and publish it in a namespace

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, under the Replication node, click the Data
Distributionreplication group.

2. In the details pane, click the Replicated Folders tab, right-click the LOB Data replicated folder,
and then clickShare and Publish in Namespace.
 3. Follow the steps in the Share and Publish Replicated Folder Wizard and supply the information
in the following table.

Share or Publish
Replicated Folder
Wizard Page What to Enter

Publishing Method Select Share and publish the replicated folder in a namespace.

Share Replicated For each member that shows [Shared Folder Needed] in the Action column, select the
Folders member, and then click Edit to create the new shared folder and adjust shared folder
permissions if necessary. If the Action column shows Create shared folder: LOB
Data orExisting Shared Folder, you can click Next.

Namespace Path In Parent folder in namespace, type \\server_or_domain\Public\Software.

Review Settings Click Share to share the replicated folders and publish the LOB Data replicated folder in the
and Share namespace.
Replicated Folder

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

After you finish the wizard, review the console tree and the Replicated Folders tab in the details pane.
First, notice in the console tree that an LOB Data folder was added to the namespace and the folder icon
indicates that the folder is replicated, as shown in the following figure.

Next, review the namespace path listed in the Replicated Folders tab, which should look similar to the
following figure.

You can see that the LOB Data replicated folder is published in a namespace but the Antivirus Signatures
replicated folder is not. To access the LOB Data folder in the namespace, in the Run dialog box,
type\\server_or_domain\Public\Software\LOB Data.

Note

If you want to stop publishing the LOB Data replicated folder in the namespace, you can right-click the replicated
folder and then click Remove from Namespace.
Task 4: Create a Replication Group for Collection Purposes
In this task, assume that you have a hub server in a central hub or data center location and a branch server
in a remote office. The branch server contains folders named Projects and Proposals that are very important
to the branch office, but there is a concern that the backups performed at the branch office are performed
incorrectly. You want to back up the Projects and Proposals folders from the data center to ensure that the
backups are successful.
To accomplish this goal, you will set up a replication group for data collection purposes. This type of
replication group consists of two members and one replicated folder for each folder that you want to back up
from the hub server at the data center. The permissions that are set on the replicated folders on the branch
server will be applied to the replicated folders on the hub server. You specify a single folder on the hub
server under which subfolders for the replicated folders will be created. This allows you to back up multiple
replicated folders from a single location on the hub server.

Important

When you create a new replication group, replication does not begin immediately. The topology and DFS
Replication settings must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must
poll its closest domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on
Active Directory replication latency and each member's long polling interval (60 minutes).
To create a replication group to replicate the Projects and Proposals folders from a branch server
to a hub server
1. In Windows Explorer or from the command prompt, create a folder named Projects and a folder
namedProposals on a server that will act as the branch server. The folders should be separate
folders (that is, not nested in one another).

2. Add some data to the Projects and Proposals folders on the branch server.

3. In Windows Explorer or from the command prompt, create a folder named Branch_Backups on a

server that will act as the hub server. Do not put data in this folder.

4. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Replication node, and then
click New Replication Group.

5. Follow the steps in the New Replication Group Wizard and supply the information in following
table.

New Replication Group

Wizard Page What to Enter

Replication Group Type Select Replication group for data collection.

Name and Domain In Name of replication group, type Branch Backups.

Branch Server Type the name of a server that will act as the branch server.

Replicated Folders Click Add. In the Add Folder to Replicate dialog box, type the local path of the
Projects folder you created in Step 1. Repeat this step for the local path of the
Proposals folder.

Hub Server Type the name of a server that will act as the hub server. This is the server where
you can back up the Projects and Proposals folders using backup software.

Target Folder on Hub In Target folder, type the path of the folder you created in Step 3.
Server

Replication Group Select Replicate continuously using the specified bandwidth.

Schedule and Bandwidth

Review Settings and Click Create to create the replication group.

Create Replication Group.

Confirmation Click Close to close the wizard.

Replication Delay Click OK to close the dialog box that warns you about the delay in initial
replication.
After you finish the wizard, click the Branch Backups replication group in the console tree and view
the Membershipstab in the details pane. Notice that two replicated folders were
created, Projects and Proposals, as shown in the following figure:
In the previous figure, notice that the path of the Projects and Proposals replicated folders on server BO-08
(the hub server) are both within the C:\Branch_Backups folder. This allows you to back up both replicated
folders from a single location on the hub.

Task 5: Create a Diagnostic Report

In this task, you create a diagnostic report to check the status of replication. The diagnostic report is an
.html file that includes error and warning events, replication statistics, backlogged files, and so forth for
each member of the replication group.

To create a diagnostic report

1. In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, under the Replication node, right-click
the Branch Backups replication group, and then click Create Diagnostic Report.

2. Follow the steps in the Diagnostic Report Wizard and supply the information in the following table.

Diagnostic Report
Wizard Page What to Enter

Path and Name Accept the defaults.

Members to Include Accept the defaults.

Options Ensure that Yes, count backlogged files in this report is selected, and also click
theCount the replicated files and their sizes on each member check box.

Review Settings and Click Create to create the diagnostic report.

Create Report

Confirmation The wizard closes automatically, and the diagnostic report appears.
Review the diagnostic report created for the Tools replication group. In particular, take a look at the
following sections:

 Note the DFS Replication efficiency savings. This savings will change over time as files are added and
changed. 

 Review any errors or warnings, if any, for the members. These are typically event log errors that
appear in the member's respective DFS Replication event log.