Windows Tip Sheet
Dreary DFS Daze
Review these tips if you have problems with Windows 2003's new file replication system.
Win2003 R2 introduces a whole new file replication system for Distributed File
System (DFS), and I couldn't wait to install it and try it out. I set
up the shiny new DFS Replication service and configured a DFS namespace folder
for replication among three folder targets.
And they didn't replicate.
I knew all the targets needed to be Win2003 R2 -- any other version wouldn't
have the new DFS Replication service, which is what you need (little tip there:
You need to upgrade all DFS targets to R2 at about the same time). I found out
that problems will occur if one of the targets is a share on a server cluster,
which was news to me, but not my problem as these columns don't pay enough
for me to own a cluster. But it turns out a number of other seemingly innocent
issues can cause my problem:
- The folder target is on a server that has multiple folder targets for the
DFS folder.
- The folder target was added to the DFS namespace by using a tool other than
the DFS Management snap-in.
- The folder target was not added to the replication group after the
folder target was added to the DFS namespace.
Issue No. 2 was my problem: I'd scripted the addition and obviously missed
some special pixie dust that the console knows to use. Rats. Deleting and re-adding
the affected targets solved the problem.
Additional Resources:
About the Author
Don Jones is a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft’s MVP Award, and is Curriculum Director for IT Pro Content for video training company Pluralsight. Don is also a co-founder and President of PowerShell.org, a community dedicated to Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell technology. Don has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, and specializes in the Microsoft business technology platform. He’s the author of more than 50 technology books, an accomplished IT journalist, and a sought-after speaker and instructor at conferences worldwide. Reach Don on Twitter at @concentratedDon, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConcentratedDon.