What is DFS?

Hello Friends, 

Is site part of the Active Directory namespace?

NO: - When a user browses the logical namespace, computers and users are grouped into domains and OUs without reference to sites. However, site names are used in the Domain Name System (DNS) records, so sites must be given valid DNS names.

What is DFS?

The 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. 

Understanding the DFS Terminology It is important to understand the new concepts that are part of DFS. Below is an definition of each of them.

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. The image below shows the actual folder structure of what the user sees when using DFS and load balancing.

Figure 1: The actual folder structure of DFS and load balancing

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.

 

What are the types of replication in DFS?

There are two types of replication: * Automatic - which is only available for Domain DFS * Manual - which is available for stand alone, DFS and requires all files to be replicated manually. 

Which service is responsible for replicating files in SYSVOL folder?

File Replication Service (FRS)

 What all can a site topology owner do?

The site topology owner is the name given to the administrator (or administrators) that oversee the site

topology. The owner is responsible for making any necessary changes to the site as the physical network grows and changes. The site topology owner’s responsibilities include:

■ Making changes to the site topology based on changes to the physical network topology.

■ Tracking subnetting information for the network. This includes IP addresses, subnet masks, and the locations of the subnets.

■ Monitoring network connectivity and setting the costs for links between sites.

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What is a site? user of site.

Information about sites.

What is a site?

A Windows Server 2003 site is a group of domain controllers that exist on one or more IP subnets (see Lesson 3 for more on this) and are connected by a fast, reliable network connection. Fast means connections of at least 1Mbps. In other words, a site usually follows the boundaries of a local area network (LAN). If different LANs on the network are connected by a wide area network (WAN), you’ll likely create one site for each LAN. 

What is the use of site?

Sites are primarily used to control replication traffic. Domain controllers within a site are pretty much free to replicate changes to the Active Directory database whenever changes are made. Domain controllers in different sites compress the replication traffic and operate based on a defined schedule, both of which are intended to cut down on network traffic.

More specifically, sites are used to control the following: 

■ Workstation logon traffic

■ Replication traffic

■ Distributed File System (DFS)

Distributed File System (DFS) is a server component that provides a unified naming convention for folders and files stored on different servers on a network. DFS lets you create a single logical hierarchy for folders and files that is consistent on a network, regardless of where on the network those items are actually stored. Files represented in the DFS might be stored in multiple locations on the network, so it makes sense that Active Directory should be able to direct users to the closest physical location of the data they need. To this end, DFS uses site information to direct a client to the server that is hosting the requested data within the site. If DFS does not find a copy of the data within the same site as the client, DFS uses the site information in Active Directory to determine which file server that has DFS shared data is closest to the client. 

■ File Replication Service (FRS)

Every domain controller has a built-in collection of folders named SYSVOL (for System Volume). The SYSVOL folders provide a default Active Directory location for files that must be replicated throughout a domain. You can use SYSVOL to replicate Group Policy Objects, startup and shutdown scripts, and logon and logoff scripts. A Windows Server 2003 service named File Replication Service (FRS) is responsible for replicating files in the SYSVOL folders between domain controllers. FRS uses site boundaries to govern the replication of items in the SYSVOL folders. 

What are the objects a site contains?

Sites contain only two types of objects. The first type is the domain controllers contained in the site. The second type of object is the site links configured to connect the site to other sites.

What is a Site link?

Within a site, replication happens automatically. For replication to occur between sites, you must establish a link between the sites. There are two components to this link: the actual physical connection between the sites (usually a WAN link) and a site link object. The site link object is created within Active Directory and determines the protocol used for transferring replication traffic (Internet Protocol [IP] or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol [SMTP]). The site link object also governs when replication is scheduled to occur.

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