Definitely Dfs

Microsoft Dfs is slightly misnamed. Distributed File System isn't a true file system, although it sort of acts like one. Dfs lets you display to users a logical file-system structure that looks like a typical drive tree. However, the file system's components actually exist on a variety of computers in your network. Dfs is installed automatically with Windows 2000 Server, and the Dfs service starts automatically at boot-up.

Dfs use on your network can be as complex and as widespread as you want to make it. I suggest that you first set up Dfs in a lab environment (the best test setup is two Win2K Server machines and one Win2K Professional machine) and use the following information to explore the tool's possibilities. The more you experiment with Dfs, the better you'll understand its capabilities. You'll find that you can come up with creative and innovative ways to take advantage of this powerful system. To help get you started, let me give you an overview of the Dfs system rather than a complete "how-to-do-everything-in-Dfs" article. (For more details about Dfs, see Douglas Toombs, "Dfs in Windows 2000," Winter 1999.)

What Are the Benefits?
Dfs provides an environment in which users can easily and transparently access information from any location. With Dfs, users don't need to understand or wade through the complexities of navigating the network, and they don't need to enter complicated Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) paths to access resources on remote computers. Instead, users see a unified display of all the available network resources. This view is especially handy when your resources are in different sites or domains (UNC paths can become quite long in such situations).

For you as an administrator, using Dfs is easier than mapping drives. Not only do you avoid the risk of running out of letters, but you also can attain a higher level of consistency. For example, suppose two users, Sam and Gloria, map a particular resource to different drives on their workstations. After you set up Dfs, Sam (who mapped the resource to his G drive) and Gloria (who mapped the same resource to her F drive) both use the same name to access the resource.

As an administrator, you can change the point of origin for a resource that you've named. If a server goes down, you can substitute another server. If a server provides multiple shared resources, you can substitute another server for one of those resources—an easy-to-administer load-balancing technique. Changes are transparent to users, who never know that the source has changed and never need to adjust their program shortcuts or folder displays.

As an added advantage, Dfs might also boost your security level. Some administrators believe that Dfs enhances system security because users can't tell which servers provide which resources.

Start at the Root
Before users can access Dfs shares, you must create a Dfs root object. This object is a container that holds links to the shares and files in your Dfs configuration.

To create a root object, open the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Distributed File System snap-in. The console displays the Distributed File System object in the scope (i.e., left-hand) panel. Right-click the object, and choose New Dfs Root to launch the New Dfs Root Wizard. Click Next to move past the introductory window.

The wizard first asks whether you want to create a domain or standalone Dfs root. You can replicate and manage a domain root through Active Directory (AD), whereas a standalone root is exactly what its name implies: a root that exists independently. You can't replicate a standalone root, and this root type doesn't have access to AD's features. Therefore, the best choice is a domain root (which is the wizard's default selection).

Next, the wizard displays a list of available domains (i.e., the current domain and any trusted domains in your enterprise) and asks you to select the host domain for your Dfs root. I always use the current domain.

The next window prompts you to select a server to host the root. The wizard displays the name of the server you're working on, but you can click Browse to select another server. The best practice is to choose a server that's running NTFS. You can set up a Dfs root on a FAT system, but you lose the ability to replicate automatically, and of course you lose the security that NTFS provides.

In the next window, select or create a share to host the root. If shares exist on the server, the wizard suggests the first existing share (in alphabetical order). You can accept that share, or you can click the down arrow to the right of the Use an existing share text box and choose another share. You can also create a new share—you can even create and share a new folder. The best practice for a Dfs root is to create a new folder and share, unless you already have an empty shared folder. Figure 1 shows the process of creating a new folder and root share. When you create a new folder, the wizard asks for confirmation when you click Next. Click Yes to proceed.

The wizard next asks you to name the root and suggests a share name. I generally find the suggested name appropriate. You can optionally enter a description in the Comment field.

The wizard then presents a summary of the settings for your Dfs root. Click Finish if everything is correct, or click Back to return to a previous window and make any necessary corrections.

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