Applies
To: Windows Server 2008
The Distributed File System (DFS) technologies offer wide area network
(WAN)-friendly replication as well as simplified, highly available access to
geographically dispersed files. In Windows Server® 2008, DFS is
implemented as a role service of the File Services role. The Distributed File
System role service consists of two child role services:
·
DFS Namespaces
·
DFS Replication
If you are not familiar with DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication in
Windows Server 2008, we recommend that you read the document titled
"Overview of the Distributed File System Solution in Microsoft
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). For information about the
enhancements of DFS introduced in Windows Server 2008, see
"Distributed File System" on the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108012).
For information about
DFS in Windows Server® 2008 R2, see the What's New in Distributed File System topic
in Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2008 to
Windows Server 2008 R2.
For a list of recent
changes to this topic, see the Change History section of this topic.
This step-by-step guide provides system requirements, installation
instructions, and step-by-step walkthroughs for deploying DFS Namespaces and
DFS Replication features in Windows Server 2008 in a lab environment.
Two step-by-step sections are provided in this guide. The following
bulleted lists outline the requirements for completing each of the two
step-by-step guides.
To complete all of the tasks in this section, you need a minimum of two
servers configured in the test lab as follows:
·
One server must run Windows Server 2008. 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 or Windows Server 2008.
·
To create domain-based namespaces in these tasks, you must have
Active Directory® Domain Services (AD DS) 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 Delegate Management Permissions for DFS Namespaces.
·
To deploy DFS Replication in the namespace, you must have extended the
schema to include the new DFS Replication objects in AD DS. For specific
configuration requirements, see the section "Installing Windows
Server 2008 and Distributed File System" later in this guide.
You can complete a subset of tasks if you have a single server or if you
do not have AD DS deployed in the test lab.
To complete all of the 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 or Windows Server 2008 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 2008 and Distributed File System" later in this guide to
install the service and snap-in.
·
The test lab must have AD DS installed. Depending on the version of
your schema, you might need to extend the schema using the instructions
described in "Updating the AD DS schema" later in this guide.
Before beginning either step-by-step section, it is important to review
the following requirements and limitations of DFS Replication, as well as the
Limitations and Requirements section of DFS Replication: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
·
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.
·
Antivirus software must be compatible with DFS Replication. Contact your
antivirus software vendor to check for compatibility.
·
DFS Replication might not work across firewalls when replicating between
branch offices without a virtual private network (VPN) connection because it
uses the remote procedure call (RPC) dynamic endpoint mapper. Additionally,
configuring DFS Replication using the DFS Management snap-in does not work when
a firewall is enabled. To enable DFS Replication to work through a firewall,
you can define a static port using the Dfsrdiag.exe command-line tool. For more
information about using DFS Replication across a firewall, see the
"Limitation and Requirements" section in DFS Replication: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
The following sections provide instructions for installing Windows
Server 2008 and the DFS Management snap-in.
To use DFS Replication, the domain must use the Windows Server 2003
or higher domain functional level. To use all functionality of DFS Namespaces,
your environment must meet the following minimum requirements:
·
The forest uses the Windows Server 2003 or higher forest functional
level.
·
The domain uses the Windows Server 2008 or higher domain functional
level.
·
All namespace servers are running Windows Server 2008.
If your environment supports it, choose the Windows Server 2008 mode when you create new domain-based namespaces. This mode provides additional features and scalability, and also eliminates the possible need to migrate a namespace from the Windows 2000 Server mode. For information about migrating a namespace to Windows Server 2008 mode, see Migrate a Domain-based Namespace to Windows Server 2008 Mode.
If your environment supports it, choose the Windows Server 2008 mode when you create new domain-based namespaces. This mode provides additional features and scalability, and also eliminates the possible need to migrate a namespace from the Windows 2000 Server mode. For information about migrating a namespace to Windows Server 2008 mode, see Migrate a Domain-based Namespace to Windows Server 2008 Mode.
Note:
For
information about the minimum requirements to use DFS Namespaces, see Prepare to Deploy DFS Namespaces; for
information about the minimum requirements to use DFS Replication, see Review Requirements for DFS Replication.
For instructions on how to update the AD DS schema, see Running Adprep.exe.
After the schema is
updated as necessary, you can install the DFS components by using the following
procedures.
Add Roles Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
Before You Begin
|
Click Next after you verify that
the requirements listed on the page have been met.
|
Select Server Roles
|
Select the File Services check
box.
|
File Services
|
Click Next.
|
Select Roles Services
|
Select the Distributed File System check
box to install both DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication.
To install DFS Namespaces or DFS Replication
individually, select the check box that corresponds to the part of DFS that
you want to install.
|
Create a DFS Namespace
|
Select the Create a namespace later using
the DFS Management snap-in in Server Manager check box.
|
Confirmation
|
Click Install to install the
file server role and DFS.
|
Installation Progress
|
This page is automatically replaced by the Installation
Results page when installation is completed.
|
Installation Results
|
Note any errors, and then click Close to
close the wizard.
|
During Setup, follow the on-screen prompts to install Windows
Server 2008. Refer to the section "Lab Requirements" earlier in
this guide for details about which servers must run Windows Server 2008
and which servers can run Windows Server 2003 R2 or
Windows Server 2003 SP1.
After Windows
Server 2008 is installed, you can install the DFS components and open the
DFS Management snap-in by using the following procedures.
Note:
The method below using the Server
Manager tool enables you to install DFS 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.
- Click Start,
point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools,
and then click Server Manager.
- In the console tree of
Server Manager, right-click the Roles node, and then
click Add Roles.
- Follow the steps in the Add
Roles Wizard, and supply the information described in the following table.
Use the following procedure if the file server role has already been
added.
- Click Start,
point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools,
and then click Server Manager.
- In the console tree of
Server Manager, right-click the Files Services node, and
then click Add Role Services.
- Follow the steps in the Add
Roles Services Wizard, and supply the information described in the
following table.
Add Role Services Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
Select Role Services
|
Select the Distributed
File System check box to install both DFS Namespaces and DFS
Replication.
To install DFS Namespaces or
DFS Replication individually, select the check box that corresponds to the
part of DFS that you want to install.
|
Create a DFS Namespace
|
Click Create a
namespace later using the DFS Management snap-in in Server Manager check
box.
|
Confirmation
|
Click Install to
install the file server role and DFS.
|
Installation Progress
|
This page is automatically
replaced by the Installation Results page when installation
is completed.
|
Installation Results
|
Note any errors, and then
click Close to close the wizard.
|
 Note |
Installing DFS Management also
installs Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, which is required to run the DFS
Management snap-in.
|
·
Click Start, point to All Programs, point
to Administrative Tools, and then click DFS Management.
You can also use the DFS Management snap-in hosted by Server Manager to
manage DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication.
The DFS Management snap-in is the graphical user interface (GUI) 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.
The console tree has two nodes, Namespaces and Replication, from which
you can manage namespaces and DFS Replication.
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.
|
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.
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, Delegation, and Search 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.
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 the Action pane option in the Customize
View dialog box.
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.
DFS Namespaces enables 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 AD DS. 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.
When creating a namespace, you must choose one of the following
namespace types:
·
A stand-alone namespace
·
A domain-based namespace
Choose a stand-alone namespace if any of the following conditions apply
to your environment:
·
Your organization does not use Active Directory Domain Services
(AD DS).
·
You need to create a single namespace with more than 5,000 DFS folders
in a domain that does not meet the requirements for a domain-based namespace
(Windows Server 2008 mode).
·
You want to increase the availability of the namespace by using a
failover cluster.
| Note |
To check the size of a
namespace, right-click the namespace in the DFS Management console tree,
click Properties, and then view the namespace size in theNamespace
Properties dialog box.
|
Choose a domain-based namespace if any of the following conditions apply
to your environment:
·
You want to ensure the availability of the namespace by using multiple
namespace servers.
·
You want to hide the name of the namespace server from users. Choosing a
domain-based namespace makes it easier to replace the namespace server or
migrate the namespace to another server.
In addition, if you choose a domain-based namespace, you must choose one
of the following namespace modes:
·
Windows 2000 Server mode
·
Windows Server 2008 mode.
The Windows Server 2008 mode includes support for access-based
enumeration and increased scalability. The domain-based namespace introduced in
Windows 2000 Server is now referred to as "domain-based
namespace (Windows 2000 Server mode)."
To use the Windows
Server 2008 mode, the domain and namespace must meet the following minimum
requirements:
·
The domain uses the Windows Server 2008 domain functional level.
·
All namespace servers are running Windows Server 2008.
If your environment supports it, choose the Windows Server 2008
mode when you create new domain-based namespaces. This mode provides additional
features and scalability, and also eliminates the possible need to migrate a
namespace from the Windows 2000 Server mode.
If your environment
does not support domain-based namespaces in Windows Server 2008 mode, use
the existing Windows 2000 Server mode for the namespace.
The characteristics
of each namespace type and mode are described in the following table.
Characteristic
|
Stand-Alone Namespace
|
Domain-based Namespace (Windows 2000 Server Mode)
|
Domain-based Namespace (Windows Server 2008 Mode)
|
Path to namespace
|
\\ServerName\RootName
|
\\NetBIOSDomainName\RootName
\\DNSDomainName\RootName
|
\\NetBIOSDomainName\RootName
\\DNSDomainName\RootName
|
Namespace information storage
location
|
In the registry and in a memory
cache on the namespace server
|
In AD DS and in a memory
cache on each namespace server
|
In AD DS and in a memory
cache on each namespace server
|
Namespace size recommendations
|
The namespace can contain more
than 5,000 folders with targets
|
The size of the namespace
object in AD DS should be less than 5 megabytes (MB) to maintain
compatibility with domain controllers that are not running Windows
Server 2008. This means no more than approximately 5,000 folders with
targets.
|
The namespace can contain more
than 5,000 folders with targets
|
Minimum AD DS
domain-functional level
|
AD DS not required
|
Windows 2000 mixed
|
Windows Server 2008
|
Minimum supported namespace
servers
|
Windows 2000 Server
|
Windows 2000 Server
|
Windows Server 2008
|
Support for access-b ased
enumeration (if enabled)
|
Yes, requires Windows
Server 2008 namespace server
|
No
|
Yes
|
Supported methods to ensure
namespace availability
|
Create a stand-alone namespace
on a failover cluster.
|
Use multiple namespace servers
to host the namespace. (The namespace servers must be in the same domain.)
|
Use multiple namespace servers
to host the namespace. (The namespace servers must be in the same domain.)
|
Support for using DFS
Replication to replicate folder targets
|
Supported when joined to AD DS
domain
|
Supported
|
Supported
|
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.
In this task, you create a new namespace using the DFS Management
snap-in.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Namespaces node,
and then click New Namespace.
- Follow the steps in the New
Namespace Wizard and supply the information described in the following
table.
New Namespace Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
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 and Settings
|
In Name, type Public.
|
Namespace Type
|
If AD DS 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, choose Domain-based
namespace. Otherwise, choose Stand-alone namespace. For more
information about namespace types, see "Namespace types and modes"
earlier in this guide.
To learn how a member of the
Domain Admins group can delegate permission to create domain-based
namespaces, see Delegate Management Permissions for DFS Namespaces.
|
Review Settings and Create
Namespace
|
Click Create to
create the 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
For information about
how to migrate an existing namespace to Windows Server 2008 mode,
see Migrate a Domain-based Namespace to Windows Server 2008
Mode.
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 enables 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\domain\Public,
and then click Add Namespace Server.
- 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.
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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public,
and then click Delegate Management Permissions.
- 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 clicking Remove. Any
users or groups that show "Inherited" have inherited management
permissions from AD DS, 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 Delegate Management Permissions for DFS Namespaces.
|
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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public,
and then click New Folder.
- 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Software folder,
and then click New Folder.
- In Name,
type Tools.
- Click Add to
add a folder target.
- Click Browse to
open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.
- In Server, enter
the name of the server that will host the Tools shared folder.
- Click New Shared
Folder.
- 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Tools folder, and
then click Add Folder Target.
- Click Browse to
open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.
- 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.
- Click New Shared
Folder.
- 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.
- 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public,
and then click New Folder.
- In Name,
type Training Guides.
- Click Add to
add a folder target.
- Click Browse to
open the Browse for Shared Folders dialog box.
- In Server, enter
the name of the server that will host the Training Guides shared folder.
- Click New Shared
Folder.
- 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.
Click OK to close all dialog boxes.
When you finish these procedures, your namespace will look like the
following figure.
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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Training Guides folder,
and then click Rename Folder.
- In the Rename Folder dialog
box, in New name, type Training Demos.
·
In the console tree of the DFS Management snap-in, click the Training
Demos folder, and then drag it to the Software folder.
After you finish these procedures, your namespace should look like this:
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 2008, 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 AD DS 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 AD DS replication latency and
the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member.
|
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Tools folder, and
then click Replicate Folder.
- 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
Replicated Folder Name
|
Accept the defaults.
|
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 and
Bandwidth
|
Select Replicate
continuously using the specified bandwidth.
|
Review Settings and Create
Replication Group
|
Click Create to
create the 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.
In this task, you create a diagnostic report to check the status of
replication. The type of diagnostic report you create in this task is a health
report. The health report is an .html file that shows the health of replication
and replication efficiency. This report includes error and warning events,
replication statistics, backlogged files, and other information for each member
of the replication group.
- 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 clickCreate Diagnostic Report.
- Follow the steps in the
Diagnostic Report Wizard and supply the information in the following
table.
Diagnostic Report Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
Type of Diagnostic Report or
Test
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Path and Name
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Members to Include
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Options
|
Ensure that Yes, count
backlogged files in this report is selected, select the server that
has the most up-to-date files from Reference Member, and then
select the Count the replicated files and their sizes on each member check
box.
|
Review Settings and Create
Report
|
Click Create to
create the diagnostic report.
|
Confirmation
|
The wizard closes
automatically, and the diagnostic report appears.
|
Review the health report created for the Tools replication group. In
particular, take a look at the following sections:
·
Note the DFS Replication bandwidth 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.
The Diagnostic Report Wizard creates the health report by default. Note
that you can set the wizard to perform the following operations as well:
·
Run a propagation test.
·
Create a propagation report.
A propagation test measures replication progress by creating a test file
in a replicated folder. A propagation report provides information about the
replication progress for the test file created during a propagation test.
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 DFS 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click \\server_or_domain\Public,
and then click Properties.
- 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:
- Targets in the same site as
the client are listed in random order at the top of the referral.
- 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 or Windows Server 2008.
| 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 the Referrals 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, click the Tools folder.
- In the details pane, on
the Folder Targets tab, right-click one of the folder
targets, and then click Properties.
- On the Advanced tab,
click Override referral ordering, and then click Last
among all targets.
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.
- 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:
- In Windows Explorer, click
the Folders button to display the Public root in the
folder tree.
- In the folder tree,
right-click Public, and then click Properties to
open the Properties dialog box.
- 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.
- Click OK to
close the dialog box.
- In Windows Explorer,
double-click the Software folder. You should see two
folders, Tools and Training Demos.
- Double-click the Tools folder
to open it.
- In the folder tree,
right-click the Tools folder, and then click Properties.
- 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.
The target marked Active is the target currently
connected to your client computer, which should be a different target from
the one you marked as Last among all targets when you set
the target priority.
- Click OK to
close the dialog box.
- Click the Training
Demos folder in the folder tree to open it.
- 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.
In this task, disable the network card or turn off the server that hosts
one of the root targets for the \\domain\Public namespace.
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.
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.
DFS Replication is the state-based, multimaster replication engine in
Windows Server 2008. 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.
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 replication topology.
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.
For more information
about DFS Replication, see DFS Replication: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)..
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 AD DS
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.
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.
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 AD DS
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.
- 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 the What are the supported limits of DFS Replication? entry
of DFS Replication: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)..
- Optionally, 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Replication node,
and then click New Replication Group.
- 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 Members
|
Click Add to
select at least two servers that will participate in replication. The servers
must have the DFS Replication Service installed.
|
Topology Selection
|
Select Full mesh.
|
Replication Group Schedule and
Bandwidth
|
Select Replicate
continuously using the specified 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 Other
Members
|
On this page, you specify the
location of the LOB Data folder on the other members of the replication
group. To specify the path, clickEdit, and then in the Edit dialog
box, click Enabled, and then type the local path of the LOB Data
folder.
|
Local Path of Antivirus
Signatures on Other Members
|
On this page, you specify the
location of the Antivirus Signatures folder on the other members of the
replication group. To specify the path, click Edit, and then in
the Edit dialog box, click Enabled, and then
type the local path of the Antivirus Signatures folder.
|
Review Settings and Create
Replication Group
|
Click Create to
create the 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, Staging,
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
AD DS, and you cannot remove them from the delegation list using the DFS
Management snap-in.
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 AD DS replication
latency, the short polling interval (5 minutes) on the new member, and the
long polling interval (60 minutes) on existing members.
|
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Data Distribution replication
group, and then click New Member.
- 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.
|
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 Schedule
|
Select Custom
connection schedule, and then click Edit Schedule. In the
Edit Schedule dialog box, click Details to expand the
schedule, and then select the entry that begins Sunday 12:00 AM and
then click Edit. In the Edit Schedule dialog
box, under Bandwidth usage, click 128 Mbps.
|
Local Path of Replicated
Folders
|
Select the Antivirus
Signatures replicated folder, click Edit, click Enabled,
and then enter the local path of the replicated folder to be created on the
new member. When you close the Edit Local Path dialog box,
notice that the LOB Data replicated folder shows
|
Review Settings and Create
Member
|
Click Create to
add the new member to the Data Distribution 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 Data Distribution in
the console tree, and then review the contents of the Connections 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 enables 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 click Replication group schedule or Custom
connection schedule.
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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, under the Replication node, click
the Data Distribution replication group.
- In the details pane, click
the Replicated Folders tab, right-click the LOB
Data replicated folder, and then click Share and Publish
in Namespace.
- Follow the steps in
the Share and Publish Replicated Folder Wizard and supply
the information in the following table.
Share and Publish Replicated Folder Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
Publishing Method
|
Select Share and
publish the replicated folder in a namespace.
|
Share Replicated Folders
|
For each member that
shows [Shared Folder Needed] in the Action column,
select the 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 or Existing
Shared Folder, you can click Next.
|
Namespace Path
|
In Parent folder in
namespace, type \\server_or_domain\Public\Software.
|
Review Settings and Share
Replicated Folder
|
Click Share to
share the replicated folders and publish the LOB Data replicated folder in
the namespace.
|
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.
|
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 enables 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 AD DS
replication latency and each member's long polling interval (60 minutes).
|
- In Windows Explorer or from
the command prompt, create a folder named Projects and a
folder named Proposals on a server that will act as the
branch server. The folders should be separate folders (that is, not nested
in one another).
- Add some files to the Projects and Proposals folders
on the branch server.
- 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.
- In the console tree of the
DFS Management snap-in, right-click the Replication node,
and then click New Replication Group.
- 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 Server
|
In Target folder,
type the path of the folder you created in Step 3.
|
Replication Group Schedule and
Bandwidth
|
Select Replicate
continuously using the specified bandwidth.
|
Review Settings and Create
Replication Group.
|
Click Create to
create the 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 Memberships tab 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 enables you to back up both replicated
folders from a single location on the hub.
In this task, you create a diagnostic report to check the status of
replication. The type of diagnostic report you create in this task is a health
report. The health report is an .html file that shows the health of replication
and replication efficiency. This report includes error and warning events,
replication statistics, backlogged files, and so forth for each member of the
replication group.
- 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.
- Follow the steps in the
Diagnostic Report Wizard and supply the information in the following
table.
Diagnostic Report Wizard page
|
What to enter
|
Type of Diagnostic Report or
Test
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Path and Name
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Members to Include
|
Accept the defaults.
|
Options
|
Ensure that Yes, count
backlogged files in this report is selected, select the server that
has the most up-to-date files from Reference Member, and then
select the Count the replicated files and their sizes on each member check
box.
|
Review Settings and Create
Report
|
Click Create to
create the diagnostic report.
|
Confirmation
|
The wizard closes
automatically, and the diagnostic report appears.
|
Review the health report created for the Branch Backups replication
group. In particular, take a look at the following sections:
·
Note the DFS Replication bandwidth 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.
The Diagnostic Report Wizard creates the health report by default. Note
that you can also set the wizard to perform the following operations:
·
Run a propagation test.
·
Create a propagation report.
A propagation test measures
replication progress by creating a test file in a replicated folder. A
propagation report provides information about the replication progress for the
test file created during a propagation test.
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