Luc
2009-04-24 09:42:30 UTC
I'm new to DFS, so please...
What I'm trying to do seems simple enough, and it works, but only for 98%.
** My goal:
I want to virtually extend a server 2003's harddisk by offloading a subtree
contining half a gazillion of PDF files to a NAS (it will be running
Storage Server 2003 in the final setup, but I'm using a cheapo NAS device
from Maxtor for my first trials because I don't have the other machine
yet).
To minimize the impact on client machines, the files have to look to the
world as if they are still located in the same folder in the same share on
the server where they've always been.
Is DFS the best (or only) way to accomplish this?
Are there any pitfalls to watch out for?
** What works:
I created a DFS root on the server (called it TestDFS), and created two
links in it targeting two different shares on the Maxtor NAS.
The root, which shows up as a folder on the server's harddisk, is shared as
\\servername\TestDFS\.
The root is not published in active directory because it's only meant to be
an extension of the server, not a separate network resource.
This works fine, the shares on the NAS show up as subfolders in the server
share (\\servername\TestDFS\NASFolder1\ and
\\servername\TestDFS\NASFolder2\).
Their contents are accessible from my workstation and from other machines
as expected.
** What does NOT work:
I cannot access the "remoted" subfolders (the targets) in explorer on the
server itself.
They show up as folders, but when I try to access them it says "The network
location cannot be reached", yet their status in the DFS console is Enabled
and Online.
In other words, I can access the NAS through the DFS links on the server
from anywhere in the domain, *except* on the server itself.
On the other hand, if I approach them as \\127.0.0.1\TestDFS\NASFolder1\,
it works there too.
That means that applications running on the server, if they expect the
files to exist in a folder on a local harddisk, can't access them there.
Is this normal? Are DFS targets reachable only through UNC paths?
What I'm trying to do seems simple enough, and it works, but only for 98%.
** My goal:
I want to virtually extend a server 2003's harddisk by offloading a subtree
contining half a gazillion of PDF files to a NAS (it will be running
Storage Server 2003 in the final setup, but I'm using a cheapo NAS device
from Maxtor for my first trials because I don't have the other machine
yet).
To minimize the impact on client machines, the files have to look to the
world as if they are still located in the same folder in the same share on
the server where they've always been.
Is DFS the best (or only) way to accomplish this?
Are there any pitfalls to watch out for?
** What works:
I created a DFS root on the server (called it TestDFS), and created two
links in it targeting two different shares on the Maxtor NAS.
The root, which shows up as a folder on the server's harddisk, is shared as
\\servername\TestDFS\.
The root is not published in active directory because it's only meant to be
an extension of the server, not a separate network resource.
This works fine, the shares on the NAS show up as subfolders in the server
share (\\servername\TestDFS\NASFolder1\ and
\\servername\TestDFS\NASFolder2\).
Their contents are accessible from my workstation and from other machines
as expected.
** What does NOT work:
I cannot access the "remoted" subfolders (the targets) in explorer on the
server itself.
They show up as folders, but when I try to access them it says "The network
location cannot be reached", yet their status in the DFS console is Enabled
and Online.
In other words, I can access the NAS through the DFS links on the server
from anywhere in the domain, *except* on the server itself.
On the other hand, if I approach them as \\127.0.0.1\TestDFS\NASFolder1\,
it works there too.
That means that applications running on the server, if they expect the
files to exist in a folder on a local harddisk, can't access them there.
Is this normal? Are DFS targets reachable only through UNC paths?