Namespace DFS on a DC

I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
server.

My Company is implementing DFS soon. We estimate we will grow to 1000
targeted folders under multiple Namespace Roots.

I have read that there might be extended Boot up times for the Domain
Controllers as the Namespace is checked during the boot up process.

Has anyone expericenced negative effects to using the Domain controllers as
a Namespace server? Does Microsoft have some know issues with DCs as a
namespace.

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:07 -0700, Jim <> wrote:

>I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
>server.

Where?
I don't recall ever seeing such a recommendation but it does publish the DFS
root to the browser list.

>
>My Company is implementing DFS soon. We estimate we will grow to 1000
>targeted folders under multiple Namespace Roots.
>
>I have read that there might be extended Boot up times for the Domain
>Controllers as the Namespace is checked during the boot up process.
>
>Has anyone expericenced negative effects to using the Domain controllers as
>a Namespace server? Does Microsoft have some know issues with DCs as a
>namespace.
--
Dave Mills
There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't.

In message <> DaveMills
<> was claimed to have wrote:

>On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:07 -0700, Jim <> wrote:
>
>>I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
>>server.
>
>Where?
>I don't recall ever seeing such a recommendation but it does publish the DFS
>root to the browser list.

Isn't this basically a requirement to avoid having a single point of
failure in the DFS root unless you run Enterprise across the board and
make use of clustering?

In other words, unless you use DCs, users need to guess which DFS root
is both local to them (and up right now) in order to access any other
resources under the DFS shares.

I might be wrong about that, when we rolled out DFS we didn't have
enough servers to have any other options and it would take a lot to
overcome inertia.

On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:56:02 -0700, Dave Warren <dave->
wrote:

>In message <> DaveMills
><> was claimed to have wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:07 -0700, Jim <> wrote:
>>
>>>I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
>>>server.
>>
>>Where?
>>I don't recall ever seeing such a recommendation but it does publish the DFS
>>root to the browser list.
>
>Isn't this basically a requirement to avoid having a single point of
>failure in the DFS root unless you run Enterprise across the board and
>make use of clustering?
No you only need multiple DCs and multiple DFS Root servers but see my comments
below too.
>
>In other words, unless you use DCs, users need to guess which DFS root
>is both local to them (and up right now) in order to access any other
>resources under the DFS shares.
>
>I might be wrong about that, when we rolled out DFS we didn't have
>enough servers to have any other options and it would take a lot to
>overcome inertia.

According the "How DFS Works"
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l...17(WS.10).aspx

having the DFS service installed on a DC is now part of the "optimal
configuration"

I think this has changed since I first read this document. Clearly from "How DFS
works" you do not have to have the DFS service on all DCs but maybe it helps to
do so. The client will get the root referral to the DC instead of a DFSRoot
server. This could be less demanding on the client as it already has a
connection to the DC. It may also help resolve the long delays that occurs when
a DFS Root server goes down.

I will have to review my configuration and look into adding the DFS Server role
to the DCs.
--
Dave Mills
There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't.

In message <> DaveMills
<> was claimed to have wrote:

>On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:56:02 -0700, Dave Warren <dave->
>wrote:
>
>>In message <> DaveMills
>><> was claimed to have wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:07 -0700, Jim <> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
>>>>server.
>>>
>>>Where?
>>>I don't recall ever seeing such a recommendation but it does publish the DFS
>>>root to the browser list.
>>
>>Isn't this basically a requirement to avoid having a single point of
>>failure in the DFS root unless you run Enterprise across the board and
>>make use of clustering?
>No you only need multiple DCs and multiple DFS Root servers but see my comments
>below too.
>>
>>In other words, unless you use DCs, users need to guess which DFS root
>>is both local to them (and up right now) in order to access any other
>>resources under the DFS shares.
>>
>>I might be wrong about that, when we rolled out DFS we didn't have
>>enough servers to have any other options and it would take a lot to
>>overcome inertia.
>
>According the "How DFS Works"
>http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l...17(WS.10).aspx
>
>having the DFS service installed on a DC is now part of the "optimal
>configuration"
>
>I think this has changed since I first read this document. Clearly from "How DFS
>works" you do not have to have the DFS service on all DCs but maybe it helps to
>do so. The client will get the root referral to the DC instead of a DFSRoot
>server. This could be less demanding on the client as it already has a
>connection to the DC. It may also help resolve the long delays that occurs when
>a DFS Root server goes down.
>
>I will have to review my configuration and look into adding the DFS Server role
>to the DCs.

By putting DFS roots on DCs, all users across the entire organization
can use \\company.example\dfsroot as a starting point regardless of
their location and they get an appropriately local DC when possible.

If the DFS roots aren't on DCs then users will have varying
\\servername.company.example\dfsroot starting points, and if a user
moves from one site to another or a server goes down (or whatever)
they'll need to manually use a new "servername" portion.

Is there a way to get a similar \\company.example\dfsroot type
experience for users across multiple sites without putting dfsroots on
DCs?

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:27:15 -0700, Dave Warren <dave->
wrote:

>In message <> DaveMills
><> was claimed to have wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:56:02 -0700, Dave Warren <dave->
>>wrote:
>>
>>>In message <> DaveMills
>>><> was claimed to have wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:07 -0700, Jim <> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>I know it is recommended to use your Domain Controllers as the Namespace
>>>>>server.
>>>>
>>>>Where?
>>>>I don't recall ever seeing such a recommendation but it does publish the DFS
>>>>root to the browser list.
>>>
>>>Isn't this basically a requirement to avoid having a single point of
>>>failure in the DFS root unless you run Enterprise across the board and
>>>make use of clustering?
>>No you only need multiple DCs and multiple DFS Root servers but see my comments
>>below too.
>>>
>>>In other words, unless you use DCs, users need to guess which DFS root
>>>is both local to them (and up right now) in order to access any other
>>>resources under the DFS shares.
>>>
>>>I might be wrong about that, when we rolled out DFS we didn't have
>>>enough servers to have any other options and it would take a lot to
>>>overcome inertia.
>>
>>According the "How DFS Works"
>>http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l...17(WS.10).aspx
>>
>>having the DFS service installed on a DC is now part of the "optimal
>>configuration"
>>
>>I think this has changed since I first read this document. Clearly from "How DFS
>>works" you do not have to have the DFS service on all DCs but maybe it helps to
>>do so. The client will get the root referral to the DC instead of a DFSRoot
>>server. This could be less demanding on the client as it already has a
>>connection to the DC. It may also help resolve the long delays that occurs when
>>a DFS Root server goes down.
>>
>>I will have to review my configuration and look into adding the DFS Server role
>>to the DCs.
>
>By putting DFS roots on DCs, all users across the entire organization
>can use \\company.example\dfsroot as a starting point regardless of
>their location and they get an appropriately local DC when possible.
>
>If the DFS roots aren't on DCs then users will have varying
>\\servername.company.example\dfsroot starting points, and if a user
>moves from one site to another or a server goes down (or whatever)
>they'll need to manually use a new "servername" portion.

Not exactly true. I have a single site but even though the DFSRoot is not on any
DC I can use \\domain\dfsroot or \\domain.com\dfsroot. I cannot browse \\domain
and then find DFSRoot though which would be an advantage of using the DC as the
root.
>
>Is there a way to get a similar \\company.example\dfsroot type
>experience for users across multiple sites without putting dfsroots on
>DCs?
--
Dave Mills
There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't.