DFS Question... :)

I was wondering if anyone as any ideas about the following problem, your help would be gratefully received.

I have 3 servers, DC1, DC2 and DC3 across 3 sites and a DFS share for user accounts replicating across the domain. I have configured AD sites and services with subnet information, inter site transports and I have placed each server in its appropriate site container.

Unfortunately the workstations are connecting across the wan to the wrong servers when accessing the DFS. For example a workstation in the first subnet is accessing the DFS data on the third subnet? I was hoping that the DFS and domain would look at the workstation’s IP address to ensure it accessed resources in the appropriate location? Perhaps this is not the case?

I have not changed the NTDS settings, I am not sure if this is related to the problem?

Please let me know if you have any ideas,

All the best

Loop9000

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mrx9000

Excellent! I have worked out part of the problem!

I did not mention that I was having terrible trouble with permissions, users could not write to the folders on the DFS even though they had full NTFS permissions along with full share permissions on DC1.

A tip for anyone using DFS - Share permissions are not replicated across the DFS, unlike NTFS permissions.

I was working from DC1 with full share permission for everyone, but the users were accessing DC3 on the DFS which only has read share permission.

This has been bugging me for days!

Still cannot work out why users in Subnet1 are still going across the WAN to DC3??? Will let you know if I work it out.

cacharo

Thanks for the tip. Good to know, I could see this coming up for alot of the admins out there.

dynamik

theloop wrote:

Still cannot work out why users in Subnet1 are still going across the WAN to DC3??? Will let you know if I work it out.

I'm not familiar with DFS. Does it rely on DNS? If so, you should check your DNS settings to make sure it's getting the correct record.

mrx9000

Thank you for your replies.

I think I have worked out the problem, I am no DNS expert but I do not think DFS depends on DNS any more than any other file share, I think the reason the computers are going to DC3 is completely random - I should have mentioned all three DCs and workstations are virtual for training - Since they are all runing in Virtual PC on a 10.0.0.0 network - the subnets do not really exisit, it is all just one subnet I guess.

The subnets are 10.10.0.0 - 10.20.0.0 - 10.30.0.0 - but thinking about it, with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 on each - this is all just one big subnet in Virtual PC.

I expect if it was a real routed network, the workstations would go to the nearest server / their own subnet - well at least I hope so!

dynamik

theloop wrote:

Thank you for your replies.

I think I have worked out the problem, I am no DNS expert but I do not think DFS depends on DNS any more than any other file share, I think the reason the computers are going to DC3 is completely random - I should have mentioned all three DCs and workstations are virtual for training - Since they are all runing in Virtual PC on a 10.0.0.0 network - the subnets do not really exisit, it is all just one subnet I guess.

The subnets are 10.10.0.0 - 10.20.0.0 - 10.30.0.0 - but thinking about it, with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 on each - this is all just one big subnet in Virtual PC.

I expect if it was a real routed network, the workstations would go to the nearest server / their own subnet - well at least I hope so!

Yea, that's a standard class A network.

Here's a good DFS lab for anyone interested in trying it out: http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/14211e1f-2dbd-418d-b721-2005c725ce351033.mspx?mfr=true

royal

That looks great Dynamik. I'll have to use that Step By Step guide in a future lab of mine to better hone my skills on DFS.