Distributed File System (DFS) allows administrators to group shared folders loca

ted on different servers

by transparently connecting them to one or more DFS namespaces.
Using the DFS tools, an administrator selects which shared folders to present in
the namespace, designs the
hierarchy in which those folders appear, and determines the names that the share
d folders show in the namespace.
When a user views the namespace, the folders appear to reside on a single, highcapacity hard disk.
Users can navigate the namespace without needing to know the server names or sha
red folders hosting the data.
DFS also provides many other benefits, including fault tolerance and load-sharin
g capabilities, making it ideal
for all types of organizations
DFS Namespaces
Enables you to group shared folders that are located on different servers into o
ne or more logically
structured namespaces. Each namespace appears to users as a single shared folder
with a series of subfolders.
However, the underlying structure of the namespace can consist of numerous file
shares that are located on different
servers and in multiple sites.
DFS link
A component in a DFS path that lies below the root and maps to one or more link
targets.
DFS path
Any Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path that starts with a DFS root.
DFS root
The starting point of the DFS namespace. The root is often used to refer to the
namespace as a whole.
A root maps to one or more root targets, each of which corresponds to a shared f
older on a separate server.
The DFS root must reside on an NTFS volume. A DFS root has one of the following
formats: \\ServerName\RootName or \\DomainName\RootName.
domain-based DFS namespace
A DFS namespace that has configuration information stored in Active Directory. T
he path to access the root or a link starts with the host domain name.
A domain-based DFS root can have multiple root targets, which offers fault toler
ance and load sharing.
link referral
A type of referral that contains a list of link targets for a particular link.
link target
The mapping destination of a link. A link target can be any UNC path. For exampl
e, a link target could be a shared folder or another DFS path.
referral
A list of targets, transparent to the user, which a DFS client receives from DFS
when the user is accessing a root or a link in the DFS namespace.
The referral information is cached on the DFS client for a time period specified
in the DFS configuration.

root referral
A type of referral that contains a list of root targets for a particular root.
root target
A physical server that hosts a DFS namespace. A domain-based DFS root can have m
ultiple root targets, whereas a stand-alone DFS root can only have
one root target. Root targets are also called root servers.
stand-alone DFS namespace
A DFS namespace whose configuration information is stored locally in the registr
y of the root server. The path to access the root or a link starts
with the root server name. A stand-alone DFS root has only one root target. Stan
d-alone roots are not fault tolerant; when the root target is unavailable,
the entire DFS namespace is inaccessible. You can make stand-alone DFS roots fau
lt tolerant by creating them on server clusters.