The Distributed File System is used to build a hierarchical view of multiple file servers and shares on the network. Instead of having to think of a specific machine name for each set of files, the user will only have to remember one name; which will be the ‘key’ to a list of shares found on multiple servers on the network. Think of it as the home of all file shares with links that point to one or more servers that actually host those shares. DFS has the capability of routing a client to the closest available file server by using Active Directory site metrics. It can also be installed on a cluster for even better performance and reliability. Medium to large sized organizations are most likely to benefit from the use of DFS – for smaller companies it is simply not worth setting up since an ordinary file server would be just fine.

The Distributed File System (DFS) technologies in Windows Server 2003 R2 offer wide area network (WAN)-friendly replication as well as simplified, fault-tolerant access to geographically dispersed files. The two technologies in DFS are as follows:-

• DFS Replication. New state-based, multimaster replication engine that is optimized for WAN environments. DFS Replication supports replication scheduling, bandwidth throttling, and a new byte-level compression algorithm known as remote differential compression (RDC).

• DFS Namespaces. Technology that helps administrators group shared folders located on different servers and presents them to users as a virtual tree of folders known as a namespace. DFS Namespaces was formerly known as Distributed File System in Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003.

Features

1. Effective WAN network usage.
2. Potential to eliminate backup processes at the branch office.
3. High availability.
4. Ease of data access with namespace virtualization.
5. Ease of publishing content to branch locations from the central office.
6. Local access for users without going across the WAN.
7. Easier management of data and server locations.
8. Large-scale deployments.