Peer Global File Service Help > Advanced Topics

Overview

A DFS namespace enables you to group shared folders that are located on different servers into one 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.

The elements that make up a DFS namespace are:

•Namespace server - A namespace server hosts a namespace. The namespace server can be a member server or a domain controller.

•Namespace root - The namespace root is the starting point of the namespace. For example, if you have a namespace path of \\Domain.local\MyNamespace, the root is MyNamespace. This is a domain-integrated namespace, meaning that its metadata is stored in Active Directory Domain Services.

•Folders (also referred to as namespace folders)- Namespace folders without folder targets add structure and hierarchy to the namespace, while folders with folder targets provide users with actual content. When users browse a folder that has folder targets, the client computer receives a referral that transparently redirects the client computer to one of the folder targets.

•Folder targets - A folder target is the UNC path of a shared folder or another namespace that is associated with a folder in a namespace. The folder target is where data and content are stored. For example, if a user navigates to \\Domain.local\MyNamespace\MyFolder, the user is transparently redirected to \\NYC-FS.Domain.local\MyFolder or \\LA-FS.Domain.local\MyFolder, depending on which site the user is currently accessing. Adding multiple folder targets increases the availability of the folder in the namespace.

For more information about DFS namespaces, see DFS Namespaces overview on Microsoft's website.

Managing DFS Namespaces through PeerGFS

PeerGFS enables you to create a namespace and manage various activities related to it, such as creating namespace folders, adding folder targets, and linking the namespace to a File Collaboration or File Synchronization job. You could manage DFS namespace using Microsoft tools; however, you can manage DFS namespaces through a dedicated job type in Peer Management Center, the DFS-N Management job.

The benefits of creating and managing a DFS namespace within Peer Management Center are:

•Ease of managing a namespace - You can create and manage a namespace within the same interface that manages PeerGFS synchronization and replication technologies. This removes the need to use two different tools to manage the key elements of multi-site and multi-vendor file services.

•Integration with PeerGFS collaboration and synchronization - When linked to file collaboration and synchronization jobs, DFS namespaces can provide redundancy to file shares across file servers and locations.

•Automating failover and failback - If a file server goes offline, Peer Management Center can disable the associated folder target in the DFS namespace. This automatically redirects users to another available file server. When the original file server comes back, Peer Management Center will automatically make sure it is brought back in sync, and then enable the associated folder target so users can once again connect to it. See DFS Namespace Failover and Failback for more information.

Note: Although Microsoft provides two types of namespaces, a stand-alone namespace or a domain-based namespace, you can manage only a domain-based namespace in PeerGFS.

For more information about using DFS namespaces in PeerGFS, see:

•Using DFS Namespaces with Jobs

•DFS Namespace Failover and Failback

•DFS-N Management Jobs

oCreating a DFS-N Management Job

oManaging DFS Namespaces

oLinking a DFS Namespace to File Collaboration or File Synchronization Job