1. Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Course 6435A
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Presentation: 60 minutes
Lab: 90 minutes
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
This module helps students to design network access protection.
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Design file services.
Design distributed file system.
Design file server resource manager configuration.
Required materials
To teach this module, you need the Microsoft Office PowerPoint® file 6435A_11.ppt.
Important It is recommended that you use PowerPoint 2002 or a later version to display the slides for this course. If you use PowerPoint Viewer or an earlier version of PowerPoint, all the features of the slides might not be displayed correctly.
Preparation tasks
To prepare for this module:
Read all of the materials for this module.
Practice performing the demonstrations and the lab exercises.
Work through the Module Review and Takeaways section and determine how you will use this
section to reinforce student learning and promote knowledge transfer to on-the-job performance.
Make sure that students are aware that there are additional online resources for the module on the Course CD.

2. Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Course 6435A
Module Overview
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Designing File Services
Designing Distributed File System
Designing File Server Resource Manager Configuration

3. Lesson 1: Designing File Services
Course 6435A
Lesson 1: Designing File Services
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Components of a File Services Design
SMB Enhancements in Windows Server 2008
Components of DFS

4. Components of a File Services Design
Course 6435A
Components of a File Services Design
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Component
Description
Failover clustering
Provides high availability
Distributed file system (DFS)
Provides high availability and geographic distribution
File system resource manager (FSRM)
Provides file storage management
Access-based enumeration
Limits user view of file and folder to those which they have permissions to access
WAN acceleration
Speeds up user access to files over WAN links
SMB 2.0
Increases file sharing performance
The most basic component of file services design is shared folders. Shared folders on a server are used to provide access to files stored on that server. Other components that can be used as part of a file services design are:
• Failover clustering. Failover clustering provides high availability but requires shared storage between the cluster nodes and Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition.
• DFS. DFS provides high availability and file synchronization between servers.
• FSRM. FSRM provides file storage management by controlling how storage can be used and reporting on current usage.
• Access-based enumeration. Access-based enumeration limits the files and folders that users can see to only those which they have permission to access.
• WAN acceleration. WAN acceleration is not a feature of Windows Server WAN acceleration is implemented by dedicated hardware devices on the network to enhance communication over WAN links. It is very effective for SMB 1.0 traffic.
• Server Message Block Version 2.0. SMB 2.0 is a new version of the file sharing protocol in Windows Server 2008 increases file sharing performance by lowering the number of packets transmitted on the network.

5. SMB Enhancements in Windows Server 2008
Course 6435A
SMB Enhancements in Windows Server 2008
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
SMB 2.0:
Is supported by Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
Provides better performance over WAN links and VPNs
Recovers better from short interruptions in network availability
Server Message Block (SMB), also known as Common Internet File Sharing (CIFS), is the protocol used for file sharing between Windows server and clients. Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista implement SMB version 2.0. However, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista use SMB 1.0 to communicate with Windows operating systems that do not support SMB 2.0.
SMB 2.0 supports sending multiple commands in a single packet and larger buffer sizes. These features should increase performance, particularly over WAN links where latency exacerbates slowness introduced by having many packets in a network communication.
Durable handles that can survive short network interruptions are another new feature of SMB This will help maintain file connectivity for wireless and VPN users where network interruptions are common.
Resource
Server massage Block 2.0 section of New Networking Features in Windows Server and Windows Vista

6. Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Course 6435A
Components of DFS
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Component
Description
DFS namespaces
The hierarchy of folders viewed by clients
Each folder has one or more targets
Domain-based or stand-alone
DFS replication
Replicates data between shared folders
DFS namespaces are responsible for managing user access to shared folders. Multiple folders are configured in a single folder structure that can include data from multiple servers. Each folder is configured with one or more targets. Each target is a shared folder.
A domain-based DFS namespace stores configuration data in Active Directory and is used in most circumstances. A stand-alone DFS namespace has greater scalability in very large scenarios and can be used when Active Directory is not available on the network.
DFS replication is responsible for replicating data between folders in a replication group and replaces the File Replication Service used by DFS in Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server DFS replication has many additional options over FRS, such as remote differential compression (RDC), which replicates only file changes when possible, rather than an entire file.

7. Lesson 2: Designing Distributed File System
Course 6435A
Lesson 2: Designing Distributed File System
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
New DFS Features in Windows Server 2008
Guidelines for Designing DFS Namespace Availability
Considerations for Configuring Referrals
Guidelines for Optimizing DFS Namespaces
Guidelines for Deploying DFS Namespaces
Guidelines for Designing DFS Replication

8. New DFS Features in Windows Server 2008
Course 6435A
New DFS Features in Windows Server 2008
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
New Namespaces features are:
Access-based enumeration
Cluster support for stand-alone namespaces
Windows Server 2008 mode to enable to new features
DFS was significantly enhanced in Windows Server 2003 R2 with the introduction of DFS replication. The version of DFS in Windows Server 2008 has a few new features which are enhancements over DFS in Windows Server 2003 R2. DFS namespaces have been enhanced with access-based enumeration and cluster support for stand-alone namespaces. To enable these features, DFS must be changed to Windows Server 2008 mode.
DFS replication has been enhanced with:
• A new content freshness check to prevent servers that have been offline for an extended period of time from overwriting current data.
• Faster recovery from unexpected shutdowns of DFS replication, the computer, or volumes.
• Increased performance, which provides faster replication of files, better utilized available bandwidth, and accommodation of high latency networks.
• A propagation report that is generated based on propagation of a test file as a diagnostic test.
• The replicate now option, which allows you to initiate replication of a folder immediately despite the replication schedule.
Resource
Distributed File System in the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library
New DFS Replication features are:
Content freshness check
Improved handling of unexpected shutdowns
Faster replication and better bandwidth utilization
Propagation report to test replication
Replicate now option

9. Guidelines for Designing DFS Namespace Availability
Course 6435A
Guidelines for Designing DFS Namespace Availability
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Increase availability for domain-based namespaces by using
multiple namespace servers
Increase availability for stand-alone namespaces by using
failover clustering
Increase availability for folders by using multiple targets
Use stand-alone namespaces when there are more than
5,000 folders (2008 R2 has fixed this 50,000)
Increase availability for domain-based namespaces by using
multiple namespace servers
A domain-based namespace can be hosted on multiple servers. Hosting on multiple servers increases the availability of a namespace because availability of a single server is not required.
Stand-alone namespaces are hosted on a single server with configuration data stored locally. Increase the availability of a stand-alone namespace by using failover clustering.
Each folder in a namespace can have one or more targets. Use multiple targets for each folder to increase availability. Replication is then used to synchronize data between
folder targets.
When domain-based namespaces have more than 5000 folders, performance issues can be experienced. Use stand-alone namespaces when there are more than 5000 folders in a namespace.
Increase availability for stand-alone namespaces by using
failover clustering
Increase availability for folders by using multiple targets
Use stand-alone namespaces when there are more than
5,000 folders

10. Considerations for Configuring Referrals
Course 6435A
Considerations for Configuring Referrals
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Considerations for referral ordering:
Configuration can be unique for each folder
Lowest cost presents targets in the local Active Directory site first
Exclude targets outside of the client site does not present targets in another Active directory site
Describe when some of these settings might be used:
Lowest cost referral ordering is typical.
Exclude targets outside of the client’s side reduces WAN traffic in case a local DFS server fails in a branch office.
First among targets of equal cost allows one server to be primary in a site and reduce replication conflicts.
First among all targets allows one server to be primary for the enterprise and reduce replication conflicts.
Last among all targets prevents users from accessing a server unless absolutely necessary because no other targets with that data are available. This is suitable when a server is primarily a backup server and is used for other tasks.
Some WAN acceleration devices may break DFS referrals. As well, when the Bridge all site links option is disabled for AD DS, then DFS referral may be broken as well.
Considerations for target priority:
Can override an exclusion in referral ordering
Use First among targets of equal cost to designate a primary server in an Active Directory site
Use First among all targets to designate a primary server in the enterprise
Use Last among all targets when a server is primarily used for another purpose

11. Guidelines for Optimizing DFS Namespaces
Course 6435A
Guidelines for Optimizing DFS Namespaces
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Disable referrals to a folder during maintenance ü
Shorten the referral cache on clients to speed up discovery of namespace changes ü
Consider the following guidelines for optimizing DFS namespaces:
• Disable referrals to a folder during server maintenance to avoid impacting users.
• Shorten the referral cache on clients to speed up discovery of namespace changes. The default time-to-live is 30 minutes.
• Enable client failback to resume using a preferred server after recovery. This is useful when you want clients to resume using a local server instead of a remote server.
Optimize namespace polling consistency or scalability. Namespace polling is used by namespace servers to retrieve configuration data from Active Directory. When optimized for consistency, Active Directory is polled more often.
Enable client failback to resume using a preferred server after a recovery ü ü
Optimize namespace polling for consistency or scalability

12. Best Practices for Deploying DFS Namespaces
Course 6435A
Best Practices for Deploying DFS Namespaces
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Use DFS namespaces to create a unified folder hierarchy ü
Use multiple folder targets to increase availability
Use the lowest cost method for ordering target referrals
Use scalability mode for more than 16 namespace servers
Specify a primary server by using target priority to reduce
replication conflicts
The best practices for deploying DFS namespaces are:
Use DFS namespaces to create a unified folder hierarchy ü
Use multiple folder targets to increase availability
Use the lowest cost method for ordering target referrals
Use scalability mode for more than 16 namespace servers
Specify a primary server by using target priority to reduce
replication conflicts
The best practices for deploying DFS namespaces are:
• Use DFS namespaces to create a unified folder hierarchy. This makes it easier for users to locate files because they do not need to browse multiple servers.
• Use multiple folder targets to increase availability of individual folders.
• Use the lowest cost method for ordering target referrals. In most cases, you prefer users to access files from a target that is within the local Active Directory site.
• Use scalability mode for more than 16 namespace servers. Scalability mode reduces the namespace polling performed by the namespace servers and reduces the load on Active Directory.
• Specify a primary server by using target priority to reduce replication conflicts. When a primary server is specified, then all users access files on a single server.

13. Guidelines for Designing DFS Replication
Course 6435A
Guidelines for Designing DFS Replication
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Guidelines for designing DFS replication include:
Use a mesh replication topology only with less than 10
members ü
Guidelines for designing DFS replication include:
• Use a mesh replication topology only with less than 10 members. This reduces replication complexity and improves performance. With more than 10 members, consider a hub and spoke replication topology.
• Use bandwidth throttling to ensure that replication does not overwhelm WAN links. This can be important when WAN links are of a low bandwidth.
• Use cross-file remote differential compression (RDC) to reduce replication traffic. Cross-file RDC recognizes patterns in multiple files and uses those patterns to reduce replication. The feature is available when one replication partner is running an Enterprise Edition version of Windows Server.
• Use replication filters to prevent replication of unwanted file types. Replication filters can restrict replication based on file extension.
• Size Staging folders and Conflict and Deleted folders appropriately. The Staging folder (4 GB default size) should be at least two times the size of the largest replicated file. If the Conflict and Deleted folder (660 MB default size) is too small, then conflicts could be purged before they are addressed. Both folders are purged to 60% usage when they ready 90% usage.
Use bandwidth throttling to ensure replication does not
overwhelm WAN links ü
Use cross-file remote differential compression to reduce
replication traffic ü
Use replication filters to prevent replication of
unwanted file types ü
Size Staging folders and Conflict and Deleted folders
appropriately ü

14. Lesson 3: Designing File Server Resource Manager Configuration
Course 6435A
Lesson 3: Designing File Server Resource Manager Configuration
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
FSRM Quotas
FSRM File Screening

15. Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Course 6435A
FSRM Quotas
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
FSRM quotas:
Can be defined per volume or per folder
Can limit storage utilization (hard) or notify (soft)
Can notify by event, , command, or report
Can be standardized with quota templates
Cannot control the type of data stored
FSRM quotas are used to limit and monitor storage utilization. A hard quota imposes a limit on storage utilization for a volume or folder. Hard quotas should be implemented after the user impact has been evaluated. Quotas are not specific to users or groups.
A soft quota is used to trigger only notifications when a limit on a volume or folder is reached. Notifications can trigger events, s, commands, or reports. Notifications are based on a percentage of the quota limit.
To simplify management of quota, you can use quota templates. Quota templates allow you to define a quota configuration and apply it to multiple volumes or folders. When a quota template is modified, the quota for all folders to which the template has been applied is also modified.
Resource
Working with Quotas in the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library

16. Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Course 6435A
FSRM File Screening
Module 11: Designing Files Services and DFS in Windows Server® 2008
Guidelines for using FSRM for file screening include:
Monitor files based on file extensions
Prevent file storage or notify
Use file groups to define allowed or denied file extensions
Standardize by using file screen templates
FSRM file screening is used to limit and monitor storage of specific file types. The file types are identified based on files extension, not analysis of data content. You can prevent storage of specific file types or trigger notifications based on storage of specific file types.
To manage file screening, multiple file extensions are defined as a file group. The file group is then allowed or denied. You can standardize the file groups available by using file screen templates.
Resource
Screening Files in the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library
If students are unfamiliar with FSRM, consider demonstrating the configuration of FSRM.