DFS - file locking

From: Michael Gordon (gordonm_at_emfcontrols.com)
Date: 03/01/04 

Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 06:07:33 -0800

We have the following configuration (all in our one
office):

1. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition - domain
controller
  - we have set up DFS root on the server

2. Windows 2000 Server - member server of the above domain

3. We have about 10 folders that are shared under the DFS
root
 - each folder has links to both of the above servers
   In this way we have two copies of the data
 - we have turned on File Replication Service for each
pair of folders (default ring)

4. Clients are running either Windows XP Professional or
Windows 2000 Professional (patches/service packs are
current)

I am concerned about file locking protection. If two
users (on separate client computers) each try to open the
same file that is accessed via the DFS root, and one of
the users was given the file on the Windows Server 2003
domain controller and the second user was given the file
on the Windows 2000 member server, will they both be able
to access the file for writing? I didn't see any
documentation on how lock management takes place - Is the
lock management handled at the DFS path level (so that
the path to the file would look the same regardless of
referral details) or is the lock management handled by
means of the path to the particular computer hosting the
file?

If, in the above scenario, we do run the risk of the two
users each opening the file for writing (due to locking
at the physical path level - and there are two separate
physical paths) is there any configuration setting we can
make so that one of the two physical folder locations
would always be assigned to clients (as long as that
computer is available)? I didn't see anything to control
this within a given site.

While the automatic replication of FRS and higher
availability of files due to DFS are attractive, we don't
want to get users in trouble. The built-in 'decision'
rules of DFS (lastest change wins, etc.) are not what we
are looking for. We want to ensure that if a second user
tries to access a file, that user will ALWAYS receive a
message indicating the file is already opened for writing.

Thank you.

Relevant Pages

  • RE: Distributed File System questions
    ... The Windows DFS is the network file system for the environment. ... Dfs is composed of server and client components. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • Re: DFS Migration
    ... Actually i would like to know the process involved in my migrating DFS ... Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 AD ... 2.Windows 2000 server to Windows Server 2003 ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.migration)
  • Re: Distributed File System questions
    ... I know that you enabled DFS on the SBS 2003 R2 ... you want to view on the Windows XP client. ... Dfs is composed of server and client components. ... Microsoft CSS Online Newsgroup Support ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • Convert links or shortcuts during migration
    ... We are in the process of migrating data from a Windows 2000 file and print ... server to a Windows 2003 server. ... We are implementing DFS in the process. ... feel that we have conquered most of the migration issues to make migration ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.migration)
  • Re: DFS and Active Directory - Stupid question...(DCs & FRS)
    ... Any member server or DC may host a DFS Root namespace. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)