Re: Consolidation Roots vs. Static DNS/WINS entries

From: Frances [MSFT] (v-franhe_at_microsoft.com)
Date: 02/15/05 

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 09:30:44 GMT

Hello Glenn,

Good to hear from you.

According to your message, I understand that you want to migrate a win2k
file server to a win2k3 file server. So you want to have more information
about some related concepts, such as the DFS consolidation root. Is this
correct?

What is your current configuration? Do you have a DFS server now? I assume
you have no DFS server, since you only have one file server. All the shares
are on the win2k server. If I have misunderstood, please feel free to let
me know.

As for the comparison, yes, you understanding is partly correct.

If you follow the wizards in FSMT to complete DFS consolidation root wizard
and File Server Migration Wizard, users who try to connect to
\\oldserver\share1 will be automatically redirected to \\newserver\share1.
In fact the target will be \\newserver\oldserver\share1 to be exact.
Because the old server name will be appended to the target share name by
default. It is addressed in the following article, question "Q: In the File
Server Migration Wizard, why is the source file server name appended to the
target share name and how do I change this?"

Frequently Asked Questions About File Server Migration
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/upgrading/nt4/tooldocs/msfst_faqs
.mspx

To have more information about FSMT, please take a careful look at the FSMT
white paper Don suggests.

Actually, I am not quite sure about your meaning of "In the standard DFS
root, \\dfsserver\dfsroot\share1 will be redirected to \\newserver\share1."
Do you mean it will occur after you migrate the file server, and
reconfigure the DFS server? If this is the case, yes, it is true.

As for your main concern, it is different between DFS consolidation roots
and adding static WINS/DNS entries. When you use DFS consolidation root, it
does not only add a static WINS/DNS server entry to redirect to the new
server, but also make some configurations concerning nonclustered and
clustered servers.

To maintain the original UNC paths of files, the DFS Consolidation Root
Wizard and Dfsconsolidate.exe use new functionality in Distributed File
System (DFS). These tools also modify Domain Name System (DNS) records and
Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) records (through registry entries) for
nonclustered servers. For server clusters, the tools create a Network Name
resource. These modifications enable users who attempt to access the
original UNC path of the files to be redirected to the DFS root server that
hosts the namespace. The DFS root server sends the client a referral that
contains the current UNC path of the files. Whether the files still reside
on the source file server (before the files are migrated) or whether they
reside on the target file server (after the files are migrated), users can
continue to access the files by using their original UNC path.

Using DFS consolidation root will be a complicated process. To achieve your
goal to migrate a file server, it is best to use FSMT to copy files from
the win2k file server to the win2k3 server and change the new server name
to the name of the win2k server. The clients will also visit the shares.
This method is easier, however, the destination file server is not a DFS
server. If you want to have a DFS server, you need to re-configure it. It
depends on your choice. In my opinion, DFS is only a way to manger the
files. If you don't have many file servers, it is not necessary to use DFS.

In addition, I will offer you an article about the DFS for your reference.

Overview of DFS in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;812487

Hope this helps. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to get
in touch!

Best regards,

Frances He

Microsoft Online Partner Support
Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

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