How to back up Microsoft Windows Distributed File System

The Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) feature consists of DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication technologies. To back up DFS configuration settings and file system data, Symantec recommends specific backup selections.

Backup Exec supports the following:

DFS for Windows Server 2003 and earlier
DFS Namespace for Windows Server 2003 R2 and later
DFS Replication for Windows Server 2003 R2 and later
File Replication Service (FRS) for Windows Server 2003 and earlier

The following backup selections are recommended for DFS:

Table: Recommended backup selections for DFS

DFS item to back up

Recommended backup selections

Stand-alone DFS or DFS Namespaces configuration settings

The following selections should be backed up:

The System State registry of the server that hosts the DFS root
The System State registry of all remote servers that host target shares

Domain-based DFS or DFS Namespaces configuration settings

The following selections should be backed up:

The System State registry of the target server
The Active Directory of the domain controller that hosts the DFS root
The System State registry of all the remote servers that host target shares

Note:

You cannot restore domain DFS or DFSN configuration settings from Active Directory backups for which the Granular Recovery Technology option was enabled.

DFS Namespaces shared data, if Microsoft replication technologies are not used

The system volume of the server that hosts the shared folders or targets

DFS Replication and FRS configuration settings

The System State registry and the Active Directory of the domain controller that hosts the replicated data

Note:

You cannot restore DFS Replication or FRS configuration settings from Active Directory backups for which the Granular Recovery Technology option was enabled.

DFS Replication data

The Shadow Copy Components on any server that hosts the replication data

FRS data

The system volume on any server that hosts the replicated data