3.4.0 MxFS for CIFS Administration Guide

Chapter 2: Configure CIFS with Matrix File Shares 13

• Shares deployed via DFS must be under the control of CIFS. Use only

Matrix File Shares; they are designed to work properly with DFS and

CIFS. The following should not be used:

– CIFS shares created with other Windows applications. These

shares will not be under CIFS control.

– Virtual CIFS Servers. These virtual servers are not compatible with

DFS.

• Matrix File Shares must be created before you set up DFS. (See “Add a

Matrix File Share” on page 7.)

DFS Setup on Windows 2003

After you have created the appropriate Matrix File Shares, complete the

following steps to set up DFS:

1. Open the DFS MMC snap-in under “Administrative Tools.” Create a

“domain-based” DFS root, dfsroot, in Active Directory. A DFS root

target can be on a PSFS filesystem; however, it must be a different

path/share than the link. (When creating the root, you will need to use

drive letters; attempts to use mount points will fail.) Then create “root

targets” pointing to a CIFS share (for example, Y:\dfsroot shared as

\\clust1-3\dsfroot). Each server should have a target pointing to the

same location on the PSFS filesystem.

2. Add a “New Link” called foo. Then add \\clust1\foo1, \\clust2\foo1,

and \\clust3\foo1 as link targets.

3. Configure all link targets with “manual replication” because you are

using a shared filesystem. There is no need to replicate data between

nodes in the same matrix sharing the same filesystem. However, some

form of manual replication will be needed if you create link targets of

this same DFS link on nodes outside of this matrix.

The client can now have highly available, scalable access to foo over CIFS

by mapping foo with the following command:

net use * \\data\dfsroot\foo /user:data\<username>