A summary of the solution is detailed below.
•
Symptom - We are facing
a problem where the DFS file shares are not working with the namespace once we
have introduced the new DFS
•
Cause - Stale
information present in Active Directory
•
Resolution –
->We suggested to delete the "ftDFS class object" from Active
directory using ADSIEDIT and make sure it is synced with all the domain
controllers.
Note: In this case as the replication was not health, we have to do the manual
intervention to get that done, else it is not required)
->We ran the below mentioned commands and after that reopen the DFS
management console using which now it allowed us to redefine the DFS namespace
and everything worked as expected.
dfsutil cache provider flush
dfsutil cache domain flush
dfsutil cache referral flush
dfsutil /pktflush
dfsutil /spcflush
dfsutil /purgemupcache
• More Information –
For a domain-based DFS namespace, verify the removal of the AD DS namespace
configuration data. Before the removal process, you must accurately identify
the object that is associated with the malfunctioning or inconsistent
namespace. To remove the AD DS namespace configuration data, follow these
steps:
Open the Adsiedit.msc tool. This tool is included in Windows Server 2008 and
requires that the AD DS role or tools are installed. This tool is available in
Windows Server 2003 Support Tools.
For more information about the Adsiedit.msc tool, visit the following Microsoft
Web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773354(WS.10).aspx
Locate the domain partition of the domain hosting the domain-based namespace.
Move to the following location:
CN=Dfs-Configuration,CN=System,DC=<domain DN>
Note The <domain DN> placeholder is the distinguished name of the domain.
DFS Namespaces store the configuration objects in this location. "Windows
2000 Server mode" namespaces have an "fTDfs" class object that
is named identically to the namespace. "Windows Server 2008 mode"
namespaces have an "msDFS-NamespaceAnchor" class object that is named
identically to the associated namespace and that may contain additional child
objects for any configured folders.
Select the appropriate object such as the "fTDfs" or
"msDFS-NamespaceAnchor" object, and then delete it together with any
child objects.
Note Active Directory replication latencies may delay this change operation
from propagating to the remote domain controllers.
On any namespace servers that are hosting the namespace, verify the removal of
the DFS namespace registry configuration data. If other functioning namespaces
are hosted on the server, make sure that the registry key of only the
inconsistent namespace is removed. To remove the DFS namespace registry
configuration data, follow these steps:
In Registry Editor, locate the configuration registry key of the namespace at
the appropriate path by using one of the following paths:
Domain-based DFSN in "Windows Server 2008 mode"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\Dfs\Roots\domainV2
Stand-alone DFSN
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\Dfs\Roots\Standalone
Domain-based DFSN in "Windows 2000 Server mode"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Dfs\Roots\Domain
For more information about the Windows 2000 Server registry storage locations,
click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
224384 HOW TO: Force Deletion of DFS Configuration Information
If a registry key that is named identically to the inconsistent namespace is
found, use the Dfsutil.exe tool to remove the registry key. For example, run
the following command:
dfsutil /clean /server:servername /share:sharename /verbose
Note The servername placeholder is the name of the server hosting the namespace
and the sharename placeholder is the name of the root share.
Or, delete the key manually.
On the namespace server, restart the DFS service in Windows Server 2003 or the
DFS Namespaces service in Windows Server 2008 to register the change on the
service.
Remove the file share that was associated with the namespace from the namespace
servers. Failure to follow this step may cause the recreation of the namespace
to fail because DFS Namespaces may block the namespace creation.
Windows Server 2003
Open the Computer Management MMC snap-in. To do this, run the Compmgmt.msc
tool.
Expand System Tools, expand Shared Folders, and then click Shares.
Right-click the DFS namespace share, and then click Stop Sharing. If you
receive the following error message, you must restart the server and then try
again to remove the share by using Computer Management MMC snap-in:
"The system cannot stop sharing <
\\server\share>
because the shared folder is a Distributed File System (DFS) namespace root"
Windows Server 2008
Open the "Share and Storage Management" MMC snap-in. To do this, run
the StorageMgmt.msc tool.
Right-click the share of the namespace, and then click Stop Sharing. If you
receive the following error message, you must restart the server and then
remove the share by using Computer Management MMC snap-in:
The system cannot stop sharing <
\\server\share>
because the shared folder is a Distributed File System (DFS) namespace root
Changing the DFS namespace configuration data should only be considered after
you evaluate all other recovery options. We recommend that you regularly obtain
backups of the system state for the DFS namespace servers and for the domain
controllers of domain-based DFS namespaces. These backups may be used to restore
the namespace configuration to full operation without the risk of having
inconsistent DFS namespace configuration data.
How DFS stores its information in registry and Active directory?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/977511/about-the-dfs-namespaces-service-and-its-configuration-data-on-a-computer-that-is-running-windows-server-2003-or-windows-server-2008
Maintaining the DFS Configuration
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc962150.aspx
Disaster recovery - Backup and restore for DFS
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/969382/recovery-process-of-a-dfs-namespace-in-windows-2003-and-2008-server
