Chapter 10: Managing the Distributed File System, Disk Quotas, and Software Installation

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Chapter 10Managing the Distributed File System,
Disk Quotas, and Software Installation
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Learning Objectives

• Design, configure, and manage the Distributed
  File System on a network
• Publish a shared folder and a Distributed File
  System shared folder in the Active Directory
• Enable and configure disk quotas

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Learning Objectives (continued)

• Install and manage application software
• Edit and configure the Windows 2000 Server
  Registry
• Set up and use the Microsoft License Manager

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Distributed File System

• Distributed File System (Dfs) A system that
  enables folders shared from multiple computers to
  appear as though they exist in one centralized
  hierarchy of folders instead of on many different
  computers

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Advantages of DFS

• Shared folders can be set up so that they appear
  in one hierarchy of folders
• NTFS access permissions can be used
• Dfs offers fault tolerance alternatives
• Dfs enables load balancing for better server
  performance
• Web-based access is improved
• Vital shared folders on multiple computers can be
  backed up from one set of master folders

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Planning Tip

• Implement Dfs on an NTFS volume to take advantage
  of access permissions, special permissions, and
  auditing

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Troubleshooting Tip

• If you are running in mixed mode and Dfs does not
  work on the Windows NT Server 4.0 servers,
  install the latest service pack for Windows NT
  Server 4.0 (Dfs is implemented in service pack 3)

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Dfs Models

• There are two Dfs models
• Standalone does not take advantage of the
  Active Directory and provides a flat level share
  (no hierarchies under the root)
• Domain-based uses the Active Directory and
  offers a deep hierarchical folder arrangement

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Domain-Based Topology

• Dfs root The main Active Directory container
  that holds Dfs links to shared folders in a
  domain
• Dfs link A path that is established between a
  shared folder in a domain and a Dfs root
• Replica set A grouping of shared folders in a
  Dfs root that are replicated or copied to all
  servers that participate in Dfs replication

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Dfs Links in a Dfs Root
Figure 10-1 Dfs links in the Dfs root container
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Planning a Dfs Implementation

• Determine whether to use a standalone or
  domain-based model
• Place Dfs shared folders on NTFS formatted disks,
  if possible
• Use multiple Dfs roots to reflect particular
  arrangements of information and security needs
• Save MMC changes when managing Dfs

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Planning a Dfs Implementation(continued)

• Set up a short cache timeout on folders in which
  the contents change often
• Determine the impact of Dfs on network traffic
• Create the first Dfs root and associated links
  before creating additional roots
• Develop a synchronization schedule that helps
  minimize network traffic
• Regularly review and purge Dfs folders that are
  no longer needed

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Configuring Dfs

• Configure Dfs using the Distributed file System
  management tool
• Start the tool by
• Accessing it from the Administrative Tools menu
• Or access it as an MMC snap-in

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Configuring the Standalone Dfs Model
Figure 10-2 Specifying the standalone model
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Creating a Dfs Root Share
Figure 10-3 Creating a new Dfs share
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Troubleshooting Tip

• If you attempt to create a standalone root on a
  server, and see the error message, This server
  already hosts a Dfs root, this means that you
  cannot create an additional Dfs root on that
  server because one already exists, and a host
  server can have only one

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Using the MMC to Access a New Root
Figure 10-4 Viewing a new Dfs shared folder in
the MMC console
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Configuring the Domain-Based Dfs Model

• Create a domain-based Dfs root using the
  Distributed file system management tool

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Associating the Domain with Dfs
Figure 10-5 Entering the domain name
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Tasks in Managing a Domain-Based Dfs Root System

• Deleting a Dfs root
• Adding and removing a Dfs link
• Adding root and link replica sets
• Configuring security
• Checking the status of a root or link

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Deleting a Dfs Root

• The steps to delete a Dfs root are
• Warn users in advance
• Open the Distributed File System management tool
• Right-click the root in the tree
• Click Delete Dfs Root
• Click Yes

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Adding a Dfs Link

• The steps to add a Dfs link are
• Open the Distributed File System management tool
• Right-click the root
• Click New Dfs Link
• Enter the name for the link
• Set the cache timeout
• Click Ok

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Setting Up a Link
Figure 10-6 Creating a Dfs link
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Root Replicas

• Create a root replica to provide a backup of the
  master root system and to balance the load when
  access to the master root becomes heavy
• Load balancing via root replicas improves network
  performance and user productivity, because users
  dont have to wait for the resources that they
  need

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Replicating Links

• Designated links can be replicated as well as
  roots for fault tolerance and load balancing

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Configuring a Link

• To configure a link using the Distributed File
  System management tool
• Right-click the Dfs link to replicate and click
  New
• Enter the computer name and shared folder on the
  computer to house the replica
• Select the replication method, Manual or
  Automatic, and click OK
• For automatic replication, set the the
  replication policy and click OK

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Configuring the Type of Replication
Figure 10-7 Adding a new replica for a Dfs link
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Configuring the Replication Policy
Figure 10-8 Configuring replication policy
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Configuring the File Replication Service

• Make sure that the File Replication Service is
  started and configured to start automatically
• Use the Computer Management tool or the Services
  tool on the Administrative Tools menu to
  configure services

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Dfs Root Permissions

• Full Control Can change permissions, take
  ownership, create, delete, modify and manage Dfs
  shared files and folders plus delete trees and
  subtrees in the folder structure
• Read Can list and read the contents of shared
  files and folders
• Write Can modify the contents of shared files
  and folders

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Troubleshooting a Problem with a Root or Link

• The most common problem is that a root, link, or
  replica is not accessible, such as when the
  computer on which it resides is down
• Use the Check Status option to locate a problem
  and look for a red circle with a white x that
  indicates a particular computer is down

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Checking the Status of Dfs
Figure 10-9 Checking the status of replicas in a
link
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Publishing a Shared Folder

• When the Active Directory is implemented, plan to
  publish regular shared folders and Dfs root
  folders

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Steps for Publishing a Folder

• To publish a folder
• Open the Active Directory Users and Computers
  tool
• Right-click the domain
• Point to New and click Shared Folder
• Enter the name for the published folder
• Enter the path to the shared folder or Dfs root
  and click OK

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Publishing a Folder
Figure 10-10 Publishing a shared folder
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Disk Quotas

• Use the Windows 2000 disk quota capability to
• Prevent users from filling the disk capacity
• Encourage users to play their part in managing
  disk space by cleaning up old or unused files
• Track disk capacity needs for future planning
• Provide server administrators information about
  when users are nearing or have reached their disk
  quotas

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Planning Tip

• If possible, establish quotas before making
  shared folders available to users, because it is
  politically harder to impose the limits after
  users are accustomed to having none

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Disk Quota Parameters

• Enable quota management Sets up quota management
  and starts tracking disk usage
• Deny disk space to users exceeding quota limits
  Users cant write new information after reaching
  their quotas
• Do not limit disk usage Tracks disk usage
  without imposing quotas
• Limit disk space to Sets the default amount of
  disk space for all users

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Disk Quota Parameters (continued)

• Set warning level to Sets the default disk space
  that users can occupy that will trigger a warning
  message
• Log event when a user exceeds their quota limit
  An event is entered in the System log when a user
  reaches his or her quota
• Log event when the user exceeds the warning
  level An event is entered in the System log when
  a user receives a warning that he or she is
  approaching the quota

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Configuring a Default Disk Quota
Figure 10-11 Setting default disk quotas
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Disk Quotas for Specific Users

• Besides setting default disk quotas for all
  users, you can set individual quotas for certain
  users

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Setting a Quota for a User
Figure 10-12 Setting a disk quota on a
designated user account
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Managing Disk Quotas

• Managing disk quotas
• Modify the default or specific user quotas as
  needed
• Delete quotas that are no longer needed
• Import disk quota statistics into a spreadsheet,
  database, or word-processed file as needed to
  track them over time

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Deleting a Disk Quota
Figure 10-13 Deleting a disk quota on an account
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Issues to Consider Before Installing Application
Software

• Software licensing
• Network compatibility
• Temporary files
• Network performance
• Software testing
• Loading software from the network

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Installing Software

• Use the Add/Remove Programs tool to install or
  remove application software

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Using the Add/Remove Programs Tool
Figure 10-14 Installing application software
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Using the Add/Remove Programs Tool (continued)
Figure 10-15 Providing the path to the setup
program
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Running Software Applications

• Software applications run in the user mode
• User mode A special operating mode in Windows
  2000 used for running programs in a memory area
  kept separate from that used by the kernel and in
  which the program cannot directly access the
  kernel or operating system services except
  through an API

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Application Programming Interface

• Application Programming Interface (API)
  Functions or programming features in Windows 2000
  Server that programmers can use for network
  links, links to messaging services, or interfaces
  to other systems

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Windows 2000 Server Registry

• Sample elements in the Registry
• Information about all hardware components
• Information about Windows 2000 services
• Data about user profiles and group policies
• Data on the last current and last known setup
  used to boot the computer
• Configuration information for all software
• Software licensing information
• Control Panel parameter configurations

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Elements of the Registry

• Key A category of information contained in the
  Windows 2000 Registry, such as hardware or
  software
• Subkey A key within a Registry key, similar to a
  subfolder under a folder
• Value A data parameter in the Registry stored as
  a value in decimal, binary, or text format

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Root Key Defined

• Root key Also called a subtree, the highest
  category of data contained in the Registry. There
  are five root keys.

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Windows 2000 Server Root Keys

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Contains in particular
  information about hardware components and
  drivers, software installed, system information,
  and security
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER Contains information about the
  user profile for the account currently logged
  onto the console

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Windows 2000 Server Root Keys (continued)

• HKEY_USERS Contains all of the user profiles
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Contains data to associate
  file extensions with programs
• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Contains information about
  the current hardware profile

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Example Contents of a Root Key
Figure 10-16 The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key
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Editing the Registry

• Edit the Registry using one of two editors
• Regedt32 a more modern 32-bit editor
• Regedit an older editor preferred by some
  administrators

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Editing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key
Figure 10-17 Changing Registry data for file
associations
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Troubleshooting Tip

• Only make changes to the Registry when you are
  absolutely certain about what you are doing, or
  you may end up with a system the will not boot

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License Manager

• Use the License Manager to configure server
  licenses, add more licenses, manage Microsoft
  Backoffice software licenses, and track license
  usage

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Configuring Licenses with License Manager
Figure 10-18 Adding new licenses
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Chapter Summary

• The Distributed File System (Dfs) is designed to
  make it easier for users to access multiple
  shared folders on multiple servers
• Dfs can be implemented using the standalone or
  domain-based model
• Dfs not only can make users more productive, but
  it offers fault tolerance and load balancing

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Chapter Summary

• Disk quotas make it possible to
• Obtain statistics for disk capacity planning
• Place limits on the amount of disk space that all
  users or individual users occupy
• Use the Add/Remove Programs tool to install,
  upgrade, and remove application software

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Chapter Summary

• The Windows 2000 Server Registry houses vital
  system, hardware, software, user, and security
  information
• Plan to use the Microsoft License Manager to
  track current licenses, install new licenses, and
  determine when more licenses are needed