Removing DFS Primary Member

Question

Hello all,

I configured DFS on windows server 2012r2 and its working since 5 month, few days ago i configured DFS on windows server 2019 and i did create replication group between them "i select windows 2012r2 as a primary source to replicate the folders". Now i need to demote\ remove DFS 2012R2 server "primary DSF server" and keep windows 2019 DFS server and same namespace as well. What is the best practice to demote DFS server while at the same time users still be able to access their data using existing name space.

Answer 1

Hi @HamoudaAlbakri-3924,

Remember that DFS Namespace and DFS Replication are two (2) different roles.

You need to make sure you have installed the DFS Namespace role on your Windows Server 2019, and then make sure to add your Windows Server 2019 server as a DFS Namespace member server to your existing DFS Namespace.

Once the above are done, go to the DFS Management console, under your namespace go to Namespace Servers, enable your Windows Server 2019 as a namespace server, and disable your Windows Server 2012 R2 server.

I would then recommend to leave your old server disabled for a day or more to make sure there are no connections towards it, after that it should be safe to demote your old Windows Server 2012 R2 server. Also remember to remove your old server from the DFS Replication group.

---

If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer, thank you!

Best regards,
Leon