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Create a Shared Folder in a Clustered File Server

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Before you perform this procedure, review the steps in Checklist: Setting Up a Clustered File or Print Server (Failover Cluster). This procedure describes a step in that checklist.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To create a shared folder in a clustered file server

  1. In the Failover Cluster Management snap-in, if the cluster you want to configure is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Management, click Manage a Cluster, and select or specify the cluster you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. Expand Services and Applications, and then select the clustered file server.

  4. Under Actions, click Add a shared folder.

    The Create a Shared Folder Wizard appears. This is the same wizard that you would use to share a folder on a nonclustered server.

  5. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the settings for the shared folder, including path, name, offline settings, and permissions.

Additional considerations

  • To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  • In a clustered file server, when you bring the associated File Server resource online or take it offline, all shared folders in that resource go offline or online at the same time. You cannot change the online or offline status of one of the shared folders without affecting all of the shared folders.

  • You can also use the net share command to create a shared folder in a clustered file server, but you must run the command from the cluster node that currently owns the corresponding disk.

Additional references