Replicate folder targets using DFS Replication

Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008

You can use DFS Replication to keep the contents of folder targets in sync so that users see the same files regardless of which folder target the client computer is referred to.

To replicate folder targets using DFS Replication

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DFS Management.

2. In the console tree, under the Namespaces node, right-click a folder that has two or more folder targets, and then click Replicate Folder.

3. Follow the instructions in the Replicate Folder Wizard.

Note

Configuration changes are not applied immediately to all members except when using the Suspend-DfsReplicationGroup and Sync-DfsReplicationGroup cmdlets. The new configuration must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest domain controller to obtain the changes. The amount of time this takes depends on the Active Directory Directory Services (AD DS) replication latency and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member. To poll immediately for configuration changes, open a Command Prompt window and then type the following command once for each member of the replication group:
dfsrdiag.exe PollAD /Member:DOMAIN\Server1
To do so from a Windows PowerShell session, use the Update-DfsrConfigurationFromAD cmdlet, which was introduced in Windows Server 2012 R2.

Additional References

• Deploying DFS Namespaces
• Delegate Management Permissions for DFS Namespaces
• DFS Replication