Module 11Optimizing Data Access

for Branch Offices

Module Overview• Branch Office Data Access• DFS Overview• Configuring DFS Namespaces• Configuring and Troubleshooting DFS Replication• Configuring BranchCache

Lesson 1: Branch Office Data Access• Discussion: Challenges of Branch Office Data Access• Branch Office Connectivity

Discussion: Challenges of Branch Office Data Access

What are the data management challenges introduced by using branch offices?

15 minutes

Branch Office Connectivity

DFS:

• Simplifies shared folder structure• Provides high-availability of data through replication

BranchCache:

• Speed up access to files that are cached• Reduces WAN utilization

Lesson 2: DFS Overview• What Is DFS?• What Is a DFS Namespace?• What Is DFS Replication?• How DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication Work• DFS Scenarios• DFS Enhancements in Windows Server 2008 R2• Demonstration: How to Install the DFS role

What Is DFS?

DFS technologies include:

• DFS Namespaces - provide a virtual view of shared folders located on different servers

• DFS Replication - provides high-availability and fault-tolerance to files and folders

The Distributed File System incorporates technologies that provide fault-tolerant access to geographically dispersed files

What Is a DFS Namespace?Characteristic Domain-based Stand-alone

Path \\Domainname\Namespace \\Servername\Namespace

Namespace storage location Active Directory and memory cache Server registry and memory cache

Size

• Up to 5,000 folders with targets in Windows 2000 Server mode

• Up to 50,000 folders with targets in Windows Server 2008 mode

Up to 50,000 folders with targets

Minimum forest functional level

Windows 2000 server mode: Windows 2000Windows Server 2008 mode: Windows Server 2003

Not required

Minimum domain functional level

Windows 2000 server mode: Windows 2000 mixedWindows Server 2008 mode: Windows Server 2008

Not required

Availability Namespace hosted on multiple servers Failover cluster

Support for Access-based enumeration

Windows 2000 server mode: NoWindows Server 2008 mode: Yes

Yes (but requires a Windows Server 2008 namespace server)

DFS Replication Supported Supported

What Is DFS Replication?

• Uses remote differential compression • Uses a staging folder to stage a file before sending and

receiving it• Detects changes on the volume by monitoring

the USN journal• Uses a version vector exchange protocol • Uses a conflict resolution heuristic of “last writer wins” and

“earliest creator wins”• Is self-healing and can automatically recover from failure• Uses WMI to obtain configuration and monitoring data

DFS-R is a multimaster replication engine that supports replication scheduling and bandwidth throttling

How DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication Work

User types: \\contoso.com\marketing Client computers contact a namespace server and receive a referral1

Client computers cache the referral and then contact the first server in the referral2

Server in London

User in New York

DFS Replication

1

1

2

2Namespace

\\Contoso.com\Marketing

\\LON-SRV-01\ProjectDocs

\\NYC-SRV-01\ProjectDocs

User in London

Server in New York

FolderTargets

DFS Scenarios

Data distribution

ExampleScenario

Data collection

Sharing files across branch offices

Data distribution

ExampleScenario

Data collection

Sharing files across branch offices

Hub siteHub site Branch officeBranch office

Hub siteHub site Site 1Site 1

Hub siteHub site Branch officeBranch office

Site 2Site 2

DFS Enhancements in Windows Server 2008 R2

DFS Namespaces enhancements include:• Performance improvements

• New DFS Management tool support

• Improvements to Dfsdiag.exe help information

DFS Replication enhancements include:• Failover cluster support

• Read-only replicated folders

• Improvements to Dfsrdiag.exe command-line tool

Demonstration: How to Install the DFS RoleIn this demonstration, you will see how to install the DFS Role

Lesson 3: Configuring DFS Namespaces• Deploying Namespaces for Publishing Content• Permissions Required to Create and Manage a Namespace• Demonstration: How to Create Namespaces• Optimizing a Namespace

Deploying Namespaces for Publishing ContentTo configure a namespace for publishing content:

Optional tasks:

Create a namespace 1

Add folder targets 3

Create a folder in the namespace 2

Set target priority to override referral ordering

Set the ordering method for targets in referrals 4

Enable client failback

Replicate folder targets using DFS-R

You may also need to delegate the ability to createand manage namespaces

Permissions Required to Create and Manage a Namespace

Task Default Group Create a domain-based namespace Domain Admins

Add a namespace server to a domain-based namespace Domain Admins

Manage a domain-based namespace

Local Administrators on each namespace server

Create a stand-alone namespace

Local Administrators group on the namespace server

Manage a stand-alone namespace

Local Administrators group on the namespace server

Create a replication group or enable DFS replication on a folder

Domain Admins

Demonstration: How to Create NamespacesIn this demonstration, you will see how to:

• Create a new namespace• Create a new folder and folder target

Optimizing a Namespace

Methods for optimizing a namespace include:

• Rename or move a folder• Disable referrals to a folder• Specify referral cache duration• Configure namespace polling

Lesson 4: Configuring and Troubleshooting DFS Replication• Replication Groups and Replicated Folders• The Initial Replication Process• Demonstration: How to Configure DFS Replication• Troubleshooting DFS

Replication Groups and Replicated Folders

Member

Projects

Proposals

Projects

Proposals

ReplicatedFolders

Projects\Spec.doc

Proposals\Budget.xls

Connection

Replication Group

• Replication Group• A set of servers, known as members, that participate in replicating

one or more replicated folders• Can be configured for multipurpose or data collection purposes

• Replicated Folder• A folder that is kept synchronized on each member

The Initial Replication Process

Replication of DFS Replication settings1

Files are moved to DfsrPrivate\PreExisting3

The primary member starts replication 2

Primary member designation is removed5

Files are compared and replicated4

Demonstration: How to Configure DFS ReplicationIn this demonstration, you will see how to: • Create a new folder target for replication• Create a new replication group

Troubleshooting DFS

Tool Used to

Health Report Report replication statistics and general health of the topology

Propagation test Generate a test file to verify replicationPropagation report

Report on the propagation test and provide replication statistics

Verify Topology Report on the current status of the members of the topology

Dfsrdiag.exe Monitor replication state of the DFS replication service

Lab A: Implementing DFS• Exercise 1: Installing the DFS Role service• Exercise 2: Configuring the required namespace• Exercise 3: Configuring DFS replication

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Logon information

Virtual machines 6421B-NYC-DC16421B-NYC-SVR1

User name Contoso\AdministratorPassword Pa$$w0rd

Lab Scenario

Contoso has deployed a new branch office. This office has a single server. In order to support branch staff requirements, you must configure DFS. To avoid the need to perform backups remotely, a departmental file share in the branch office will be replicated back to the head office for centralized backup. Data replicated to the head office should be read only.

Lab Review• What are the requirements for deploying a namespace in

Windows Server 2008 mode?• What are the benefits of hosting a namespace on several

namespace servers?

Lesson 5: Configuring BranchCache• What Is BranchCache?• How Does BranchCache Work?• BranchCache Requirements• Configuring BranchCache Server Settings• Configuring BranchCache Client Settings• Demonstration: How to Configure BranchCache Mode• Monitoring BranchCache

What Is BranchCache?

BranchCache:

• Supports the following protocols:• HTTP/HTTPS• SMB• BITS

• Reduces WAN utilization

How Does BranchCache Work?

Head Office

Branch Office (Distributed Cache Mode)

Branch Office (Hosted Cache Mode)

BranchCache Requirements

• Install the BranchCache feature or the BranchCache for Network Files feature on the server that is hosting the content

• Configure clients, either by using Group Policy or the netsh command

Requirements for usingBranchCache

• In the distributed cache mode, no server is required in the branch office; just Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 clients are required

• In the hosted cache mode, Windows Server 2008 R2 server must be configured for BranchCache host in the branch office

• The BranchCache host server must have a digital certificate

Requirements for distributed and hosted cache modes

Configuring BranchCache Server Settings

Install the BranchCache feature

Configuring the Web Server

1

Install BranchCache for Network Files role service

Enable BranchCache on the server

Enable BranchCache on file shares

Configuring the File Server

1

2

Add the BranchCache feature to the Windows Server 2008 R2 server

Configure BranchCache with a trusted certificate

Configuring the Hosted Cache Server

1

2

3

Configuring BranchCache Client Settings

Enable BranchCache1

Configure the client firewall3

Enable the distributed cache mode or hosted cache mode2

You can modify BranchCache settings and perform additional configuration tasks, such as:

• Setting the cache size• Setting the location of hosted cache• Clearing the cache• Creating and replicating a shared key for using in a

server cluster

To enable and configure BranchCache, you need to perform the following steps:

Demonstration: How to Configure BranchCache ModeIn this demonstration, you will see how to: • Enable BranchCache on a file server

Monitoring BranchCache

BranchCache monitoring tools include:

• Netsh branchcache show status all• Event Viewer• Performance counters

Lab B: Implementing BranchCache• Exercise 1: Performing initial configuration tasks for

BranchCache• Exercise 2: Configuring BranchCache clients• Exercise 3: Configuring BranchCache on the branch server• Exercise 4: Monitoring BranchCache

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Logon information

Virtual machines6421B-NYC-DC16421B-NYC-SVR16421B-NYC-CL26421B-NYC-CL1

User name Contoso\AdministratorPassword Pa$$w0rd

Lab Scenario

Contoso has deployed a new branch office. This office has a single server. In order to support branch staff requirements, you must configure BranchCache. Data is centralized at the head office. To reduce WAN utilization out to the branch office, BranchCache will be configured for these data.

Lab Review• In the lab, you moved NYC-SVR1 to its own OU. Why?

Module Review and Takeaways• Review Questions• Windows Server 2008 R2 Features introduced in this

module• Tools