HOW TO: Replicate RIS Images Using DFS and NTFRS

This article describes how to use Windows NT File Replication Service (NTFRS) with Distributed File System (DFS) to replicate your Remote Installation Services (RIS) images.

RIS for Windows 2000 does not have a built-in method for replicating images to other RIS servers in your organization. However, it is possible to replicate the images using the NTFRS feature that is shipped with the product. To use DFS/NTFRS replication to maintain the images on your RIS servers, use the procedure outlined in this section.

NOTE: This procedure requires that you have domain administrator privileges.

Create RIS Server Directory Structure

First you must create the RIS server directory structure. To do this, determine the directories that you need to create DFS links to, so that the data can be replicated. The default RemoteInstall directory structure is: You can create separate DFS links for each of the folders in the RemoteInstall directory. However, it is better to create only one DFS link for the RemoteInstall directory, and then replicate the contents.

Configure the Master RIS Server and Creating the Domain DFS Root

You must configure the master RIS server. To do this, install and configure the RIS server that acts as the initial master from which other RIS servers copy the images (this server is only the master temporarily). After all the data is copied, the servers become peers in the replication scheme.

Next, create the domain DFS root. Because NTFRS must be used in conjunction DFS, you must create the domain DFS root. (Users do not connect to these DFS shares, so you can name the DFS links whatever you like.) On the master RIS server (or any other server that is a member of the domain), follow these steps:

1. Start the Distributed File System snap-in located in Administrative Tools. When it initializes, on the Action menu, click New DFS Root.
2. On the New DFS Root Wizard, click Next, click Create a domain DFS root, and then click Next.
3. Click the name of the domain that hosts the DFS root, and then click Next.
4. Specify the name of the host server for this DFS root. If you follow these steps from the master RIS server, the master RIS server's name should be displayed as the default. Click this server, and then click Next.
5. On the Specify the DFS root Host Share page, click an existing share or create a new one. It is recommended that you create an empty directory on the local drive (for example, C:\Ris-images) and share it out. After this step is done, click Next.
6. On the Name DFS Root page, the name you just entered should be displayed as the default. You can use the default (and type a comment if you want), and then click Next.
7. On the Summary page, click Finish to create the domain DFS root.

Create DFS Links

After you have created the master RIS server and the domain DFS root, you must create the DFS links. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Using the Distributed File System snap-in, right-click the domain DFS root created in the previous step, and then click New DFS Link.
2. Enter the link name and path to the shared folder, and then click OK. For example, the link name is Ris-Share, and shared folder path is \\server_name\reminst\.

You now have the base DFS structure configured and you can test the links by browsing from any computer in the domain to the DFS namespace.

Configure RIS Servers to Receive Data

For the next step, you need to configure the other RIS server(s) to receive the images that are replicated from the master server. Follow the same setup procedures you used to set up the initial master RIS server.

After the setup is complete, you do not need to delete existing data on the volume that holds the RIS images; NTFRS replication moves this data to another folder, which you can remove at a later date.

After you have configured other RIS servers to receive images, you must add new RIS server folders as replica links. To add the replica links that point to the newly created RemoteInstall folders on the RIS server, follow these steps:

1. In the Distributed File System snap-in, right-click the DFS link that you created earlier, and then click New Replica.
2. In the Add a New Replica page, type the UNC path to the newly created RIS server. For example:
   
   \\Server_name\Reminst\
   This path should correspond to the same folder as the original link, but it is located on a different server.
3. While still in the Add a New Replica page, set the replication policy to Automatic, and then click OK.
4. Click each shared folder, and then click Enable.
5. Click the shared folder on the initial RIS server (the one that you set up earlier), and then click Set Master. The data is replicated from this RIS server to the newly created server.
   
   NOTE: This step sets this folder as master for only the initial replication of data. After the shares have been synchronized, they become peers in replication.

After you complete the preceding steps, NTFRS replication of the DFS shares begins within a short period of time. Depending on the amount of data that you have on your RIS volume, and on the connection speed to the other servers, it may take some time to replicate all of the data fully. To ensure replication has started, you can view the Windows NT file replication event log in using the Computer Management snap-in.

Configure Replication Policy

Replication may occur at any time during the day when files are added or removed from the RIS images. If you do not want replication to occur during the day, and prefer replication to occur during less busy times, you may set the replication policy to Manual. To adjust the replication policy, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
2. On the View menu, click Advanced Features.
3. Move through the directory tree and click System, click File Replication Service, click DFS Volumes, and then click DFS_Root_name.
4. Right-click Dfs_name/Dfs_name, and then click Properties.
5. Click Change Schedule, and then adjust the replication schedule to fit your needs.

Troubleshooting

The order in which the files are replicated cannot be controlled by NTFRS, therefore users may see templates for images that are not finished replicating. To avoid this issue, replicate new images during less busy times.

You can use a batch file with Xcopy.exe and the Task Scheduler to copy images from one master RIS server to other servers in your organization. Although this is the easiest method and can be scheduled during less busy times, it has the following disadvantages:

• All data is copied, not just the changes.
• A master RIS server from which the images are copied must be maintained.
• The length of the directory path to the data that is being copied cannot exceed 260 characters.

Also, this method can be time consuming because large amounts of data are being copied to multiple servers.