DFS Root Does Not Appear in DFS MMC

When you start Distributed File System (DFS) Microsoft Management Console (MMC), the DFS root does not appear. If you try to locate the DFS root in DFS MMC, you receive the following error message: You receive this error message if you enter the name either as a NetBIOS host name or as a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

If you use the Dfscmd tool to add a DFS link, you receive the following error message:

This problem may occur if the following registry key is set on one or all of the servers that are hosting the DFS namespace after the namespace has already been defined:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this issue, use either of the following methods:

Method 1

Download and install the hotfix that is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Method 2

1. Start Registry Editor.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
   DFS
3. Double-click the DfsDnsConfig value, type 0 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
4. Quit Registry Editor.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

By default, DFS uses NetBIOS names for all network shares that are configured in the DFS namespace. As a result, client computers that support NetBIOS-only name resolution can locate and connect to targets in the DFS namespace. Clients that do not use NetBIOS cannot function in this environment.

DFS can operate in a DNS-only environment, where all the computers understand FQDNs. To configure DFS to operate in a DNS-only environment, you can set the DfsDnsConfig registry value. Microsoft recommends that you use this registry key with great caution. If you use this registry value in a mixed environment (DNS-only and NetBIOS-only), you may not be able to access the DFS namespace.

IMPORTANT: You must set this registry key on all of the servers that participate in hosting the DFS namespace. Additionally, you must set this key before the DFS namespace is created.

For additional information about this issue, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For troubleshooting information, visit the following Microsoft Web site: