Connection to windows DFS Shares

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Connection to windows DFS Shares

Can OS X 10.6 connect to a DFSR share and access files on a windows 2008 R2 server?
I see people using DAVE and ExtemeZ-IP for DFS but i also see people are able to connect with 10.6. Also if a user can't access the namespace dfs share, but could access the server dfs share directly that might be ok.
I figured you server guys would know more than the workstation forum browsers.

My goal is to have a physical win2k8r2 server in 2 office locations connected via VPN and be able to have users in both locations connect to a single share that is always in sync. DFSR seems to be the only good solution for this, but all the client machines are Mac's and we also have an Xserve in 1 location and an new mac mini as a OD replica in the other location.

All, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 3, 2011 1:18 PM

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Answer 1

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genericpenguin

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Mar 3, 2011 4:21 PM in response to g3sys

No and Yes.

ExtremeZ-IP is one of the few ways to access a DFS namespace. But you can connect to the share directly and access the files on a 2008 file server IF you know the path. Most of the time it will be fine but if DFS changes the location (due to failover, etc), then the path will change and you'll have to find it again. If you're keen, you can write a utility to get the published DFS shares via HTTP but this is probably too much trouble for two boxes.

The only thing is that when you mount the locations, they will appear as two separate shares. I hope that helps. Hopefully someone will have some more information (like some newfangled product!) that does DFS but AFAIK most solutions just write their own utility/widget to pull the DFS data and present it in some other way.

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Answer 2

g3sys Author

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Mar 3, 2011 4:58 PM in response to genericpenguin

thanks for responding -
so if i can access each dfs server directly from each location - i wonder if the win2k8r2 server will still know if a file is open on the other end and replicate properly.

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Answer 3

Mar 7, 2011 6:21 AM in response to g3sys

g3sys,

How many Macs are you talking about? You are most likely going to need to buy a solution one way or the other, but the number of Macs that you need to support may be the determining factor.

Group Logic's ExtremeZ-IP server pricing is based on the number of Macs you are going to have connecting, and the DFS serving capability is an additional fee (based on Group Logic's pricing page).

Thursby's DAVE is a per-client cost, but includes DFS support built-in.

I usually recommend DAVE to my clients, since you don't have to change the Windows server, and DFS is built in, so it can be more cost effective. Group Logic may be better for hundreds or thousands of Macs, but I don't know what their pricing is in those cases.

Just my $.02

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Answer 4

g3sys Author

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Mar 7, 2011 1:38 PM in response to Jarek Bingo MacGee

8 macs in each of the 2 locations.

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Answer 5

Mar 9, 2011 6:00 AM in response to g3sys

g3sys,

Well, breaking down the numbers, with Group Logic, you are looking at a minimum of two grand, and with Thursby, you are looking at about $1800. The question at this point is if you want to handle things from the server or from the clients.

Also, if client access to DFS is required or preferred, Thursby will be the way to go. If you are only going to be connecting to static paths (no DFS), you may be able to go with Apple's built-in client.

Just my $.02

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