Not all Distributed File System (DFS) namespace folder targets replicate data with the other targets as expected in Windows Server 2003 R2

You use the DFS Replication service in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 to configure a Distributed File System (DFS) namespace folder for replication among the folder targets. However, not all the folder targets replicate data with the other targets as expected.

Note A DFS namespace contains one or more DFS folders that have targets. If the folder has more than one target, you can replicate the data on the targets by using the DFS Replication service.

This problem may occur if one or more of the following conditions are true:

• The operating system of the folder target is not Windows Server 2003 R2 or a later version of Windows.
• The folder target is a share on a server cluster.
• The folder target is on a server that has more than one folder target for the DFS folder.
• The folder target was added to the DFS namespace by using a tool other than the DFS Management snap-in.
• The folder target was not added to the replication group after you added this folder target to the DFS namespace.

If the folder target is running Windows Server 20003 R2, and if the folder target is not a cluster share, you can add the folder target to the replication group. To do this, follow these steps in the DFS Management snap-in:

1. Select the DFS namespace and the specific DFS folder in the namespace.
2. Select the folder target, and then click Delete.
3. Add the folder target back to the DFS folder. To do this, click to select the Add this folder target to the replication group using the following topology check box.

A member of the replication group can also be a folder target, but this member is not currently a folder target. If you want to add this member computer to the list of folder targets, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. In the DFS Management snap-in, select the replication group.
2. Find the member computer that is not a folder target, and then click Disable.
3. Immediately click Enable after the disable operation is completed. As part of the enable operation, the user interface (UI) will request that a share be added to the DFS namespace.

Method 2

1. In the DFS Management snap-in, select the DFS namespace.
2. Select the appropriate folder, and then click Add Folder Target.
3. Enter the path of the folder target to add, but click clear the Add this folder target to the replication group using the following topology check box.
4. At a command prompt, type the following command:
   DfsrAdmin membership set /RgName:Name /RfName:name /MemName:MemberName /MembershipDfsFolder:FolderTargetUNC