DFS to loadbalance / replicate homedrives

[k-strider]

Hi Guys,

 

just looking at budgets for next year, was considering getting a second home drive server and then using DFRS to load balance the home drives, i allready have everyones homedrive mounted via a DFS share and also already loadbalance the staff and students shared area and programs drive, which is usefull and works well especially good should you need to take a server down mid day in an emergency or such like.

 

 

Has anyone used DFS loadbalancing on home drives before? if so any comments

 

Gordon.

[User3204]

I haven't but I was talking to the Tech at the local CLC about this, and he was saying don't do it.

 

basically the kids were losing work, if you imagine the follwing:

1. student saves file to DFRS share on server A.

2. they logout, and log back on again (because they're kids and they're like that).

3. they go to their share, and it connects them to server B, either a) the file is not there, or b) there is an old version of the file.

4. they then open this new file, which gives it a new date/time stamp, and then in the next round of syncing, it overwrites the file from server B onto the file on server A.

 

We used to have it for our shared start menu & desktop, and it would go mental, as the students were opening the files, changing the desktop.ini and then it was trying to sync this around.

 

I have though about using a manually synced DFRS share for backup, but only mapping them to \\ServerA\dfrsshare, if this server was to fail, then we could have a quick logon script changed to direct to the \\ServerB\drfrsshare.

[ChrisH]

I tried this configuration and it didnt work too well. Its ok to keep 2 sources synced for backup purposes but it does not seem to do the real time syncing you need for user files.

[k-strider]

Thanks for the reply guys.

 

they were the sorts of issues I was worried about.

 

I suppose you could replicate it but only allow referrals to one of the servers, for a backup copy you could bring on-line within seconds should the main server die.

 

I'll go away and think some more anyhows.

[Geoff]

It's more robust in 2k8. Although I can't say if it would be able to keep up with homedrives.

[contink]

I tried this configuration and it didnt work too well. Its ok to keep 2 sources synced for backup purposes but it does not seem to do the real time syncing you need for user files.

 

I also tried this and had no end of problems...

 

In the end I opted to use a DFS as ChrisH, ie: a running backup... In terms of "load balancing" I opted to push the primary or first site as one server for kids and the other server for staff. At lunchtime and during the evening the servers go on an orgy of replication but the rest of the time they're there as a backup in case the primary has to go offline.

 

The biggest problem I found on DFS was the loads involved on both the system CPU, drive read/write times and the network itself. Granted the latter can be controlled but if just a couple of classes working at once and it all gets bogged down quite quick.

[Michael]

I've never tried in practice, but from what you're all saying it isn't a good idea. You'd be better off buying a second server and making it either another DC or a member server (makes no difference) and splitting home shares across the two servers.