Domain-based DFS Issues

Question

_{Friday, May 27, 2011 5:01 AM}

I've just setup a Windows Server 2008 R2 VM to use as a new file server, and want to migrate all the Namespaces from our existing Storage Server 2003 box.

After adding the File Services role, and the DFS Role Services, I attempted to create a Namespace on the new server as a test but received an error. Using the New Namespace Wizard under DFS Management, I used the new server as the namespace server, called the namespace "test", made it a domain-based namespace (Windows 2000 mode, since our AD is only 2003 at the moment), and hit create.

A shortwhile later, the create namespace task completes with a status of warning. The errors tab says:

"\my.domain\test. Properties on the namespace cannot be set. The domain-based namespace was created successfully but is currently unavailable for management due to active directory domain services replication delays and might not have default parameters configured properly."

The namespace is shown under Namespaces with a red cross, and a message: "Error \my.domain\test. The namespace cannot be queried. Element not found"

Reviewing http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977511 "About the DFS Namespaces service and its configuration data on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008", I started using DFSUTIL to see what the problem is.

Running "dfsutil root \my.domain\test verbose" gives this output:

Contacting \my.domain\test for enumeration
DfsUtil: Failed to enumerate at level 6.
Attributes such as INSITE, SITECOSTING and ROOTSCALABILITY may not be backed up or restored.
Enumeration for \my.domain\test is complete. 0 entries, enum level 2, status 0x490
Could not execute the command successfully
SYSTEM ERROR - Element not found.

Googling DFSUTIL and "failed to enumerate at level 6" gives 0 results. I can't believe no-one else has ever seen this problem before, or that Microsoft doesn't have an online explanation of the error messags you may see when using dfsutil.

I'm at a loss as to what is causing the problem.

All replies (4)

_{Tuesday, May 31, 2011 8:11 AM ✅Answered}

From the error "active directory domain services replication delays", it seems that the namespae information is failed to be saved to AD.

Try to reboot and run the command and provide the result.

dfsrdiag pollad

Shaon Shan |TechNet Subscriber Support in forum |If you have any feedback on our support, please contact [email protected]

_{Friday, May 27, 2011 5:11 AM}

Some additional information.

On the Windows Storage Server 2003 machine, if I type dfsutil /root:\my.domain\test /view /verbose I see:

Contacting \my.domain\test for enumeration
Enumeration for \my.domain\test is complete: 1 entries, enum level 6, status 0x0
Link \mydomain\test in namespace, with 1 targets
Finding site for filesvr2
Trying DC \dc1.my.domain with address \xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx in domain my.domain within forest my.domain
Storing name filesvr2, status 0
Domain Root with 0 Links [Blob Size: 262 bytes]
Root Name=\mydomain\test State="1" Timeout="300"
        Target Server="filesvr2" Folder="test" State="2" [Site: HQ]
Root with 0 Links [Blob Size: 262 bytes]

Trying to use the same command on the Windows Server 2008 R2 VM, using the /oldcli flag, doesn't work.

dfsutil /oldcli /root:\my.domain\test /view /verbose just shows the help information for the Dfsutil /View command so I can't do a like-for-like comparison of the output from dfsutil on 2003 and 2008.

_{Friday, October 21, 2011 6:19 PM | 1 vote}

I was getting the same error, with a different system error response -running on a Windows 2008 domain controller:

C:\Temp>dfsutil root \DOMAINNAME\DFSNAME verbose
Contacting \DOMAINNAME\DFSNAME for enumeration
DfsUtil: Failed to enumerate at level 6.
Attributes such as INSITE, SITECOSTING and  ROOTSCALABILITY may not be backed up or restored.
Enumeration for \DOMAINNAME\DFSNAME is complete: 0 entries, enum level 2, status 0x5
Could not execute the command successfully
SYSTEM ERROR - Access is denied.

It turns out,  in my case, the site this DC was in (which was a replacement DC for one that failed) - the namespace \DOMAINNAME\DFSNAME was still defined with the target being the failed DC.

Once I removed that DC as a target (from another site) - I was then able to do the above DFSUTIL command (and use the DFS GUI to add the DC I was on {the replacement} to add the namespace (hosted on the DC's) into the DFS root.

_{Monday, October 7, 2013 6:40 AM}

Hi Guys,

I'm a few years late but I want to share my experience too.
Most of my SBS 2011 probs have been solved with Server 2008 forums so this will probably work for you too.

One of my DFS Shares gave the "Element not found" error. I could access it with no problem, but the users couldn't. Then I found this article. I had recently changed the share permissions and the security options on that folder.

I went into my DFS Management and removed the folder. I created a new folder with a different name (coincedentally requested by dept.) with the same target. I didn't restart, turn services off and on etc. - it was immediately fixed.