Review DFS Namespaces Server Requirements

A namespace server is a domain controller or member server that hosts a namespace. The number of namespaces you can host on a server is determined by the operating system running on the namespace server.

The following servers can host multiple domain-based and stand-alone namespaces:

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
  
  
• Windows Server 2003 R2, Enterprise Edition
  
  
• Windows Server 2003 R2, Datacenter Edition
  
  
• Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
  
  
• Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
  
  

Servers that are running the following operating systems can host multiple domain-based namespaces in addition to a single stand-alone namespace:

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 Standard
  
  
• Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard Edition with Service Pack 2 or later
  
  
• Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition with Service Pack 2 or later
  
  

Servers running the following operating systems can host only a single namespace of any type:

• Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard Edition
  
  
• Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  
  
• Any version of Windows 2000 Server
  
  

	Note
	Windows Server 2003, Web Edition cannot host any namespaces. It can act as a folder target; though a maximum of 10 concurrent incoming server message block (SMB) connections are permitted.

The following table describes additional factors to consider when choosing servers to host a namespace.

Guidelines for Servers that Host Namespaces

Server Hosting Stand-Alone Namespaces

Server Hosting Domain-Based Namespaces

Only servers running Windows Server 2008 support access-based enumeration for stand-alone or domain-based (Windows Server 2008 mode) namespaces. Must contain an NTFS volume to host the namespace. Can be a member server or domain controller. Can be hosted by a failover cluster to increase the availability of the namespace.

Only servers running Windows Server 2008 can host domain-based namespaces in Windows Server 2008 mode. Must contain an NTFS volume to host the namespace. Must be a member server or domain controller in the domain in which the namespace is configured. (This requirement applies to every namespace server that hosts a given domain-based namespace.) Can use multiple namespace servers to increase the availability of the namespace The namespace cannot be a clustered resource in a failover cluster. However, you can locate the namespace on a server that also functions as a node in a failover cluster if you configure the namespace to use only local resources on that server.