For a recent customer I was going through all of the requirements to implement DirectAccess. One that I stumbled on a bit was that DirectAccess requires DFS-R replication but I wasn’t certain how to verify what replication type was in use. After some digging, some assumptions, and some great tips from fellow Catapult Systems consultants, here’s the scoop.
Determine if FRS is being utilized by the Domain Controllers
Note: FRS is the abbreviated acronym for NTFRS.
Method 1
From an administrator Command Prompt on a domain controller run DfsrMig /GetMigrationState and DfsrMig /GetGlobalState
- A value of 0, 1, or 2 means the migration from FRS to DFS-R is in progress
- A value of 3 means the migration from FRS to DFS-R is complete (FRS is ELIMINATED)
- A return message of “DFSR migration has not yet initialized” means FRS is in use, not DFS-R
Method 2
From ADSI Edit or Active Directory Users and Computers with Advanced Features enabled,
navigate to <domain>\System
- if a container named DFSR-GlobalSettings exists, then DFS-R should be in use
- if a container named File Replication Service \ Domain System Volume (SYSVOL share) exists and contains Domain Controller objects, then FRS should be in use
navigate to <domain>\Domain Controllers\<Domain controller>\
- if a container named NTFRS Subscriptions exists, then FRS should be in use
Method 3
From a domain controller
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- open Event Viewer \ Applications and Services Logs\ File Replication Service. If there is recent activity then FRS should be in use.
- if <SYSVOL>\SYSVOL_DFSR\SYSVOL exists, then DFS-R should be in use.
Note: to find the <SYSVOL> share
- From a command prompt enter reg.exe query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters and note the SysVol location
- From a command prompt enter dir %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\SYSVOL and note the location of the <domain FQDN> directory junction which will be in [square brackets]
- From ADSI Edit or Active Directory Users and Computers, check the fRSRootPath attribute of the <domain>\Domain Controllers\<domain controller>\NTFRS Subscriptions\Domain System Volume (SYSVOL share) object
References
- http://seneej.com/2014/08/05/step-by-step-frs-to-dfsr-migration-guide-in-three-steps
- http://blogs.technet.com/b/filecab/archive/2014/06/25/streamlined-migration-of-frs-to-dfsr-sysvol.aspx
- https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc783812(v=ws.10).aspx
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