2.6.2 File Replication Service

The File Replication Service (FRS), as described in [MS-FRS1], is a technology that was originally introduced in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server operating system to replicate Distributed File System (DFS) folders and the SYSVOL folder on domain controllers. Starting with the Windows Server 2003 R2 operating system, Microsoft began to phase out the use of FRS. In the Windows Server 2003 R2 operating system, the DFS Replication (DFS-R) Service replaced FRS for replication of DFS folders, although FRS was still used to replicate the SYSVOL folder on domain controllers and could be configured to run on other custom folders.

In the Windows Server 2008 operating system, DFS Replication replaced FRS for replicating the SYSVOL folder in domains that use the Windows Server 2008 domain functional level. In Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system, FRS can be used only to replicate the SYSVOL folder on domain controllers in domains that use the Windows Server 2003 operating system or the Windows 2000 Server domain functional levels.