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2.5.2.2 Create DFS Domain Namespace

  • Article

Goal

To create a domain Distributed File System (DFS) namespace for access by using SMB access protocols with [MS-DFSC] extensions.

Context of Use

The administrator is setting up a file server or is adding a namespace to an existing file server.

Actors

  • Admin tool

    The admin tool is the primary actor that triggers this use case. The admin tool is a program that offers management functionality to the administrator through the admin client. Typical admin tools are command-line tools and graphical shells, management utilities, and graphical management programs. The purpose of the admin tool is to correctly interpret, execute, and display the results of the commands that are issued by the administrator.

  • DFS Service

    The DFS Service is a supporting actor that provides the technology that helps administrators group shared folders that are located on different servers and present them to users as a virtual tree of folders that is known as a namespace.

  • Admin client

    The admin client is a supporting actor that implements client-side protocol components and consumes the file server administration services that are offered by the file server. The admin client is internal to the File Services Management system.

  • Authentication Services

    The Authentication Services is the supporting actor that is used for authentication.

  • Active Directory system

    The Active Directory system is a supporting actor. The File Services Management system stores metadata that is related to the domain DFS namespace in Active Directory.

Stakeholders

  • Administrator

    The administrator is the person who administers the file server. The administrator has administrative rights  and uses the File Services Management system to provide SMB File Services.

Preconditions

The administrator has identified an SMB File Service and an existing SMB file share on the File Service to be promoted to a DFS domain namespace. A DFS Service is present on the SMB File Service, as described in [MS-DFSNM].

Main Success Scenario

  1. Trigger: The admin tool receives a request from the administrator to create a DFS namespace on the SMB File Service.

  2. The admin tool establishes a communication channel to the DFS Service, as described in [MS-DFSNM] section 2.1.

  3. DFS Service authenticates the administrator through the mechanisms, as described in [MS-AUTHSOD] section 2.1.2.3.1.

  4. The admin tool contacts DFS Service by using the NetrDfsAddRootTarget method ([MS-DFSNM] section 3.1.4.1.9) or the NetrDfsAddFtRoot method ([MS-DFSNM] section 3.1.4.3.1) to promote the share to a namespace on the SMB File Service.

  5. The DFS Service authorizes the administrator through the mechanisms of the NetrDfsAddRootTarget method ([MS-DFSNM] section 3.1.4.1.9) or the NetrDfsAddFtRoot method ([MS-DFSNM] section 3.1.4.3.1), as appropriate to the call.

  6. The DFS Service performs the action and interacts with the Active Directory directory service [MS-ADOD] to store metadata changes that are related to the DFS namespace, as described in [MS-DFSNM].

Postcondition

The named share is promoted to a DFS namespace on the SMB File Service with corresponding metadata that is written to the Active Directory system.

Extensions

If the communication channel for [MS-DFSNM] cannot be established, or it becomes disconnected:

  • The admin tool can attempt to establish connection multiple times; ultimately, the use case ends with failure. Depending on when the connection failed, the namespace could or could not have been created.

If user authorization or authentication fails:

  • The use case ends with failure.