Namespace folders and folder targets
Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2
Folders are the primary elements of a namespace. They appear after the namespace root (\\ServerOrDomainName\RootName) and help build the hierarchy of the namespace. When you create a folder using the DFS Management snap-in, you type a name for the folder and specify whether to add any folder targets. A folder target is a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to one of the following locations:
A shared folder
A folder within a shared folder
A path to another namespace
You can specify multiple folder targets to increase the redundancy of the folder. If one of the folder targets is not available, the client will attempt to access one of the other available targets. (The order in which clients attempt to access targets is defined by the ordering method described in Referral properties.)
When adding folder targets, it is important to follow these guidelines:
If you specify a domain-based namespace as a folder target (either the namespace root or a folder within that namespace), you cannot specify alternate folder targets. (Windows Server 2003 R2 operating systems enforce this restriction.)
If you plan to specify a stand-alone namespace as a folder target (either the namespace root or a folder within that namespace), you can specify alternate folder targets that are either stand-alone namespace roots or folders within the stand-alone namespace. Do not specify domain-based namespace roots or shared folders as alternate targets.