Windows Server® 2012 Unleashed

Choosing a DFS Namespace Type

As mentioned previously, DFS namespaces can be based on the server name (standalone) or the domain name hosting the namespace (domain based). Both provide a single namespace, but only domain-based namespaces can provide redundancy at the namespace root level.

Standalone DFS Namespace

A standalone DFS namespace provides the characteristic DFS single namespace. The namespace is defined by the name of the server that hosts the root target and the share. Standalone roots can support only a single root target, but an administrator can configure multiple folder targets. Data stored within multiple folder targets must be kept in sync manually unless the standalone namespace server and all the folder target servers are members ...