Setting up Distributed File System Replication in Windows Server 2022

Posted on 20th June 2023

Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) is a new feature in Windows Server 2022 that allows you to replicate files between servers. DFSR is an alternative to File Replication Service (FRS), which has been deprecated in Windows Server 2022.

In this article, we will show you how to set up DFSR on two Windows Server 2022 servers.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need to have the following:

Two Windows Server 2022 servers. In this article, we will refer to them as Server1 and Server2.
An account with administrator privileges on both servers.

Installing DFSR on Server1

First, we will install DFSR on Server1.

1. Log in to Server1 with an account that has administrator privileges.

2. Open the Server Manager console.

3. In the left-hand pane, click on Manage.

4. In the drop-down menu, click on Add Roles and Features.

5. In the Before you begin page, click on Next.

6. In the Installation Type page, select the Role-based or feature-based installation option and click on Next.

7. In the Server Selection page, select the server on which you want to install DFSR and click on Next.

8. In the Server Roles page, select the File and Storage Services role and click on Next.

9. In the Features page, select the Distributed File System feature and click on Next.

10. In the Confirm installation selections page, click on Install.

11. In the Results page, click on Close.

Installing DFSR on Server2

Next, we will install DFSR on Server2.

1. Log in to Server2 with an account that has administrator privileges.

2. Open the Server Manager console.

3. In the left-hand pane, click on Manage.

4. In the drop-down menu, click on Add Roles and Features.

5. In the Before you begin page, click on Next.

6. In the Installation Type page, select the Role-based or feature-based installation option and click on Next.

7. In the Server Selection page, select the server on which you want to install DFSR and click on Next.

8. In the Server Roles page, select the File and Storage Services role and click on Next.

9. In the Features page, select the Distributed File System feature and click on Next.

10. In the Confirm installation selections page, click on Install.

11. In the Results page, click on Close.

Configuring DFSR on Server1

Now that DFSR is installed on both servers, we will configure it on Server1.

1. Log in to Server1 with an account that has administrator privileges.

2. Open the DFS Management console.

3. In the left-hand pane, expand the DFS Management node and click on Replication.

4. In the Action pane, click on New Replication Group.

5. In the New Replication Group Wizard, click on Next.

6. In the Replication Group Type page, select the Custom option and click on Next.

7. In the Replication Group Name and Domain page, enter a name for the replication group and select the domain in which the servers are located. Then click on Next.

8. In the Folder page, click on Add.

9. In the Add Folder Target dialog box, enter the path of the folder that you want to replicate. In this example, we will use the path C:DFSRData. Then click on OK.

10. In the Folder page, click on Next.

11. In the Primary Member page, select the server on which you want to create the primary replica. In this example, we will select Server1. Then click on Next.

12. In the Connection page, select the Local area network (LAN) option and click on Next.

13. In the Transport page, select the IPv4 option and click on Next.

14. In the Confirm Settings page, review the settings and click on Create.

15. In the Create Replication Group page, click on Finish.

16. In the Confirm Settings page, click on Yes.

17. In the Create Replication Group page, click on Close.

Configuring DFSR on Server2

Next, we will configure DFSR on Server2.