What are the benefits of the existing single forest AD Domain to convert or upgrade the AD Domain Controllers from FRS to DFSR?

EnterpriseArchitect 4,996 Reputation points
2024-05-02T06:05:39.4533333+00:00

What are the benefits of the existing single forest AD Domain to convert or upgrade the AD Domain Controllers from FRS to DFSR?

https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/dfs-replication/migrate-sysvol-to-dfsr

FFL & DFL: Windows Server 2016

Hybrid Azure AD using Password Hash Synch

Total of 40+ AD DS / Global Catalog.

What are the steps involved and the consequence or impact might be?

Will interruptions or downtime be required as we are a global company running critical business applications?

Thanks in advance

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Accepted answer
  1. Vadims Podāns 9,116 Reputation points MVP
    2024-05-02T10:57:13.56+00:00

    FRS is a legacy (invented in Windows 2000 along with AD) SYSVOL replication service, while DFSR is a newer. Main difference is that legacy FRS replicates entire changed files, while DFSR replicates only changed bits, which generally improves replication strategy and minimizes replication traffic.

    However, you need to make sure that you are still using FRS. For example, domains created by Windows Server 2008 or newer use DFSR by default. Run:

    dfsrmig /getmigrationstate

    if status is Eliminated, then you already use DFSR and no actions required.

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  1. Neuvi Jiang 465 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-05-03T06:49:08.18+00:00

    Hi EnterpriseArchitect,

    Thank you for posting on the Q&A Forum.

    Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) has several benefits:

    Performance Improvement: DFSR provides better performance compared to FRS, especially in large environments or situations with a high volume of file changes.

    Enhanced Reliability: DFSR has better fault tolerance, allowing for faster detection and repair of file replication errors.

    Improved Conflict Resolution: DFSR offers advanced file conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure data consistency when synchronizing files across multiple domain controllers.

    All the best

    Neuvi Jiang

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  2. Neuvi Jiang 465 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-05-03T06:50:34.3266667+00:00

    Hi EnterpriseArchitect,

    Thank you for posting on the Q&A Forum.

    Back up critical data: Before making any major changes, be sure to back up critical data and configurations to prevent surprises.

    Prepare Domain Controllers: Before preparing domain controllers for conversion, you need to ensure that they are running an operating system version that meets the requirements of DFSR and that there are no outstanding issues.

    Perform the Conversion: Use the provided tools or scripts to perform the FRS to DFSR conversion. This typically involves running some command or action on each domain controller to enable DFSR and disable FRS.

    Perform the conversion during non-business hours, take additional backups and fault tolerance measures when performing the conversion, etc.

    All the best

    Neuvi Jiang