5.9 DFS Junction Support in CIFS Linux

CIFS must be configured to support DFS Junctions. By default, DFS junction support is disabled. You must enable it on both source (the server that hosts the junction) and target (the server that is pointed to by the junction) servers in order for the junctions to work. The junctions that point to subdirectories are also supported with CIFS Linux. For more information, see Managing DFS Junctions in the Distributed File Services Administration Guide for Linux.

5.9.1 Prerequisites

  • Unicode must be enabled.

  • DFS must be enabled for CIFS on all host and target servers.

  • Both host and target CIFS servers must be running.

  • The VLDB server must be running.

  • CIFS clients should be able to resolve NetBIOS name of CIFS server on the target server. Without this, the clients will not be able to connect to the DFS Target.

  • CIFS users should have required rights on both DFS source and target volumes. Without this, the clients will not be able to perform required operations.

  • With Port 445 support, clients might not use NetBIOS for resolution of DFS target name. DNS should also be updated with entries for NetBIOS name of the CIFS target.

IMPORTANT:The CIFS clients accessing DFS junctions must be DFS aware. From Linux SMB clients, junctions on OES cannot be traversed through CIFS.

5.9.2 Enabling DFS Support

To enable DFS junction support in CIFS Linux:

  1. In iManager, click File Protocols > CIFS.

  2. Browse to locate and select the server you want to manage.

  3. Select the check box for Distributed File Services (DFS) Support to enable the DFS support in CIFS Linux.

  4. Click OK.

NOTE:You can also enable DFS support for the CIFS server with the novcifs command line utility --dfs-support=yes|no.

5.9.3 Limitations

  • DFS is available only if Unicode (UTF8 format) is enabled.

  • Only CIFS shares are enabled with DFS support.