In a Windows Workgroup, you can specify UNC paths when you create a pair. This allows a remote storage target to be a network share on third-party network filers (such as EMC and NetApp) or Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 servers. The remote share must be created in the same Workgroup as the Dynamic File Services server.
A UNC path describes the location of a volume or folder. The format for a UNC path is \\server\volume\folder and is case-sensitive. For example:
\\my_iscsi_svr1\Engineering\ProjectA
Ensure that your setup meets the requirements in the following sections:
The pair must be hosted on a Dynamic File Services server that is located in the same Windows Workgroup as the remote shares.
In a Windows Workgroup, install Dynamic File Services on a supported Windows server. For information, see Supported Platforms
in the Dynamic File Services 2.2 Installation Guide.
The installation must be done by a user that has Administrator rights on the server. This allows the DynamicFS management groups to be created on the server, as described in Section 4.2, Management Groups. To add members to the Dynamic File Services group on the server, see Section 6.3.3, Setting Up Administrators in a Workgroup.
Your Workgroup setup must meet the following requirements:
The host name of each computer in the Workgroup must be unique.
On the Dynamic File Services server, the Service must be run as the Administrator user. The Administrator user password must be the same on each participating computer or filer. This user must have all file system rights to the primary share and the secondary share.
On a Windows XP computer, all computers in the workgroup must have the same user account with the same password. The user account must have all share access rights to all of the shares that you plan to use. The Service must run as this user account. The user must be granted the Logon as a Service right. If you set the Service to run as a user, then the Windows service controller sets this right for you.
On Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, the following services must be running and be configured to start for every boot in order for Dynamic File Services to work with remote paths:
Function Discovery Resource Publication
Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP)
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)
Computer Browser
After these services are started, go to the Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Sharing and Discovery option, then turn on Network Discovery.
The remote shares must be in the same Windows Workgroup as the Dynamic File Services server that hosts the pair.
Use Microsoft Networking to create a share on the remote location. You must make the share available to the DynamicFS server, and give rights to the Administrator user as described in Section 4.10.2, Workgroup Configuration Requirements.
Users must not have direct access to the files in a remote share that is used as the secondary path in a pair.
The remote path can be a network share on either of the following target storage locations. It is not necessary for Dynamic File Services to be running on the remote location.
Any Windows Server running an operating system that is supported by DynamicFS
Network attached storage or a network filer (such as NetApp and EMC)
To avoid potential data loss and conflicts, use only dedicated volumes when using remote paths.
Users must access files in the pair via a network share on the primary path. Users must not have direct access to the files in a path that is used as a remote path in a pair.