Why Monitor Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS)

A distributed file system (DFS) is a file system that is distributed to and stored in multiple locations, such as file servers that are located in different locales. Files are accessible just as if they were locally stored, from any device at any location. A DFS makes it convenient to share information and files among authorized users on a network in a controlled way.

The main reason enterprises choose a DFS is to provide access to the same data from multiple locations. For example, you might have a team distributed all over the world, but they have to be able to access the same files to collaborate. Or in today’s increasingly hybrid cloud world, whenever you need access to the same data from the data center, to the edge, to the cloud, you would want to use a DFS.

A DFS is critical in situations where you need:

Transparent local access — Data to be accessed as if it’s local to the user for high performance.

Location independence — No need for users to know where file data physically resides.

Scale-out capabilities — The ability to scale out massively by adding more machines. DFS systems can scale to exceedingly large clusters with thousands of servers.

Fault tolerance — A need for your system to continue operating properly even if some of its servers or disks fail. A fault-tolerant DFS is able to handle such failures by spreading data across multiple machines.

Continuous availability, rapid and reliable access, and easy management of shared files and folders are the corner stones of the DFS architecture. If DFS fails to deliver on these promises, users will be unable to access the files they want when they want it. This in turn will adversely impact user productivity and user confidence in the technology. To prevent such inconveniences, administrators should continuously monitor the DFS. Looking at these benefits offered by DFS, It is vital to monitor DFS for its uninterrupted services and eG Enterprise helps administrators in this regard!