Well this is not 100% complete.  With the use of VFM, you can create a filer hosted DFS root.  Let me see if I can clear up a few things.
 
By using VFM and a “Namespace Availability” policy, you can replicate a Stand-Alone (server based) DFS root to a filer and thus create another Stand-Alone based root.  What is generated on the filer, as Adam mentioned, are widelinks that would correspond to the DFS targets required.
 
Now, this does require at least one windows server to host the original DFS root and to make namespace updates.  However, with the use of the availability policy, the changes can be updated every ‘x’ minutes.
 
AC
 

From: owner-toasters@mathworks.com [mailto:owner-toasters@mathworks.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Mery
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 11:33
To: Mike Partyka
Cc: owner-toasters@mathworks.com; toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: Re: Microsoft DFS participation and Virtual File Manager


The answer you got from NetApp is part right and part wrong.  It's correct in that a filer cannot host a DFS root.  It also cannot do some of the cooler DFS features like DFS-R (DFS Replication) with 2003 R2 systems.  However, it's also incorrect because a filer *can* participate in DFS as a target device to which DFS links.

As an example, I can create a domain-based DFS root and point links within that root at my filer with no problems.

IIRC - VFM doesn't replace DFS, but acts more as a "manager" of DFS and gives you some extra features from a management perspective, but you're still required to implement DFS for VFM to work.  It's been a while since we've looked at VFM so the details are a bit fuzzy.

Jeff Mery - MCSE, MCP
National Instruments

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Allow me to extol the virtues of the Net Fairy, and of all the fantastic
dorks that make the nice packets go from here to there. Amen."
TB - Penny Arcade
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  Mike Partyka <mpartyka@acmn.com>
Sent by: owner-toasters@mathworks.com  10/11/2007 09:32 AM     
  To   "toasters@mathworks.com" <toasters@mathworks.com>    
  cc    
  Subject   Microsoft DFS participation and Virtual File Manager    
 
  
      



Hello All,

I’ve seen some posts recently talking about using the filer to participate in a DFS schema. I asked NetApp support if a filer could participate in MS DFS and was told no, and referred to Virtual File Manager which seems to replace the DFS schema not allow the filer to participate. What is required from a NetApp storage perspective to participate in MS DFS? Also does anyone have familiarity with VFM and whether if has any advantages over VFM?

Thx

--


Michael Partyka  - Technical Engineer
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Applied Communications of MN
3496 Shoreline Drive
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e. mpartyka@acmn.com