VMware using DFS fails

[Allan]

This is a DFS problem that screws up my VMware GSX 2.5 offering. Perhaps
someone knows why the DFS link between two machines does not work until
Administrator logon and Check Status.

Situation - two Windows 2000 Server SP3 both in standalone mode (not domain
members). Identical user account names and password on both. Security is
setup OK and normally the user on a LAN desktop machine can run VMware
Remote Console against the VM server (Windows Server 1) and authenticate.
User sees in the VM list the machines shared to all, and their person
machine shared from the second Windows Server 2. User can launch and run
their VM.

Now, restart Server 1. Do the user thing as above and the user machine does
not appear in the list. Only vm's on the Server 1 that are shared to all
appear. So, logon as Administrator and run GSX Manager to see all the user
vm's broken. Close GSX manager and go to DFS MMC, do a Check Status on the
link to Server 2. Green "OK" status results.

Now, open VM GSX Manager again and the user machines are found valid and OK.
Users can now run their machines. Path to virtual disk files is netbios \\
server1 \ shareon1 \ dfsshareon2 where shareon1 is the local folder shared
out that contains shared disk file folders and the DFS link to the share on
server 2 where user disk files are located.

Ideas why this happens would be appreciated.

[Mukul Gupta [MSFT]]

I think I know why...
Can you tell me on what machine are you loging as administrator and running
GSX manager?
When you say users can run remote console against server 1, and
authenticate - with what account they authenticate?

After reboot of server 1, and user connecting to remote console on server 1,
is this user able to access \\server1\shareon1\diskshareon2 directly himself
from command prompt?
--
Thanks
Mukul [MSFT]

PS: Please post DFS related queries in newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.server.dfs_frs. Please use "DFS" in subject to make
it immediately noticeable.

PS: Please find latest dfsutil.exe for Win2003 (updated) at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=82E8DEC3-C7A3-4B5B-9FF1-FD01B0203DC1&displaylang=en

Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights

Post by Allan
This is a DFS problem that screws up my VMware GSX 2.5 offering. Perhaps
someone knows why the DFS link between two machines does not work until
Administrator logon and Check Status.
Situation - two Windows 2000 Server SP3 both in standalone mode (not domain
members). Identical user account names and password on both. Security is
setup OK and normally the user on a LAN desktop machine can run VMware
Remote Console against the VM server (Windows Server 1) and authenticate.
User sees in the VM list the machines shared to all, and their person
machine shared from the second Windows Server 2. User can launch and run
their VM.
Now, restart Server 1. Do the user thing as above and the user machine does
not appear in the list. Only vm's on the Server 1 that are shared to all
appear. So, logon as Administrator and run GSX Manager to see all the user
vm's broken. Close GSX manager and go to DFS MMC, do a Check Status on the
link to Server 2. Green "OK" status results.
Now, open VM GSX Manager again and the user machines are found valid and OK.
Users can now run their machines. Path to virtual disk files is netbios \\
server1 \ shareon1 \ dfsshareon2 where shareon1 is the local folder shared
out that contains shared disk file folders and the DFS link to the share on
server 2 where user disk files are located.
Ideas why this happens would be appreciated.

[Allan]

I only run GSX manager on the server 1 to see what is wrong when users on
the LAN do not see their published personal VM in the remote console list.
Remote Console is a VMware 32 bit app that installs on the user local pc.
Users authenticate to the server 1 using VM Remote Console and get a list of
published machines, some available to all and their own personal VM.

VM server has some published virtual machines and the second Windows 2000
server in the workgroup contains mostly the personal VM's. The DFS root is
on server 1 and the link points to the share on server 2. Hence, when the
DFS is not working the user sees the general available vm's which reside on
Server 1, but their personal vm is not in the list of machines that are
published.

Users authenticate with a user account on Server 1. The identical account
name and password is created on Server 2 and NTFS plus share permissions
control access.

Again, after I login to the Server 1 and run GSX manager to see what is up
there are a list of personal VM's that cannot reach their virtual disks. So,
I go into the DFS.mmc and do a Check Status then the path is valid for the
machines to reach their disk files.

It then remains active until the next time we restart the server. I try to
bring up Server 2 before Server 1, but I can't say this has any result. The
DFS link should be a system activity but only seems to activate when the
Administrator logs on and checks the link.

As for reaching the share on machine 2 through the DFS using command prompt,
I don't recall. This is not the purpose of the setup so I will have to check
tomorrow and get back with you.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]
I think I know why...
Can you tell me on what machine are you loging as administrator and running
GSX manager?
When you say users can run remote console against server 1, and
authenticate - with what account they authenticate?
After reboot of server 1, and user connecting to remote console on server 1,
is this user able to access \\server1\shareon1\diskshareon2 directly himself
from command prompt?
--
Thanks
Mukul [MSFT]
PS: Please post DFS related queries in newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.server.dfs_frs. Please use "DFS" in subject to make
it immediately noticeable.
PS: Please find latest dfsutil.exe for Win2003 (updated) at

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=82E8DEC3-C7A3-4B5B-9FF1-FD01B0203DC1&displaylang=en

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights

Post by Allan
This is a DFS problem that screws up my VMware GSX 2.5 offering. Perhaps
someone knows why the DFS link between two machines does not work until
Administrator logon and Check Status.
Situation - two Windows 2000 Server SP3 both in standalone mode (not

domain

Post by Allan
members). Identical user account names and password on both. Security is
setup OK and normally the user on a LAN desktop machine can run VMware
Remote Console against the VM server (Windows Server 1) and

authenticate.

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]

Post by Allan
User sees in the VM list the machines shared to all, and their person
machine shared from the second Windows Server 2. User can launch and run
their VM.
Now, restart Server 1. Do the user thing as above and the user machine

does

Post by Allan
not appear in the list. Only vm's on the Server 1 that are shared to all
appear. So, logon as Administrator and run GSX Manager to see all the user
vm's broken. Close GSX manager and go to DFS MMC, do a Check Status on the
link to Server 2. Green "OK" status results.
Now, open VM GSX Manager again and the user machines are found valid and

OK.

Post by Allan
Users can now run their machines. Path to virtual disk files is netbios \\
server1 \ shareon1 \ dfsshareon2 where shareon1 is the local folder shared
out that contains shared disk file folders and the DFS link to the share

on

Post by Allan
server 2 where user disk files are located.
Ideas why this happens would be appreciated.

[Allan]

I tested command prompt net use to the path on server1 share. The user can
access the shared folder on server1 and open each folder therein, except for
the dfs link folder to server2.

However, when the user runs vm remote console and authenticates it (their
personal vm on server2) appears in the list of available machines. This
would not be happening unless the ntfs and share permissions worked.

I too think it is strange that the user cannot reach server2 shared folder
through the dfs link. This is what the dfs is supposed to do.

Perhaps this is all a big mess because server1 and server2 are both
standalone security machines. The pass through security is a mess.

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]
I think I know why...
Can you tell me on what machine are you loging as administrator and running
GSX manager?
When you say users can run remote console against server 1, and
authenticate - with what account they authenticate?
After reboot of server 1, and user connecting to remote console on server 1,
is this user able to access \\server1\shareon1\diskshareon2 directly himself
from command prompt?
--
Thanks
Mukul [MSFT]
PS: Please post DFS related queries in newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.server.dfs_frs. Please use "DFS" in subject to make
it immediately noticeable.
PS: Please find latest dfsutil.exe for Win2003 (updated) at

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=82E8DEC3-C7A3-4B5B-9FF1-FD01B0203DC1&displaylang=en

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights

Post by Allan
This is a DFS problem that screws up my VMware GSX 2.5 offering. Perhaps
someone knows why the DFS link between two machines does not work until
Administrator logon and Check Status.
Situation - two Windows 2000 Server SP3 both in standalone mode (not

domain

Post by Allan
members). Identical user account names and password on both. Security is
setup OK and normally the user on a LAN desktop machine can run VMware
Remote Console against the VM server (Windows Server 1) and

authenticate.

Post by Mukul Gupta [MSFT]

Post by Allan
User sees in the VM list the machines shared to all, and their person
machine shared from the second Windows Server 2. User can launch and run
their VM.
Now, restart Server 1. Do the user thing as above and the user machine

does

Post by Allan
not appear in the list. Only vm's on the Server 1 that are shared to all
appear. So, logon as Administrator and run GSX Manager to see all the user
vm's broken. Close GSX manager and go to DFS MMC, do a Check Status on the
link to Server 2. Green "OK" status results.
Now, open VM GSX Manager again and the user machines are found valid and

OK.

Post by Allan
Users can now run their machines. Path to virtual disk files is netbios \\
server1 \ shareon1 \ dfsshareon2 where shareon1 is the local folder shared
out that contains shared disk file folders and the DFS link to the share

on

Post by Allan
server 2 where user disk files are located.
Ideas why this happens would be appreciated.