Directory Junctions vs. Dfs

Comparison of Dfs Junction Points and NTFS Directory Junctions.

Sean Daily

March 8, 2000

1 Min Read
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If you're familiar with Microsoft's Dfs add-on for Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000's (Win2K's) upgraded feature with the same name, you might notice that NTFS directory junctions have strong similarities to Dfs. However, NTFS directory junctions and Dfs have significant differences, and you use the features for different purposes. Table A provides a summary of the differences between these two technologies.

TABLE A: Comparison of Dfs Junction Points and NTFS Directory Junctions

Feature

Dfs Junction Points

NTFS Directory Junctions

Junction point origin

Local network share

Local NTFS directory

Junction point target

Any network share

Any valid local directory

Fault tolerance capabilities

Yes (in Win2K)

No

Recoverable

Yes

Yes (through Chkdsk)

Multiple-target capable

Yes

No

Clustering support

Yes

No

API

Yes

Yes

Graphical management tools

Yes

Minimal

Requirements

Win2K or NT Server 4.0

Win2K with NTFS 5.5 (NTFS5)

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