Active Directory 2012R2 – How to Migrate to DFS Replication using the DFSRMIG command

To resolve the issue with the deprecated File Replication Service (FRS) and migrate to Distributed File System Replication (DFSR), you can follow these steps:

First, ensure that your domain functional level is at least Windows Server 2008 or higher. This is a prerequisite for using DFSR. You can check the domain functional level using the following command:

Get-ADDomain | Select-Object DomainMode

Next, you can use the dfsrmig command to migrate from FRS to DFSR. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Check the Current State: Open an elevated Command Prompt and run the following command to check the current global state:

   dfsrmig /getglobalstate

If the output shows Current DFSR global state: 'Start', it means you are still using FRS.

2. Set the Global State to ‘Prepared’: Run the following command to set the global state to ‘Prepared’:

   dfsrmig /setglobalstate 1

This command prepares the domain controllers for the migration.

3. Check the Migration State: Verify that all domain controllers have reached the ‘Prepared’ state by running:

   dfsrmig /getmigrationstate

Wait until all domain controllers report the ‘Prepared’ state.

4. Set the Global State to ‘Redirected’: Run the following command to set the global state to ‘Redirected’:

   dfsrmig /setglobalstate 2

This command redirects the SYSVOL share to use DFSR.

5. Check the Migration State Again: Verify that all domain controllers have reached the ‘Redirected’ state by running:

   dfsrmig /getmigrationstate

Wait until all domain controllers report the ‘Redirected’ state.

6. Set the Global State to ‘Eliminated’: Run the following command to set the global state to ‘Eliminated’:

   dfsrmig /setglobalstate 3

This command completes the migration and deprecates FRS.

7. Final Check: Verify that all domain controllers have reached the ‘Eliminated’ state by running:

   dfsrmig /getmigrationstate

Wait until all domain controllers report the ‘Eliminated’ state.

By following these steps, you will successfully migrate from FRS to DFSR and resolve the issue with the deprecated FRS[1][2][3][4][5].

If you need further assistance, feel free to ask!