File Servers

A file server’s job is to serve as a repository for the files that users need on the network. These files are typically held in what is called a public folder, which can include private folders that are specific for a particular user.

Windows Server 2008 actually makes it easy for you to package file resources that are held on any number of file servers so that users are not aware of (and don’t need to know) the actual location of the resource files. This system is called the Distributed File System (DFS). DFS and the creation of network shares on a Windows Server 2008 file server are discussed in Hour 12, “Working with Network Shares and the Distributed File System.”