Newbie Active Directory Question

[Technokrat]

Is active directory the best solution to the following scenario:

We have multiple domains A, B, C, ... with a server in each, for ease of reference

Server1 in domain A
Server2 in domain B
Server3 in domain C...

We want to treat Server1 in domain A as the primary server(or source) for a group of CAD files. If a user in any domain wants to add a CAD file for others to reference it must be added to Server1 in domain A. The CAD files from Server1 in domain A need to be automatically copied / replicated to all other servers in all other domains (so users will have a local reference) with read only status.
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Where do I start? Any feedback, advice and/or direction is greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,
Steve

 

[Davetoo]

Assuming you've already setup a trust relationship among the domains, you simply set the permissions/security on Server1 folders to allow access from the various domains, then setup DFS on Server1 to replicate to Server2 and Server3, setting the folder permissions on the subsequent servers to read only.

What type of connection do you have among the various domains? CAD files tend to get large so you may run into bandwidth issues.

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[Technokrat]

Thanks for the feedback.

Most of the connections are 256.

I just used CAD generically, the files are actually DXF(ascii format) files that average 250k in size.

 

[BackupGurus]

DFS would work great. As mentioned, setup Server A as your DFS root. DFS is automatic for replication but has about a 15 min. lag without further configuration. There's tons of solutions to file replication from a batch file to a scheduled backup program.

http://www.easiestfilesystem.com