Issue description   

After deleting a DFS namespace through the DFS Management snap-in, it may continue to appear on DFS file servers due to inconsistencies in DFS metadata. This can cause confusion, disrupt DFS operations, and make it difficult to manage namespaces effectively.

Possible causes   

1. Incomplete metadata deletion: The DFS namespace metadata was not fully removed from Active Directory.
   

2. DFS metadata cache issues: The DFS metadata cache was not refreshed, causing old namespace entries to persist.

3. Active Directory replication delays: Changes to DFS metadata may not have propagated across all domain controllers, leading to outdated namespace data.
   

Prerequisites 

Ensure you have:

• Access to DFS Management for verifying and modify namespace deletions.

• Permissions to use ADSI Edit to manually remove DFS metadata. 

Resolution 

 Step 1: Verify namespace deletion in DFS management   

1. Open DFS Management (dfsmgmt.msc).

2. Confirm that the namespace no longer exists.

3. Ensure the deletion was successful and no errors were reported.

 Step 2: Manually remove namespace from DFS metadata   

1. Open ADSI Edit (adsiedit.msc).

2. Connect to the Default Naming Context (domain partition).

3. Navigate to CN=Dfs-Configuration, CN=System, DC=<your-domain>, DC=<com>  

4. Locate the orphaned namespace entry and delete it.

 Step 3: Refresh DFS metadata cache   

1. Restart the DFS service on domain controllers to clear outdated cache:

• net stop dfs  

• net start dfs  

2. This forces DFS to reload its metadata from Active Directory.

 Step 4: Verify Active Directory replication   

1. Check if changes have propagated to all domain controllers:

• repadmin /showrepl  

2. If necessary, force replication using:

• repadmin /syncall /AeD  

3. Ensure no replication errors are present.

 Step 5: Confirm namespace removal   

1. Attempt to access the deleted namespace from a client machine.

2. Verify the namespace no longer appears in DFS.

Tips 

• Periodically review DFS metadata to detect orphaned namespaces early.

• Changes made in ADSI Edit cannot be undone easily double-check entries before modifying.

• Use dfsutil.exe to export namespace configurations before making changes.

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