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Create the SYSVOL Root and Staging Areas Junction Point

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

If you move the SYSVOL tree, you must create a junction point that is named for the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the domain. You create this junction point under <NewLocationForSYSVOL>\sysvol\domain. The junction point must point to <NewLocationForSYSVOL>\domain. If you move the tree or if hardware reconfiguration results in a change in the drive letter, you must recreate the SYSVOL junction point for the new location.

You should also re-create the junction point for the staging areas folder.

To perform this procedure, you can use the Mklink.exe command-line tool, which is included with Windows Server 2008.

Membership in Domain Admins, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To create the sysvol root junction point

  1. Open a Command Prompt as an administrator: On the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, provide Domain Admins credentials, if required, and then click Continue.

  2. At the command prompt, change the directory to the new sysvol root location, for example, FolderName\SYSVOL\sysvol.

  3. To create the junction point for the sysvol root, at the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    mklink /J <FQDN> <New sysvol root junction path>

    Example: mklink /J contoso.com D:\ContosoRoot\SYSVOL\domain

    Parameter Definition

    mklink /J

    Creates a junction point for the specified domain in the specified path location.

    <FQDN>

    The fully qualified domain name of the SYSVOL domain

    <New sysvol root junction path>

    The drive letter and path to the SYSVOL root, for example, Drive:\FolderName\SYSVOL\domain or Drive:\FolderName\SYSVOL_DFSR\domain if SYSVOL has been migrated from File Replication Service (FRS) to Distributed File System (DFS) Replication

  4. Create the junction point for the staging areas folder. Change directories to FolderName\sysvol\staging areas, and type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    mklink /J <FQDN> <New staging areas junction path>

    For example: mklink /J contoso.com c:\NewSYSVOL\staging\domain

  5. To verify the creation of the junction point, at the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    dir /a:L

    Verify the presence of the <JUNCTION> folder type and the value that you specified in step 3.