Choose DFS referral ordering without losing an off-site access path

Source facts

Microsoft’s DFS documentation describes referrals as ordered target lists: clients try the first target and move to the next when it is unavailable. The lowest-cost method places same-site targets first, then orders remote targets by cost; equal-cost targets are randomized. Without an overriding target priority, the site-only method returns only same-site targets; if none exist, the client receives no referral. Targets prioritized first or last across all targets remain in referrals despite site-only ordering.

Applicability

Decide whether the change concerns the namespace root or a folder. Review client site placement and the intended target set. Treat a requirement to avoid remote access and a requirement to retain access during a local outage as separate business decisions that need an owner.

DSE recommendation

Write down the intended outcome for each site before choosing the ordering method. Include the normal local target, acceptable remote alternatives, and conditions under which access should deliberately be unavailable. Ask the application or file-service owner to approve that last condition explicitly. Preserve the prior ordering configuration so the change can be reversed.

Verification

Collect actual referrals and successful file-access results from representative clients. Repeat the exercise with an approved unavailable-target scenario and with a client site lacking a local target. Compare the returned order with the approved design. Record the target actually reached, not merely whether the namespace name resolved.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Set the Ordering Method for Targets in Referrals. Source reviewed September 8, 2026.