title: IIS6 virtual directory access error 401 on DFS (Win 2003) file system depending on ACTIVE DFS node
body: <p>On a Windows 2003 IIS 6 webserver, with a virtual directory, pointing to a Windows 2003 DFS folder (2 DFS server nodes) I get 401 access error for the Anonymous user. prompting to enter user name, password.</p>
  
  <p>If on the web server I open up the DFS folder (\production.domain.com\share) and check properties, under the DFS tab I can see listed both DFS file servers (dfs1.production.domain.com\share and dfs2.production.domain.com\share).</p>
  
  <p>When I check status, both of them are OK, dfs2.production.domain.com\share is marked as Active.</p>
  
  <p>If I switch Active to dfs1.production.domain.com\share the IIS access starts working fine.</p>
  
  <p>On the web server the Anonymous IIS user can access the share on both DFS file server.
  The rest of the web site is also mapped to a DFS share hosted on both DFS file server, there is no issue - only with this virtual directory. </p>
  
  <p>If I reboot the web server, the virtual directory will default to dfs2.production.domain.com\share as Active - and produces 401 error. 
  If I manually set Active to dfs1.production.domain.com\share, the error disappears.</p>
  
  <p>Folder permissions on dfs2.production.domain.com\share and dfs1.production.domain.com\share
   are identical.</p>
  
  <p>Interestingly, after rebooting the web server, all other folders and virtual directories are set to Active on dfs1.production.domain.com\share Active, except this one.</p>
  
  <p>I wonder why this particular virtual directory is set to Active by default on the other file server: dfs2.production.domain.com\share? </p>
  
  <p>This seems to cause the IIS 401 error for that particular virtual directory and manually setting Active to the same file server node solves the IIS 401 error. </p>