What is SYSVOL folder in Active Directory?

What is SYSVOL?

The system volume (SYSVOL) is a crucial component of Active Directory and is essentially a folder which is present on each domain controller (DC) in a domain. It is a shared directory that consists of a server copy of all the files that are to be shared for common access within a domain. A group of folders, files, and junction points collectively constitute a SYSVOL folder. They include net logon shares, user logon scripts, Windows Group Policy, and file system junctions.

How replication happens in SYSVOL?

In the earlier versions of Windows (Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 R2) replication in SYSVOL occurs through File Replication Service (FRS). However, the FRS was not efficient as the entire file was replicated to all the domain controllers each time there was any change in a SYSVOL file. So, starting from Windows Server 2008, Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) became the default SYSVOL replication method. DFSR is a multi-master replication engine that is capable of replicating changes at the block level across multiple servers and sites for files greater than 64 KB.

Where is the SYSVOL folder located?

The default location of the SYSVOL folder is %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSVOL\sysvol. It can be moved to a different location when you promote a domain controller or anytime after that. However, relocating SYSVOL is not a recommended practice as it can be quite troublesome, especially to the GPOs present in the domain.

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