diff --git a/csst_common/data_manager.py b/csst_common/data_manager.py
index 139d83754a91d19be79e4dcec23852cba774f6e3..e02cd8cfa0455cd1114c2309d6e82d6674661cd3 100644
--- a/csst_common/data_manager.py
+++ b/csst_common/data_manager.py
@@ -252,10 +252,6 @@ class CsstMsDataManager:
     def set_detectors(self, detectors=None):
         raise DeprecationWarning("This method is deprecated, please directly use dm.target_detectors = detectors!")
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def from_dfs(expid, ver_sim="C5.2", datatype="mbi", dir_l1="."):
-        raise NotImplementedError("from_dfs is currently not available!")
-
     @staticmethod
     def from_dir(ver_sim="C5.2", datatype="mbi", dir_l0=".", dir_l1=".", path_aux="", dfs_mode=False, dfs_node="kmust"):
         """ initialize the multi-band imaging data manager """
@@ -571,6 +567,47 @@ class CsstMsDataManager:
         """ Push SLS spectra to DFS. """
         pass
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_dfs(obs_id="100000100", datatype="mbi", dir_l0="/L1Pipeline/L0", dir_l1=".",
+                 dfs_mode=True, dfs_node="pml"):
+        """ Initialize CsstMsDataManager from DFS. """
+        records = Level0DataApi().find(obs_id=obs_id)  # query DFS
+        tbl = Table([_.__dict__ for _ in records["data"]])
+        tbl.sort(["detector_no", "obs_type"])
+
+        if os.uname()[1] == "ubuntu":  # use pml test node
+            dfs_root = "/share/dfs"
+        else:                          # in docker
+            dfs_root = "/dfsroot"
+
+        # (clear and) make directories
+        if os.path.exists(dir_l0):
+            os.system(f"rm -rf {dir_l0}")
+        if os.path.exists(dir_l1):
+            os.system(f"rm -rf {dir_l1}")
+        os.mkdir(dir_l0)
+        os.mkdir(dir_l1)
+
+        for i_rec in range(len(tbl)):  # make symbolic links
+            os.symlink(
+                src=os.path.join(dfs_root, tbl["file_path"][i_rec]),
+                dst=os.path.join(dir_l0, tbl["file_path"][i_rec])
+            )
+
+        if datatype == "mbi":
+            path_aux = "/share/L1Pipeline/aux/C5.2_ref_mbi/MSC_{}_*_{:02d}_combine.fits"
+        elif datatype == "sls":
+            path_aux = "/share/L1Pipeline/aux/C5.2_ref_sls/csst_{:02d}{}.fits"
+        else:
+            path_aux = ""
+        # initialize dm
+        dm = CsstMsDataManager.from_dir(
+            ver_sim="C5.2", datatype=datatype, dir_l0=dir_l0, dir_l1=dir_l1,
+            path_aux=path_aux, dfs_mode=dfs_mode, dfs_node=dfs_node
+        )
+
+        return dm
+
     def dfs_l0_query(self, obs_id: str = "100000100"):
         """ Query L0 data from DFS. """
         result = self.dfs_L0DataApi.find(obs_id=str(obs_id))