Managing directory replication

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Managing directory replication

Except for very small networks, directory data must reside in more than one place on the network to be equally useful to all users. Through replication, the Active Directory directory service maintains replicas of directory data on multiple domain controllers, ensuring directory availability and performance for all users. Active Directory relies on configuration information that you provide about sites, subnets, and site links to manage and optimize the process of replication.

Some of the most common tasks are creating sites, creating site links, and creating a subnet and associating it with a site. For more information about other tasks for managing directory replication, see Manage Sites.

To create a site

  1. Open Active Directory Sites and Services.

  2. Right-click the Sites folder, and then click New Site.

  3. In Name, type the name of the new site.

  4. Click a site link object, and then click OK.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Active Directory Sites and Services, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Sites and Services.

  • For more information about sites, see Sites overview.

  1. Open Active Directory Sites and Services.

  2. In the console tree, right-click the intersite transport protocol you want the site link to use, and then click New Site Link.

    Where?

    • Active Directory Sites and Services/Sites/Inter-Site Transports/inter-site transport protocol you want the site link to use

  3. In Name, type the name to be given to the link.

  4. Click two or more sites to connect, and then click Add.

  5. Configure the site link's cost, schedule, and replication frequency.

Caution

  • If you create a site link that uses SMTP, you must have an enterprise certification authority (Enterprise CA) available and SMTP must be installed on all domain controllers that will use the site link.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Active Directory Sites and Services, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Sites and Services.

  • Creating a site link between two or more sites is a way to influence replication topology. By creating a site link, you provide Active Directory with information about what connections are available, which ones are preferred, and how much bandwidth is available. Active Directory uses this information to choose times and connections for replication that will afford the best performance.

  • For more information about configuring the site link's cost, schedule, and replication frequency, see Configure Replication Between Sites and Managing replication.

To create a subnet and associate it with a site

  1. Open Active Directory Sites and Services.

  2. In the console tree, double-click Sites.

  3. Right-click Subnets, and then click New Subnet.

  4. In Address, enter the subnet address.

  5. In Mask, enter the subnet mask that describes the range of addresses included in this site's subnet.

  6. Select a site with which to associate this subnet, and then click OK.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Active Directory Sites and Services, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Sites and Services.

  • Any IP address within the subnet range is a valid entry.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.