Server and Site Connections
Replication occurs between all domain controllers in the same site and between bridgehead servers in different sites. The replication connections between domain controllers in the same site are always created automatically by the KCC (and also can be created manually, although there is usually no need to do so). When you have more than one site, you create site links to connect them. When two sites are connected by a site link, the KCC also creates connections between the two bridgehead servers — one in each site for each domain that has domain controllers in the site. If there are multiple domains per site and each domain has domain controllers in more than one site, there are multiple bridgehead servers per site because domain controllers in the same domain must have connections that include only servers in that domain. The KCC selects the bridgehead servers automatically, or you can designate them manually if you want the same servers to be always used as bridgehead servers.
Replication transport protocols determine the manner in which replication data is transferred over the network media. Your network environment dictates the transports that you can use.
Server Objects
When you install Active Directory on a Windows 2000 Server–based computer, the installation process creates a server object that represents the domain controller. A server object is distinct from the computer object that represents the computer as a security principal. These objects are in separate directory partitions; the computer object represents the domain controller in the domain directory partition; the server object represents the domain controller in the configuration directory partition. The server object contains a reference to the associated computer object.
Server objects are children of site objects. The parent site of a server must contain the server subnet. If a domain controller's IP address or the subnet-to-site associations are changed after Active Directory is installed on the server computer, the domain controller does not change sites automatically. It must be moved to the new site manually if that site is the desired location.
Make sure that you create the site link before you move a domain controller to a different site. When replication between sites uses the SMTP transport, it is especially important that the domain controller first be properly configured within the site with RPC over IP connectivity.
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Note
When you make configuration changes that affect replication, the configuration changes replicate by using the old replication settings until they reach the systems where they take effect. Replication between sites does not occur until the following events occur:
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The site link is created somewhere in the directory.
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This change has replicated to the system in the site that is responsible for creating the intersite topology. (For more information about intersite topology generation, see "Automated Intersite Topology Generation" later in this chapter.)
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The KCC on that system has run and created the new connections.
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The new connections have replicated to the bridgehead server.
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The KCC on the bridgehead server has run and has translated the connections into replication partner relationships.
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Replication occurs on the bridgehead server.
Server Connections
The KCC creates connections for every domain controller that has a server object in the Sites container. These objects specify a one-way communication to the current system from another system. The connection object is a child of the replication destination's NTDS Settings object, and the connection object references the replication source domain controller in the fromServer attribute — that is, it represents the inbound half of a connection. The connection object contains a replication schedule and specifies a replication transport.
Connection objects are created in two ways:
Automatically by the KCC.
Manually by a directory administrator who is using Active Directory Sites and Services, ADSI Edit, or scripts.
A connection is unidirectional; a bidirectional replication connection is represented as two connection objects under two different NTDS Settings objects.
Ownership of Connection Objects
Connections that are created automatically by the KCC are "owned" by the KCC. Likewise, if an administrator creates a new connection or modifies an existing connection, that connection is owned by the administrator. If a connection object is not owned by the KCC, the KCC does not modify it or delete it. The implication of creating or modifying a connection object is that you want the object to remain as you define it. Ownership protects the object from being changed by the KCC.
Note
Ownership of a connection object does not affect security access to the object; it determines only whether the KCC can modify or delete the object.
Ownership of a connection object is determined by the value in the options attribute on the connection object. If this value ( value BITWISE-AND 1) equals 1, the KCC owns the connection. If you modify a KCC-generated connection, the options value changes. If you create a new connection object, the value of the options attribute is set to 0.
You can take ownership of a KCC-generated connection object by using Active Directory Sites and Services to modify the connection. Click the Change button to modify object properties; when the changes replicate, the options attribute value changes to reflect that the KCC does not own the object. For more information about creating a connection object, see Windows 2000 Server Help.
Note
It is usually not necessary to create manual connections when the KCC is being used to generate automatic connections. The KCC automatically reconfigures connections as conditions change. Adding manual connections when the KCC is employed potentially increases replication traffic by adding redundant connections to the optimal set chosen by the KCC. When manually generated connections exist, the KCC uses them wherever possible.
Connection Schedule
Each connection object has a schedule that is set automatically by the KCC when it determines the best route for replication. The connection schedule controls how frequently periodic replication occurs. The connection schedule has a minimum increment of 15 minutes. The default setting for replication within a site is once per hour, which you can change by modifying the NTDS Site Settings object. By using Active Directory Sites and Services, you can set a schedule of None (no replication), once per hour (default), twice per hour, or four times per hour.
Note
The Active Directory Sites and Services user interface confines the settings to once every 15 minutes for a specific hour or hours (from 1 hour to 24 hours) during the week. By using ADSI Edit or scripts, you can set replication on or off independently during each 15-minute window in the week.
The connection schedule receives its default from the schedule on the NTDS Site Settings object. When the KCC creates a new connection, the connection receives the schedule that is set on the NTDS Site Settings object. To override the default on the NTDS Site Settings object, you can manually set a schedule on the connection objects.
Note
This manual override is effective only for manually created objects. If you attempt to update the schedule on a KCC-owned object, the KCC reverts to the schedule on the NTDS Site Settings object the next time it runs.
For a connection between sites, the KCC derives the schedule from the site link schedule, which controls how frequently the site link is active. The default setting for replication between sites is three hours, which you can change by modifying the associated site link object or objects.
Within a site, replication is triggered by changes; if a change occurs, replication is initiated (the domain controller with changes sends a notification to its replication partners that it has changes) after a default interval of five minutes. When no changes occur on the domain controller during the time allowed by the connection object schedule, replication is triggered (the domain controller requests changes from its replication partners) on the basis of the schedule (by default, once per hour).
The schedule is most important in replication between sites, where it is the primary mechanism that triggers replication. Because the granularity of the connection object schedule is 15 minutes, you cannot schedule replication between sites to occur any more frequently than once every 15 minutes.
Connecting Directory Partitions
Replication is performed between directory partition replicas, and connections are created between the servers to accommodate replication of as many partitions as the two servers have in common. Two domain controllers in the same forest always have at least two directory partitions in common: the configuration directory partition and schema directory partition. If the domain controllers are in the same domain, they also have a domain directory partition in common. If the domain controllers are Global Catalog servers for the same forest, they have partial domain directory partitions for every domain in common; if they are in the same domain, they have a full domain directory partition in common as well.
If a connection exists from one domain controller to another, it is used for replicating as many directory partitions as are common to the two servers. There is never a need for the KCC to create multiple connections linking the same two domain controllers in the same direction.
Site Links
When you have more than one site in your replication system, you must create links to connect the sites for replication. In Active Directory, a site link object identifies a set of sites that can be scheduled to communicate at uniform cost through some transport between sites. Site links communicate the connectivity that the KCC assumes between sites. Usually, you name site links for the sites that they connect. For example, if you have a site named "New York" and a site named "London," you might name your site link "NY-London."
Site links also specify the cost of the link, which controls the desirability of remote sites as sources of replication information. In addition, site links specify the schedule, how frequently periodic replication occurs over this link during the schedule window, and the behavioral options that might influence how replication occurs.
By default, site links for the same IP transport that have sites in common are bridged by site link bridges, which enable the KCC to treat the set of associated site links as a single route.
Bridgehead Servers
A "bridgehead" is a point where a connection leaves or enters a site. Servers that have connection objects for connections between sites are called bridgehead servers. Any server that has a connection object with a "from" server in another site is acting as a destination bridgehead. Any server that is acting as a source for a connection to another site acts as a source bridgehead. The KCC generates the connections and thereby causes the domain controllers that store the connections between sites to act as bridgeheads in the topology.
If you want to limit the KCC's choices of servers that it can designate as bridgeheads (that is, restrict the domain controllers in which the KCC can create connections between sites), select one or more domain controllers in the site that you want the KCC to always consider as "preferred" bridgehead servers. These servers are used exclusively to replicate changes collected from the site. If you specify preferred bridgehead servers, be aware of the following consequences:
You limit the ability of the KCC to fail over to another bridgehead server when the designated server is down.
You must assign one bridgehead server for each domain and writable directory partition combination in your forest, the cost of which might be prohibitive in a large organization.