Automatically Constructing a Topology for Directory Access

 

By default, on each Exchange server, DSAccess automatically detects the appropriate domain controllers and global catalog servers in Active Directory for the Exchange server to query. For detailed instructions, see How to Automatically Discover Servers.

Directory Access tab

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Selecting the Automatically discover servers check box enables DSAccess components to automatically discover the following servers in an Exchange organization:

  • Configuration domain controller   The single domain controller that reads and writes information in the configuration naming context in Active Directory. DSAccess chooses a domain controller or global catalog server to act as the configuration domain controller. All configuration data is written and read by this configuration domain controller.

  • Working domain controllers   As many as ten domain controllers that perform Active Directory lookups for objects in the local domain. These domain controllers are primarily used to update objects in the local domain or read non-configuration data that is not replicated to global catalog servers.

  • Working global catalog servers   As many as ten global catalog servers that perform forest-wide queries. All user data is looked up on the global catalog servers.

To discover these servers, Directory Access locates domain controllers and global catalog servers that run Microsoft Windows Server 2003, or Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (SP3) or higher. Directory Access then tests these servers and chooses suitable servers for Exchange services to use to perform Active Directory queries.

Note

Because manually constructed topologies do not update automatically, it is strongly recommended that you use the Automatically discover servers setting.