Determine the database size and location online

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

When determining the database size and location online, the size is reported in bytes. If you must manage the database file, the log files, or both, first determine the location and size of the files. By default, the database file and associated log files are stored in the %systemroot%\NTDS directory.

Important

Be sure to use the same method to check file sizes when you compare them. The size is reported differently, depending on whether the domain controller is online or offline. For information about determining database size offline, see Determine the database size and location offline.

You can also use the Search command on the Start menu to locate the database file (Ntds.dit) or the edb*.log file for the location of the database and log files, respectively.

If you have set garbage collection logging to report free disk space, then event ID 1646 in the Active Directory service log also reports the size of the database file: “Total allocated hard disk space (megabytes):”

Alternatively, you can determine the size of the database file by listing the contents of the directory that contains the files.

Administrative Credentials

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group.

To determine the database size and location online

  1. On the domain controller on which you want to manage database files, open a command prompt and change directories to the directory containing the files you want to manage.

  2. Run the dir command to examine the database size. In the following example, Ntds.dit file and the log files are stored in the same directory. In the example, the files take up 58,761,216 bytes of disk space.

    H:\NTDS>dir

    Volume in drive H has no label.

    Volume Serial Number is 003D-0E9E

    Directory of H:\NTDS

    01/29/2002 11:04 AM <DIR> .

    01/29/2002 11:04 AM <DIR> ..

    01/28/2002 03:03 PM <DIR> Drop

    01/29/2002 10:29 AM 8,192 edb.chk

    01/29/2002 10:29 AM 10,485,760 edb.log

    01/29/2002 10:29 AM 10,485,760 edb00001.log

    01/29/2002 10:29 AM 14,696,448 ntds.dit

    01/28/2002 02:54 PM 10,485,760 res1.log

    01/28/2002 02:54 PM 10,485,760 res2.log

    7 File(s) 58,761,216 bytes

    3 Dir(s) 779,284,480 bytes free