Title: WORKING WITH ACTIVE DIRECTORY SITES
1WORKING WITH ACTIVE DIRECTORY SITES
2INTRODUCING SITES
- Logical structure can be seen in Active Directory
Users And Computers. - Physical network structure affects the efficiency
of Active Directory replication. - Up to the administrator to create sites in Active
Directory Sites And Services. - Sites are used to control Active Directory
replication and authentication traffic. - Only site created by default is the
Default-First-Site-Name.
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3SITES AND SITE LINKS
- Sites are typically composed of fast and reliably
connected computers. - Criteria for fast and reliable are up to the
administrator. - Sites are independent of the domain structure.
- Domain computer accounts can be spread over
multiple sites. - Sites can contain resources from multiple domains.
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4SITES AND SITE LINKS
- Although sites can be added, modified, and
deleted at any time, planning the site structure
before installing Active Directory saves you
time. - Default-First-Site-Name site is default location
for domain controllers. - First domain controller is always placed into
this site. - Other domain controllers are placed here, if
appropriate site definitions arent available. - If sites are created appropriately, newly
installed domain controllers are automatically
placed in the appropriate site.
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5SITES AND THE REPLICATION PROCESS
- Replication topology describes the logical
connections made between domain controllers for
replication. - Replication is the transfer of directory
information updates. - Object additions or removals
- Object attribute changes
- Object renames
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6SITES AND THE REPLICATION PROCESS
- Tracking replication changes.
- Update Sequence Number (USN)
- Timestamp
- Bridgehead server controls replication changes
between sites. - Compares USN for recent changes
- Uses timestamp if modifications carry the same
USN - Convergence occurs when all changes are updated.
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7INTRASITE REPLICATION OVERVIEW
- Knowledge consistency checker (KCC)
- Creates initial replication topology (replication
ring) - Creates connection objects between domain
controllers - Process that runs on each domain controller
- Active Directory replicates four partitions
- Domain (domain-wide)
- Schema (forest-wide)
- Configuration (forest-wide)
- Application Data (depends on configuration)
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8INTRASITE REPLICATION DETAILS
- KCC runs every 15 minutes to ensure replication
topology is efficient. - Intrasite replication latency is minimized in
these ways - KCC creates a bidirectional Replication Ring
- KCC ensures no more than three replication hops
between any two domain controllers by adding
additional connections as needed - Replication traffic is not compressed
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9INTRASITE REPLICATION DETAILS
- Intrasite replication latency is 15 minutes by
default, but there is urgent replication for
important changes. - Multiple domains in a single site.
- Each domain maintains a separate domain partition
replication topology. - Forest-wide replication is not conducted
separately, because this information is sent to
all domains in the forest.
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10INTERSITE REPLICATION
- Designed to control replication traffic over slow
WAN links. - KCC designates one domain controller per site to
be the Intersite Topology Generator (ISTG). - ISTG designates the bridgehead server.
- Site links are used to define the intersite
replication topology.
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11INTERSITE REPLICATION SITE LINKS
- Connection between two sites that are logical and
transitive - Represents physical network links
- Manually defined by administrator
- Sites communicate using same protocol
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12SITE LINK CONFIGURATION
- Cost
- Lower cost routes are used first.
- Default is 100 range 1 to 99,999.
- Schedule
- Default is availability 24/7
- Administrator can modify to exclude certain days
and hours. - Frequency
- Specifies how often the link attempts to
replicate information within the specified
availability (schedule) - Default is 180 minutes range is 15 minutes to
once per week
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13REPLICATION PROTOCOLS RPC/IP
- Remote procedure call (RPC) over Internet
Protocol (IP) - Default and most commonly used
- Adheres to schedules by default
- Synchronous connection required
- Only choice for domain controllers from same
domain
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14RPC REQUIRES A CONNECTION
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15REPLICATION PROTOCOLS SMTP
- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
- Allows asynchronous communications
- Doesnt adhere to schedules by default
- Requires a certificate and certificate authority
(CA) - Cannot replicate domain partition information
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16INTRASITE VERSUS INTERSITE REPLICATION
- Intrasite
- Replication traffic not compressed.
- Replication partners notify each other within 5
to 15 minutes of changes. - KCC automatically configures and maintains a
replication ring. - RPC is used.
- Intersite
- Replication traffic is compressed.
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17INTRASITE VERSUS INTERSITE REPLICATION
- Bridgehead servers notify bridgehead servers at
other sites of changes every 80 minutes by
default. - Site links are required for replication to occur.
- Protocols used intersite can be RPC over IP or
SMTP.
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18DESIGNATING THE BRIDGEHEAD SERVER
- ISTG automatically assigns preferred bridgehead
server. - Administrator can designate preferred bridgehead
servers. - Done through properties of domain controller
object in Active Directory Sites And Services - Select the protocol, IP or SMTP, for which this
server is to be considered a preferred bridgehead
server - Allows administrator to designate that role to
systems with most processing power to spare
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19SITE LINK BRIDGING
- Used to allow communication over two different
site links. - Bridge All Site Links is configured by default.
- You can clear the Bridge All Site Links check box
and configure site link bridges manually. - You cannot create a site link bridge until you
have at least two site links.
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20CREATING SITES
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21CREATING SITE LINKS
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22CONFIGURING SITE LINK PROPERTIES
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23CREATING SUBNETS
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24PREFERRED BRIDGEHEAD SERVER DESIGNATION
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25CONFIGURING SITE LINK BRIDGING
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26MANAGING REPLICATION
27CHECK REPLICATION TOPOLOGY
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28DETERMINING THE ISTG
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29FORCING REPLICATION
- Active Directory Sites And Services
- Active Directory Replication Monitor (Replmon)
- Repadmin/syncall contoso.com
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30MONITORING REPLICATION
- Windows Support Tools
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003 installation CD-ROM
- Support\Tools folder on the CD
- Dcdiag
- Repadmin
- Replmon
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31DOMAIN CONTROLLERDIAG
- Many options for diagnosing and repairing domain
controller issues - Type dcdiag /? at a command prompt to see a list
- Noteworthy examples
- dcdiag /testreplication
- dcdiag /fix
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32REPADMIN
- Command line utility for replication control and
monitoring - Type repadmin /? at a command prompt to see a
list - Noteworthy examples
- /showreps view replication partners
- /showconn view connections
- /sync and /syncall force replication
- /showmeta view attributes of a specific object
- /showvector check USNs for a particular naming
context, also named partition
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33REPLMON ACTIVE DIRECTORY REPLICATION MONITOR
- Graphical utility for replication control and
monitoring - Launch from Support Tools option on Start menu or
by typing replmon in Run dialog box or CMD prompt - Noteworthy capabilities
- Check replication topology
- Force synchronization
- Generate a status report to a log file
- View bridgehead servers
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34SUMMARY
- Intrasite versus intersite replication details
- Site, site link, and site link bridge creation
and configuration - Intersite replication configuration options
- Bridgehead servers
- Protocol selection
- Windows Support Tools domain controllerdiag,
Repadmin, Replmon