Posted by arlene

Using Sites to Manage Large Enterprises

In Windows 2000/2003 a site is nothing more than a collection of well-connected computers that exist on an IP subnet, and that usually are located close to each other geographically. The grouping of computers into sites is done to make replication fast and efficient. It is not a concept that relates to managing or administering users, resources, or network security. The following are two important things to remember about a site, as used by Windows:

A domain can have computers in more than one site.

A site can contain computers from more than one domain.

Windows Server uses only domain controllers to hold the Active Directory database. There is no longer a primary domain controller that controls writing or modifying directory information and backup domain controllers that provide a read-only service to users and computers. In Windows, all domain controllers can receive updates to the database, and the changes then are replicated to all other domain controllers that participate in the directory tree.

The Knowledge Consistency Checker service is run on every domain controller, and it is this service that establishes connections with other domain controllers within the site to be sure that directory replication can occur. Although the administrator can configure connections manually, the consistency checker will automatically establish new connections when it determines that there is a hole in the replication topology within a site.

The administrative tool that is used to control how servers participate in directory replication is the Active Directory Sites and Services Manager. This MMC snap-in allows you to

• Add new sites and subnets and associate a site name with a subnet
• Show all the sites that exist throughout the enterprise
• Show all the servers that are contained in each site
• Create and display the links between servers and the links between sites, including the protocols that are used for replication
• Show the timing values used to schedule replication
• Manage subnets

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The Active Directory and Dynamic DNS continue…

• The Active Directory and Dynamic DNS
• Windows NT Domain Controllers and Member Servers
• Installing Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 Computer
• What Is a Domain Tree? What Is a Forest? continue...
• What Role Will Your Server Perform?
• What Role Will Your Server Perform?
• The Active Directory Service and Windows Server 2003
• Directory Replication
• Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI)
• Upgrading to Windows 2000 Server