Microsoft KB Archive/321253

= HOW TO: Configure Site Link Replication in Windows 2000 =

PSS ID Number: 321253

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

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This article was previously published under Q321253



IN THIS TASK

 * SUMMARY
 * ** Configure the Site Link Replication Availability
 * Configure the Site Link Cost
 * Configure the Site Link Replication Frequency
 * REFERENCES



SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to configure site link replication on Windows 2000-based servers.

Directory information is replicated both in and among sites. Active Directory replicates information in a site more frequently than across sites. This balances the need for up-to-date directory information with the limitations that may be imposed by the available network bandwidth.

You can customize how Active Directory replicates information by using site links to specify how your sites are connected. Active Directory uses this information about how sites are connected to generate Connection objects that provide efficient replication and fault tolerance.

You can provide information about the cost of a site link, the times when the link is available for use, and how frequently the link is to be used. Active Directory uses this information to determine which site link to use to replicate information. You can make replication more efficient by customizing replication schedules so that replication occurs during specific times, such as when network traffic is low.

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Configure the Site Link Replication Availability
To configure the site link replication availability:
 * 1) Start the Active Directory Sites and Services tool. To start the Active Directory Sites and Services tool, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.
 * 2) In the console tree, click the inter-site transport folder that contains the site link whose schedule you want to adjust.
 * 3) In the Details pane, right-click the site link whose schedule you want to adjust, and then click Properties.
 * 4) Click Change Schedule.
 * 5) Click the block of time that you want to schedule, and then click the appropriate frequency of replication for that block of time. Click None, Once per Hour, Twice per Hour, or Four times per Hour.

Notes:
 * You can use the Active Directory Sites and Services tool only from a computer that has access to a Windows 2000-based domain. The Active Directory Sites and Services tool is installed on all Windows 2000-based domain controllers. To use the Active Directory Sites and Services tool on a computer that is not a domain controller, such as a computer that runs Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, install the Windows 2000 Administration Tools package.
 * Because Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) is asynchronous, it typically ignores all schedules. Therefore, do not configure site link replication availability on SMTP site links unless either:
 * The site links use scheduled connections.
 * The SMTP queue is not on a schedule, and information is being exchanged directly from one server to another (not through intermediaries as is the case, for example, on a network Ethernet backbone).

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Configure the Site Link Cost
To configure the site link cost:
 * 1) Start the Active Directory Sites and Services tool.
 * 2) In the console tree, click the inter-site transport folder that contains the type of link that you are going to configure.
 * 3) In the details pane, right-click the site link whose cost you want to set, and then click Properties.
 * 4) In the Cost box, type a value for the cost of replication.

Note that because the cost is determined by the sum of the costs of the constituent links that make up a site link bridge, you cannot apply costs to site link bridges. You can apply costs only to site links.

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Configure the Site Link Replication Frequency
To configure the site link replication frequency:
 * 1) Start the Active Directory Sites and Services tool.
 * 2) In the console tree, click the inter-site transport that contains the site link that you want to configure.
 * 3) In the details pane, right-click the site link whose replication frequency you want to set, and then click Properties.
 * 4) In the Replicate every box, type the number of minutes between replications.

Note that the Replicate every value is processed as the nearest multiple of 15 from a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 10,080 minutes (10,080 minutes corresponds to 1 week).

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