When a client logs on to your domain, Active Directory will automatically figure out which site it needs to belong to based on its IP address and subnet mask. You will configure sites and subnets using the Active Directory Sites & Services MMC snap-in. There are also other Active Directory aware applications that will use site information to direct clients to servers that are located physically close to the client requesting the resource. This will allow your clients to authenticate against a domain controller in the same subnet, rather than going across a slow or expensive WAN link in order to log onto Active Directory. You will also use sites to control how your clients log on to your network: AD will use site information to pick the closest domain controller to anyĬlient that’s logging on to the domain. Active Directory uses sites and site links to figure out the most efficient path to replicate data to all of the domain controllers and Global Catalog servers that need to receive updates, so it is critical to the performance of your network that you design your site topology correctly. Once you have created your logical Active Directory structure, you will then configure sites to control how replication takes place on your network. You can deploy a single domain in a single site, multiple domains in a single site, or a single domain that spans multiple physical locations. Lets you configure domains and forests according to your administrative and security requirements, without being restricted by geography or bandwidth limitations. In the next lesson, we will start by discussing replication and the physical structure of Active Directory.Īctive Directory sites allow you to separate your physical network topology from your logical Active Directory design. List the characteristics of site link costs.Define the difference between intrasite and intersite replication.List two ways to create connection objects.
Define the replication components and the purpose of each.Define the relationship between sites and subnets.Recognize the effect of replication traffic on a slow link.List reasons for creating Active Directory sites.As you know, the physical structure is completely separate from the logical structure of the directory, which consists of domains, trees, and forests organized on your network.īy the end of this module, you will be able to: This can have a profound effect on the performance of the network. The way you structure Active Directory physically determines where and when logon authentication traffic and directory replication traffic will occur.
The physical structure of Active Directory refers to the use of sites and location of domain controllers, which are used to manage network traffic and conserve bandwidth.