Step 2: Practice Managing Site Objects

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use sites in Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) to represent the physical structure, or topology, of your network. You can use the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in to connect to your AD LDS instance so that you can define site objects. You can then move the directory objects of AD LDS instances that are located in each area of the network into the corresponding site object. Managing site objects includes the following tasks:

• Create a site object

• Move an AD LDS instance into a site object

• Configure replication frequency within a site object

Create a site object

In the following exercise, you create site objects for your first AD LDS instance and your replica AD LDS instance.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To add a site object

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.

2. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Sites and Services, and then click Change Domain Controller. Specify the name and the port number of the server that holds the AD LDS instances in the configuration set for which you want to create site objects.

   For the purpose of this exercise, select the server name and the port number of your original or replica AD LDS instance.

3. In the console tree, right-click Sites, and then click New Site.

4. In Name, type a common name (CN) for the new site, for example, Site1.

5. Under Link Name, click DEFAULTIPSITELINK, and then click OK.

6. Repeat steps 3 and 4, this time creating a site object for your replica AD LDS instance. For the purpose of this guide, you can name the new site object Site2.

Move an AD LDS instance into a site object

In the following exercise, you move your original AD LDS instance into site object Site1 and your replica AD LDS instance into site object Site2.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To move an AD LDS instance to a site object

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.

2. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Sites and Services, and then click Change Domain Controller. Specify the name and the port number of the server that holds the AD LDS instances in the configuration set for which you want to create site objects.

   For the purpose of this exercise, select the server name and the port number of your original or replica AD LDS instance.

3. In the console tree, double-click the Sites container, double-click the site that contains the AD LDS instance that you want to move (by default, CN=Default-First-Site-Name), and then double-click the Servers container.

4. In the Servers container, right-click the AD LDS instance that you want to move, and then click Move.

   For the purpose of this guide, select your original AD LDS instance.

5. In the Move Server dialog box, select the site to which you want to move the AD LDS instance, and then click OK.

   For the purpose of this guide, select Site1 and Server1 in the Move Server dialog box.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5, this time moving your replica AD LDS instance into site object Site2.

Configure replication frequency within a site object

AD LDS preserves bandwidth by allowing you to minimize the frequency of replication within a site object.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To configure replication frequency within a site

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.

2. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Sites and Services, and then click Change Domain Controller. Specify the name and the port number of the server that holds the AD LDS instances in the configuration set for which you want to create site objects.

   For the purpose of this exercise, select the server name and the port number of your original or replica AD LDS instance.

3. In the console tree, double-click the Sites container, and then click the site container in which the instance resides.

   For the purpose of this guide, click the site container Site1.

4. In the details pane, right-click CN=NTDS Site Settings, and then click Properties.

5. In the Properties dialog box, navigate to Site Settings tab, and then click Change Schedule.

6. In the Schedule for NTDS Site Settings dialog box, select the block of time for which you want to schedule replication, and then click None, Once per Hour, Twice per Hour, or Four Times per Hour as the replication frequency.

7. When you are finished updating the schedule, click OK.