Verify Successful Replication to a Domain Controller
Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2
Tip
This topic explains how to use Repadmin.exe to verify replication and format the command output using Microsoft Excel. Repadmin.exe is installed on all domain controllers that run Windows Server 2008 or later and can be run from an elevated command prompt. For a UI-based alternative, you can run the Active Directory Replication Status Tool (ADREPLSTATUS) to check replication status of domain controllers. ADREPLSTATUS displays output in a similar format but with significant improvements.
You can use the repadmin /showrepl command to verify successful replication to a specific domain controller. If you are not running Repadmin on the domain controller whose replication you are checking, you can specify a destination domain controller in the command. Repadmin lists INBOUND NEIGHBORS for the current or specified domain controller. INBOUND NEIGHBORS shows the distinguished name of each directory partition for which inbound directory replication has been attempted, the site and name of the source domain controller, and whether replication succeeded or not, as follows:
Last attempt @ <YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM.SS> was successful.Last attempt @ [Never] was successful.
If @ [Never] appears in the output for a directory partition, replication of that directory partition has never succeeded from the identified source replication partner over the listed connection.
Membership in Enterprise Admins, 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 verify successful replication to a domain controller
Open a Command Prompt as an administrator: On the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, provide Domain Admins credentials, if required, and then click Continue.
At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
repadmin /showrepl <servername> /u:<domainname>\<username> /pw:*
Note
The user credential parameters (/u:<domainname><username> /pw:*) are not required for the domain of the user if the user has opened the Command Prompt as an administrator with Domain Admins credentials or is logged on to the domain controller as a member of Domain Admins or equivalent. However, if you run the command for a domain controller in a different domain in the same Command Prompt session, you must provide credentials for an account in that domain.
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repadmin /showrepl
Displays the replication status for the last time that the domain controller that is named in <servername> attempted inbound replication of Active Directory partitions.
<servername>
The name of the destination domain controller.
/u:
Specifies the domain name and user name, separated by a backslash, for a user who has permissions to perform operations in AD DS.
<domainname>
The single-label name of the domain of the destination domain controller. (You do not have to use a fully qualified Domain Name System (DNS) name.)
<username>
The name of an administrative account in that domain.
/pw:*
Specifies the domain password for the user named in <username>. * provides a Password: prompt when you press ENTER.
- At the Password: prompt, type the password for the user account that you provided, and then press ENTER.
You can also use repadmin to generate the details of replication to and from all replication partners in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet displays data in the following columns:
Showrepl_COLUMNS
Destination DC Site
Destination DC
Naming Context
Source DC Site
Source DC
Transport Type
Number of Failures
Last Failure Time
Last Success Time
Last Failure Status
The following procedure creates this spreadsheet and sets column headings for improved readability.
To generate a repadmin /showrepl spreadsheet for all replication partners
Open a Command Prompt as an administrator: On the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, provide Domain Admins credentials, if required, and then click Continue.
At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
repadmin /showrepl * /csv >showrepl.csvOpen Excel.
Click the Office button, click Open, navigate to showrepl.csv, and then click Open.
Hide or delete column A as well as the Transport Type column, as follows:
Select a column that you want to hide or delete.
To hide the column, right-click the column, and then click Hide.
Or
To delete the column, right-click the selected column, and then click Delete.
Select row 1 beneath the column heading row. On the View tab, click Freeze Panes, and then click Freeze Top Row.
Select the entire spreadsheet. On the Data tab, click Filter.
In the Last Success Time column, click the down arrow, and then click Sort Ascending.
In the Source DC column, click the filter down arrow, point to Text Filters, and then click Custom Filter.
In the Custom AutoFilter dialog box, under Show rows where, click does not contain. In the adjacent text box, type del to eliminate from view the results for deleted domain controllers.
Repeat step 11 for the Last Failure Time column, but use the value does not equal, and then type the value 0.
Resolve replication failures.
The last successful attempt should agree with the replication schedule for intersite replication, or the attempt should be within the last hour for intrasite replication.
If Repadmin reports any of the following conditions, see Troubleshooting Active Directory Replication Problems (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=93582):
The last successful intersite replication was before the last scheduled replication.
The last intrasite replication was longer than one hour ago.
Replication was never successful.