Active Directory, 3rd Edition

Data Replication

Microsoft has introduced a number of new terms for Active Directory replication , and most of them will be completely unfamiliar to anyone new to Active Directory. To properly design your replication topology, you should understand the basics of how replication works, but you also need to understand how replication works using these new terms, which are used throughout both Microsoft's documentation and its management tools. As you read the rest of this chapter, refer as needed back to the definitions of the terms that are presented. Do not be disappointed if it doesn't all sink into your brain comfortably on your first or even fifth read of the material. Even experienced administrators have been known to debate how this all works and the proper terms for the various structures and processes.

A Background to Metadata (Data That Governs the Replication Process)

Active Directory replication enables data transfer between NCs on different DCs without ending up in a continuous replication loop or missing any data. To make this process work, each NC holds a number of pieces of information that specifically relate to replication within that particular NC. That means that the replication data for the Schema NC is held in the Schema NC and is separate from the replication data for the Configuration NC, which is held in the Configuration NC. This is done this way because all replication is naming-context based. When a domain controller is pulling changes from another domain ...