Active Directory Cookbook

11.19. Disabling Automatic Site Coverage for a Domain Controller

Problem

You want to prevent a domain controller from covering sites outside of the one it resides in.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. Run regedit.exe from the command line or Start → Run.

2. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Services → Netlogon → Parameters.

3. Right-click on Parameters and select New → DWORD Value.

4. For the name, enter AutoSiteCoverage.

5. Double-click on the new value, enter 0 under Value data, and click OK.

Using a command-line interface

> reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters /v[RETURN] 
AutoSiteCoverage /t REG_DWORD /d 0

Using VBScript

' This code disables auto site coverage
strNetlogonReg = "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters"
const HKLM = &H80000002
Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:root\default:StdRegProv")
objReg.SetDWORDValue HKLM, strNetlogonReg, "AutoSiteCoverage", 0
WScript.Echo "Site coverage disabled"

Discussion

If you want to reduce the load on a domain controller, one way is to prevent it from covering for other sites. Automatic site coverage happens when a site does not have any member domain controllers.

See Also

Recipe 11.18 for viewing the site coverage for a domain controller