Active Directory Cookbook

11.21. Forcing a Host to a Particular Site

Problem

You want to force a host to be in a particular site.

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 → String Value.

4. Enter SiteName for the name.

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

Using a command-line interface

> reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters /v SiteName /t[RETURN] 
REG_SZ /d <SiteName>

Using VBScript

' This code forces the host the script is run on to use a particular host
' ------ SCRIPT CONFIGURATION ------
strSite = "<SiteName>"   ' e.g. Raleigh
' ------ END CONFIGURATION ---------

strNetlogonReg = "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters"
const HKLM = &H80000002
set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:root\default:StdRegProv")
objReg.SetStringValue HKLM, strNetlogonReg, "SiteName", strSite
WScript.Echo "Set SiteName to " & strSite

Discussion

You can bypass the part of the DC Locator process that determines a client’s site by hard-coding it in the Registry. This is generally not recommended and should primarily be used as a troubleshooting tool. If a client is experiencing authentication delays due to a misconfigured site or subnet object, you can hard-code its site so it temporarily points to a more optimal location (and domain controller).

See Also

Recipe 11.20 for ...