What is a site? user of site.

Information about sites.

What is a site?

A Windows Server 2003 site is a group of domain controllers that exist on one or more IP subnets (see Lesson 3 for more on this) and are connected by a fast, reliable network connection. Fast means connections of at least 1Mbps. In other words, a site usually follows the boundaries of a local area network (LAN). If different LANs on the network are connected by a wide area network (WAN), you’ll likely create one site for each LAN. 

What is the use of site?

Sites are primarily used to control replication traffic. Domain controllers within a site are pretty much free to replicate changes to the Active Directory database whenever changes are made. Domain controllers in different sites compress the replication traffic and operate based on a defined schedule, both of which are intended to cut down on network traffic.

More specifically, sites are used to control the following: 

■ Workstation logon traffic

■ Replication traffic

■ Distributed File System (DFS)

Distributed File System (DFS) is a server component that provides a unified naming convention for folders and files stored on different servers on a network. DFS lets you create a single logical hierarchy for folders and files that is consistent on a network, regardless of where on the network those items are actually stored. Files represented in the DFS might be stored in multiple locations on the network, so it makes sense that Active Directory should be able to direct users to the closest physical location of the data they need. To this end, DFS uses site information to direct a client to the server that is hosting the requested data within the site. If DFS does not find a copy of the data within the same site as the client, DFS uses the site information in Active Directory to determine which file server that has DFS shared data is closest to the client. 

■ File Replication Service (FRS)

Every domain controller has a built-in collection of folders named SYSVOL (for System Volume). The SYSVOL folders provide a default Active Directory location for files that must be replicated throughout a domain. You can use SYSVOL to replicate Group Policy Objects, startup and shutdown scripts, and logon and logoff scripts. A Windows Server 2003 service named File Replication Service (FRS) is responsible for replicating files in the SYSVOL folders between domain controllers. FRS uses site boundaries to govern the replication of items in the SYSVOL folders. 

What are the objects a site contains?

Sites contain only two types of objects. The first type is the domain controllers contained in the site. The second type of object is the site links configured to connect the site to other sites.

What is a Site link?

Within a site, replication happens automatically. For replication to occur between sites, you must establish a link between the sites. There are two components to this link: the actual physical connection between the sites (usually a WAN link) and a site link object. The site link object is created within Active Directory and determines the protocol used for transferring replication traffic (Internet Protocol [IP] or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol [SMTP]). The site link object also governs when replication is scheduled to occur.

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