RE: [ActiveDir] Site Links
I have about 650 remote sites here, between 50 and 60 remote DCs depending on how you count it. I have a script which generates the site links based on a template link, and then depending on the connection between the sites and utilization metrics, I have another list of links which are configured to different replication intervals. I was going to have this metric as part of the script, just never got to it – would probably take ten minutes to add given it runs off a CSV. Thanks, Brian Desmond [EMAIL PROTECTED] c - 312.731.3132 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Adeel Ansari Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 2:31 PM To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org Subject: [ActiveDir] Site Links AD Experts, Is there any best practices for creating and managing site links? The problem I am facing where I have many hub and spoke sites with well over 20 site links. What is the best procedure to fix this issue? -Adeel
RE: [ActiveDir] Site Links
Adeel, Ah, the old "best practices" question. You'll get a lot of responses regarding the whole concept of "best practices" which will ultimately say "it depends" :) For instance, what sort of administrators do you have? Are they experienced, well educated in AD, reliable, etc? What's your organizations risk tolerance? Threat profile? Budget? Maturity? To be more helpful, you'll need to fill in some blanks. First off, whats the issue you're trying to fix? Is there an operational problem? Generally speaking, if you have the right site links in place, they don't need to be changed unless the underlying topology changes, or unless a DC goes down. Or is the problem that you don't know if your topology is right to being with? That all being said, some "best practices" which might or might no apply to your situation. 1. Monitoring DCs is critical for a multi-site AD, and especially so for topologies with manual site links. 2. Monitoring replication is also critical 3. If your'e using WS2003, its best to let the KCC sort out this sort of thing and not muck it up manually. There are few situations that the KCC will not handle well in WS2003 AD. 4. Implement strict change control on your topology. The change process should include justification for change, review by someone who understands how replication and KCC work, implementation, and auditing of the final result, including some testing to ensure that the change actually does what you think. 5. Monitoring DCs and replications is really important. 6. And be sure to monitor... HTH, -gil From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Adeel AnsariSent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 12:31 PMTo: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.orgSubject: [ActiveDir] Site Links AD Experts, Is there any best practices for creating and managing site links? The problem I am facing where I have many hub and spoke sites with well over 20 site links. What is the best procedure to fix this issue? -Adeel
RE: [ActiveDir] Site Links
To be sure, connection objects and site links are two different things. Connection objects I typically created by the KCC/ISTG although they can be created manually. Site Links are always created “manually” even if that manual operation is performed by a script. Site links should be created to join AD sites, which typically represent physically different locations. From a physical to logical mapping, in most cases, the site link represents the WAN link between those locations. If bandwidth is at all a concern (throughput or latency) you should in most cases create site link with only two members: the hub site and the specific spoke site. This provides optimal control and knowledge of what systems connection objects will be created between. In the unlikely event (hopefully) that all of your hub domain controllers are down for an extended period of time, your spoke site could connect and replicate with other spokes attached to the same hub so long as site link transitivity has not been disabled. If your spoke sites have direct network access to more than one hub location (via frame cloud or alternate link) then it might be advantageous to implement a secondary higher cost site link in the same manner to act as a backup. As Mark mentioned, if at all possible, let the KCC/ISTG create and remove the required connection objects as it sees fit. This is typically the most reliable way of maintaining a connected and properly replicating topology all else being equal (and properly configured :-). Aric From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Creamer, Mark Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 11:42 AM To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Site Links Do you have manually created links? You’ll likely get a lot better answers than mine, but basically when I had replication problems, I eventually determined that a lot of it was my own causing. Basically, I had no reason to create any site links manually, which I had done. I got rid of those, changed the costs per recommendations on this list, and let the KCC do the rest. It’s been perfect ever since. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Adeel Ansari Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 2:31 PM To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org Subject: [ActiveDir] Site Links AD Experts, Is there any best practices for creating and managing site links? The problem I am facing where I have many hub and spoke sites with well over 20 site links. What is the best procedure to fix this issue? -Adeel This e-mail transmission contains information that is intended to be confidential and privileged. If you receive this e-mail and you are not a named addressee you are hereby notified that you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this communication without the consent of the sender and that doing so is prohibited and may be unlawful. Please reply to the message immediately by informing the sender that the message was misdirected. After replying, please delete and otherwise erase it and any attachments from your computer system. Your assistance in correcting this error is appreciated.
RE: [ActiveDir] Site Links
Do you have manually created links? You’ll likely get a lot better answers than mine, but basically when I had replication problems, I eventually determined that a lot of it was my own causing. Basically, I had no reason to create any site links manually, which I had done. I got rid of those, changed the costs per recommendations on this list, and let the KCC do the rest. It’s been perfect ever since. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Adeel Ansari Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 2:31 PM To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org Subject: [ActiveDir] Site Links AD Experts, Is there any best practices for creating and managing site links? The problem I am facing where I have many hub and spoke sites with well over 20 site links. What is the best procedure to fix this issue? -Adeel This e-mail transmission contains information that is intended to be confidential and privileged. If you receive this e-mail and you are not a named addressee you are hereby notified that you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this communication without the consent of the sender and that doing so is prohibited and may be unlawful. Please reply to the message immediately by informing the sender that the message was misdirected. After replying, please delete and otherwise erase it and any attachments from your computer system. Your assistance in correcting this error is appreciated.
[ActiveDir] Site Links
AD Experts, Is there any best practices for creating and managing site links? The problem I am facing where I have many hub and spoke sites with well over 20 site links. What is the best procedure to fix this issue? -Adeel
