Creating and Administering Sites

In order to control replication, two sites will need to be created, one for the main domain  and one for Brighton. Subnets will need to be defined and eventually a Site-link created.

Use the buttons below to navigate through the lesson

Sites are administered through the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in. From the forest’s first domain controller click Start.

Select Administrative Tools. Select Active Directory Sites and Services. The AD Sites and Services Management tool is displayed. Expand Sites to view the forests current sites.  Because this is currently a new domain, the default site Default-First-Site-Name is shown. Expand the site to view its contents. Double-click on the Servers container to view the servers that are a member of the site. The site currently contains the domain controllers from both Domains. Expand Servers to configure server settings. Expand ADMIN1. Right-click on NTDS Settings. Select Properties.

Because this Domain Controller is the first domain controller in this site it has been designated as a Global Catalog. Click OK to close the box. To rename the default site, right-click on Default-First-Site-Name. Select Rename. And choose a name for the site.  The site has now been renamed to Birkenhead. The Birkenhead site currently contains the Es-net.co.uk. Domain controller and the Brighton.es-net.co.uk Domain Controller. Right-click on Sites to create the Brighton site. Select New Site. Specify the name of the new site in the dialog box.

All sites must have a link. The default link DEFAULTIPSITELINK is created when Active Directory is first installed. Select DEFAULTIPSITELINK. Click on OK to create the site. Click OK to continue. The new Brighton site is displayed. No subnets have so far been defined. Right-click on Subnets to create a new subnet. Select New Subnet. Select Birkenhead from the site list. then specify the network ID and Subnet mask for the Birkenhead domain into the relevant boxes.

Any machines in the 10.1.0.0/24 network will use the Birkenhead site. Click on OK to continue. The Subnet for Birkenhead is then displayed. A subnet will also need to be created for the Brighton site. Both subnets are now displayed.

Adding Servers into Sites

The Domain Controller for brighton.es-net.co.uk can now be moved into the Brighton site. Expand Birkenhead. Expand Servers. The Birkenhead site contains ADMIN1 and ADMIN2. Right-click on ADMIN2 to move it to the Brighton Site.The Birkenhead site contains ADMIN1 and ADMIN2. Right-click on ADMIN2 to move it to the Brighton Site. Select Move. Select Brighton from the list and click OK. ADMIN2 has now been moved to the Brighton site. In order for clients to use this server for logon requests it will need to be enabled as a global catalog. Expand the Brighton site and locate the server. Right-click on NTDS Settings. Select Properties. Check the box for Global Catalog. Click OK to continue. ADMIN2 (brighton.es-net.co.uk.) is now a global catalog server. All authentication requests on subnet 11.1.0.0/24 will be sent to ADMIN2 rather than using the WAN link.

Enabling Universal Group Caching

To speed up logon requests on the Brighton site, Universal Group Membership Caching can be enabled. Expand the Brighton Site. Right-click on NTDS Site Settings. Select Properties. Check the Enable Universal Group Membership Caching checkbox. Choose a location for refreshing the cache. …Such as  Birkenhead. Click on OK to finish.