Active Directory: Sites and Replication with a Lab

Name: Active Directory: Sites and Replication with a Lab
Rating: 4.3 (165 reviews)

Design AD DS sites, subnets and site links, see how replication and SYSVOL work, and fix replication problems in a lab

Created byVitalii Shumylo

Last updated 11/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand AD DS partitions and the characteristics of replication
See how replication works within a site, how conflicts are resolved and how the topology is generated
Learn how SYSVOL replication works
Configure AD DS sites and understand why additional sites are needed
Understand how replication works between sites and what the ISTG does
Read an overview of SRV records and how clients locate domain controllers
Move domain controllers between sites
Learn about site links, site link bridging and universal group membership caching

Course content

6 sections • 25 lectures • 2h 13m total length

Course Overview1:15
Configure and monitor Active Directory Domain Services replication across single and multiple sites and domain controllers for optimal authentication traffic and a highly available directory service.
Section Overview1:50
Explore why replication matters to the global catalog, how the configuration partition replicates to all global catalog servers, and how the multiple master model propagates changes across domain controllers.
What are AD DS partitions?6:35
Describe how Active Directory partitions—configuration, schema, domain, and application—organize data, drive replication to domain controllers across the forest, and define object and attribute rules.
Characteristics of AD DS replication7:10
Examine characteristics of AD DS replication, including multiple-master replication, store-and-forward, data store partitioning, and attribute-level replication, and understand how domain controllers manage changes, conflicts, and replication topology.
How AD DS replication works within a site11:56
Explore how ad ds replication within a site uses connection objects, knowledge consistency checker, notification and polling mechanisms to maintain a fast, two-way topology among domain controllers.
Resolving replication conflicts5:17
Explore how Active Directory resolves replication conflicts in a multi-master model, covering conflicts—same attribute edits, simultaneous object changes, and duplicate relative distinguished names—using stamps, timestamps, and GUIDs to determine resolution.
How replication topology is generated4:44
Describe how replication topology is generated across AD forest partitions—schema, configuration, domain, and application partitions—using forest-wide, site topology information, fault-tolerant replication and global catalog processes.
How SYSVOL replication works3:14
Learn how sysvol replication synchronizes logon scripts and group policy templates across domain controllers using dfs replication, replacing the older FRS with differential compression and scheduled bandwidth control.
Section Quiz: Overview of AD DS replication

Configuring AD DS sites Section Overview2:51
Configure Active Directory domain services sites to optimize replication and bandwidth, localize authentication for branch offices, and manage site topology with the site topology generator and SRV records.
What are AD DS sites?5:45
Active Directory sites represent physical locations connected by network links and map subnets to sites, enabling replication control, service localization, and site-based group policy deployment.
Why implement additional sites?3:15
Explore why adding active directory sites improves authentication and replication by aligning domain controllers with slow links, user density, and localized services to reduce latency.
How replication works between sites4:34
Explore how replication differs within and between sites, comparing reliable, uncompressed intra-site traffic with compressed inter-site traffic to optimize bandwidth, schedules, and urgent change notifications.
What is the ISTG?4:03
The ISTG creates the site replication topology using the knowledge consistency checker, designates a bridgehead server per site, and automatically generates connection objects for intersite replication.
Overview of SRV records4:27
Register SRV records in DNS to publish domain controller services like LDAP and Kerberos, mapping service names to host names with TCP or UDP transport.
How client computers locate domain controllers within sites4:21
Learn how Windows clients locate the nearest domain controller via site-specific DNS, query domain controllers, authenticate with the first domain controller that responds, and switch sites as needed.
Moving domain controllers between sites2:19
Move domain controllers between sites using the Active Directory sites and services tool. Create sites without domain controllers and enable automatic site coverage with subnets, adjusting settings via group policy.
Section Quiz: Configuring AD DS sites

Configuring and monitoring AD DS replication Section Overview4:29
Explore configuring and monitoring AD DS replication, including site links, site link by region, and universal group membership, with replication scheduling as short as 15 minutes, plus monitoring tools.
What are AD DS site links?4:29
Explain how Active Directory site links connect sites for replication using the knowledge consistency checker and ISTG, with default IP site links and configuring your site topology.
What is site link bridging?4:29
Explore how site links enable replication between domain controllers across sites, and how to configure site link bridging to create transitive paths when needed, including cost considerations.
What is universal group membership caching?4:48
Enable universal group membership caching to sign in users without contacting a global catalog. Refresh occurs every eight hours and a global catalog on every domain controller improves remote-site sign-ins.
Slow Logons at the New Branch Office
Section Quiz: Configuring and monitoring AD DS replication
Bring a New Branch Online: Site, Subnet, Site Link and Replication Checks

Lab: Implementing AD DS Sites and Replication10:25
Implement Active Directory Domain Services sites and replication for London headquarters and Toronto, deploying a Toronto domain controller, renaming the default site, configuring subnets, and monitoring replication with Repadmin.
Lab Solution: Implementing AD DS Sites and Replication16:45
########Mod04Ex4.ps1#########
#Displays "Starting"
Write-Host "Starting" -ForegroundColor DarkGreen
#Remove all Site Links
Get-ADReplicationSiteLink -Filter *| Remove-ADReplicationSiteLink -Confirm:$false
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

#Remove all subnets
Get-ADReplicationSubnet -Filter * | Remove-ADReplicationSubnet -Confirm:$false
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

#Mess up DNS on TOR-DC1
Clear-DnsClientCache
Get-DnsClient | Set-DnsClientServerAddress -ServerAddresses ("10.0.0.1")

#show Date/Time to compare against last successful replication later
get-date

#displays "Finished"
Write-Host "Finished" -ForegroundColor DarkGreen

########Mod04Ex4Fix.ps1#########
#Displays "Starting"
Write-Host "Starting" -ForegroundColor DarkGreen

#Fixes DNS
Clear-DnsClientCache
Get-DnsClient | Set-DnsClientServerAddress -ServerAddresses ("172.16.0.10")

#recreate Site links for LON-TOR and TOR-TEST
$schedule = New-Object -TypeName System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectorySchedule;$schedule.ResetSchedule();$schedule.SetDailySchedule("Twelve","Zero","Sixteen","Zero");New-ADReplicationSiteLink "LON-TOR" -SitesIncluded LondonHQ,Toronto -Cost 60 -ReplicationSchedule $schedule
$schedule = New-Object -TypeName System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectorySchedule;$schedule.ResetSchedule();$schedule.SetDailySchedule("Nine","Zero","Fifteen","Zero");New-ADReplicationSiteLink "TOR-TEST" -SitesIncluded Toronto,Test -Cost 60 -ReplicationSchedule $schedule
#Note Days of Week not set. Would need to build array. Reset manually in Active Directory Sites and Services.

#Recreate Subnets
New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "172.16.0.0/24" -Site LondonHQ -Location "London,UK"
New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "172.16.1.0/24" -Site Toronto -Location "Toronto,Canada"
New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "172.16.100.0/24" -Site Test -Location "Test,Site"
#displays "Finished"
Write-Host "Finished" -ForegroundColor DarkGreen
The Network Manager Blames AD: Replication on a Busy WAN
Section Quiz: Lab

AD Site Configuration and Domain Controller Assignment6:36
Configure active directory sites across multiple regions to optimize domain controller workload distribution and network performance, creating UK West, West Europe, and Central India sites with 15 minute replication.
Configuring AD Sites and Subnets for Multi Region Environment7:27
Configure Active Directory sites and subnets for a multi-region environment by managing site links, replication frequency, and subnet assignment via GUI and PowerShell, and move domain controllers accordingly.
Section Quiz: An Azure-Based Lab Sites Configuration Example

Requirements

General familiarity with Windows server administration
Basic knowledge of Active Directory
A lab with two domain controllers helps

Description

When a branch office logs on slowly or a change takes an hour to reach another site, the cause is usually sites and replication. This course explains how Active Directory replicates inside a site and between sites, how sites are built, and how to configure them in a lab.

What the lectures cover

Besides the main topics, you also work through: Complete a lab with its solution, then study an Azure-based example of sites and subnets for a multi-region environment.

Inside the course

The course is organised into these sections: Overview of AD DS replication; Configuring AD DS sites; Configuring and monitoring AD DS replication; Lab; An Azure-Based Lab Sites Configuration Example. Lectures you will find include: What are AD DS partitions?; Characteristics of AD DS replication; How AD DS replication works within a site; Resolving replication conflicts; How replication topology is generated; How SYSVOL replication works; Configuring AD DS sites Section Overview; What are AD DS sites?; Why implement additional sites?; Demonstration: Configuring AD DS sites; How replication works between sites; What is the ISTG?; Overview of SRV records; How client computers locate domain controllers within sites; Moving domain controllers between sites; Configuring and monitoring AD DS replication Section Overview; What are AD DS site links?; What is site link bridging?; What is universal group membership caching?; Lab: Implementing AD DS Sites and Replication; Lab Solution: Implementing AD DS Sites and Replication; AD Site Configuration and Domain Controller Assignment; Configuring AD Sites and Subnets for Multi Region Environment.

The course runs about 2.2 hours in 25 lectures and includes a practice test of 20 questions. It is a focused course on sites and replication, not a complete Active Directory course. Some lectures are theory, supported by demonstrations and a lab.

Who this course is for:

Active Directory administrators with more than one location
Windows Server administrators who see slow logons or late changes
IT specialists who want to understand replication

Active Directory: Sites and Replication with a Lab

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Overview of AD DS replication8 lectures • 42min

Configuring AD DS sites8 lectures • 32min

Configuring and monitoring AD DS replication5 lectures • 18min

Lab3 lectures • 27min

An Azure-Based Lab Sites Configuration Example2 lectures • 14min

Practice Tests1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: