Exchange Server Is a Microsoft S Messaging D Collaboration System

What is Exchange Server? Exchange Server is a Microsoft͛s Messaging d collaboration system which provides Industry leading Email, calendaring and unified Messaging Solutions.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for Exchange Server 2003? Processor ʹ Pentium 133 MHz Operating System ʹ Windows 2000 SP3 Memory ʹ 256 MB Disk Space ʹ 200 MB for system files and 500 MB where Exchange Server installation. File System ʹ NTFS

What are the steps involved in Exchange Server installation? Prerequisites Installation ʹ ASP .Net, IIS, SMTP, NNTP and WWW services Installation Forest Preparation Domain Preparation Exchange Server 2003 Installation

What are the differences between Exchange Sever 2003 Standard and Enterprise Editions?

Standard Edition :

1 Storage group 2 Database per Storage Group 16 GB Limit per Database. Exchange Cluster is Not Supported. X.400 Connector is not included.

Enterprise Edition

4 Storage Group 5 Databases per Storage Group 16 TB or limited to hardware Exchange Clustering is Supported. X.400 Connector is included.

5. What are the main differences between Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000/2003? - Exchange 2000 does not uses its own Directory Service as Exchange 5.5 but rely on Active Directory. - Exchange 2000/2003 uses native components of windows (SMTP, NNTP,Asp.net. IIS, W3SVC and many more) for many core functions. - Active/Active Clustering is now supported in Exchange 2000/2003 - It now provided better Conferencing and Instant Messaging Solution.

Name a Few Configuration options for Exchange Recipients ? Exchange Recipient parameters are values/attributes which can change exchange recipients message behaviour. 1. MicrosoftExchangeRecipientEmailAddresses: This parameter specifies one or more email address for the same user, maybe internal email associated with external email. 2. MicrosoftExchangeRecipientEmailAddressPolicyEnabled : This parameter specifies whether the default email address is automatically applied to the Exchange Recipient. 3. MicrosoftExchangeRecipientPrimaySmtpAddress : It specifies the primary return SMTP email Address for Microsoft Exchange Recipient. 4. MicrosoftExchangeRecipientReplyRecipient : It Specifies the recipient the should receive messages that are sent to the Exchange Recipient.

6. What are the Major Network Infrastructure for insetting Exchange 2003 Server? We should Assess our Network Infrastructure from the following Prespectives : - Geographical Consideration - Bandwidth and latency - Current Usage - Current Messaging System

7. What are Exchange Server 2003 deployment tools? The Exchange Server 2003 Deployment Tools are a compilation of old and new Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) support tools that you can use to prepare Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 and the Microsoft Active Directory directory service infrastructure for the installation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. · Installation and Upgrade Prerequisites · Enabling Windows Services · DCDiag Tool · NetDiag Tool · ForestPrep · DomainPrep

8. What are the Windows versions supported by Exchange Server 2003? 1. Windows 2000 Service pack 3 ( Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter Edition) 2. Windows 2003 Service pack 1 ( Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter Edition)

9. What are core Exchange Server 2003 services?

- Microsoft Exchange System Attendant - Microsoft Exchange Information Store - Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent(MTA) - Microsoft Exchange Routing Engine - POP3 - IMAP4 -SMTP - SRS - Exchange Installable File System (EXIFS) Exchange server 2003 services are 1>Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service: It has many responsibilities, including maintaining communication with Active Directory, generating offline address lists, performing message tracking, and so forth. 2> Exchange Information Store service: It maintains the messaging databases that contain all server- based mailboxes and public folders. 3> Exchange Installable File System: (EXIFS) The Exchange installable file system is a kernel-mode driver, implemented in ExIfs.sys, which IIS protocol engines and Web applications can use to read and write items from and to messaging 4> SMTP Service: It id the service which helps to send and receive emails. 5> Microsoft Exchange MTA Stacks service: It routes messages through X.400 and gateway connectors to non-Exchange messaging systems. 6> Microsoft Routing Engine Service: It provides topology and routing information to servers running Exchange Server 2003. The advanced queuing engine within the SMTP transport subsystem uses this service to provide next-hop information when routing messages within the Exchange organization. 7> Site Replication Service: It provides directory integration between Exchange Server 5.5 and Exchange Server 2003. SRS runs on Exchange Server 2003 and serves as a modified Exchange Server 5.5 directory

ͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶ- SETUP ͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶ What is Exchange 2003 Forestprep? Exchange 2003 Forestprep extends the AD schema to include Exchange specific information. Before we run Forest Prep we should be member of Schema Admin Group and Enterprise Admin Group.

What is Exchange 2003 Domainprep? Exchange 2003 Domainprep creates the 2 diff. groups and provide permissions necessary for Exchange servers to read and modify user attributes. Before we run this we need to be member of Domain Administrator and Local Machine Administrator. 1. Exchange Enterprise Servers ʹ Domain Local group contains all Exchange Server in a forest 2. Exchange Domain Server ʹ Global Group that contains all Exchange servers running in the Domain that you have selected.

What is name of log file that Exchange Server 2003 setup creates during installation? C:\ExchangeServerSetup.log

What is location of Exchange Server Setup Progress? It is in root of C:drive with name as ͞ExchangeServerSetup.log͟

What is a GC? A GC is a Global Catalog Server. A GC holds a full information about the users and there attributes for the domain in which it resides and partial information of attributes for all objects in the Active Directory Forest. What is a border server? A border server is an Exchange server that communicates with external exchange servers. In a single server organization, your server is by default a border server. what is a Bridgehead Server ? It is one or more servers that have physical links to exchange servers in other routing groups.

What is the difference between µreceive as¶ and µsend as¶? ͚Receive as͛ allows a user object to open a mailbox. ͚Send as͛ allows a user to send out a mail message as the mailbox that has been opened.

Can I upgrade Exchange 5.5 in place to Exchange 2003? NO. In place upgrades to Exchange 2003 must already be Exchange 2000 SP3 and Windows 2000 SP3 or later. The only upgrade paths from 5.5 to 2003 are; an in place upgrade to Exchange 2000 then an in place upgrade to Exchange 2003 or the leap frog migration which requires another server.

How can you tell how many days remain until the evaluation copy of Exchange 2000 Server expires? The Exchange Server Setup Progress Log includes the date on which the Exchange server was installed. Take the difference between that date and today͛s date and subtract it from 120 to determine how many days remain in your evaluation. What ports does Exchange use? A partial list of the ports your Exchange server might use is included below o 25 SMTP o 53 DNS o 67 DHCP o 80 HTTP o 88 Kerberos o 102 X.400 o 110 POP3 o 119 NNTP o 135 RPC o 143 IMAP4 o 379 LDAP (SRS) o 389 LDAP o 993 IMAP4 (SSL) o 3268 GC o 3269 GC (SSL)

How do you re-install Exchange on a server that has crashed but with AD intact? We will try to install Exchange using ͞Setup.exe /DisasterRecovery switch

What does setup.exe /ChooseDC dcName command do ? This command will Specify a domain controller to be used for Setup. What does setup.exe /DisasterRecovery command do ? This command will allow recovery of an Exchange installation after the server configuration has been restored from backup. This allows you to recover data from missing files, registry keys, and deleted folders. You must make sure that there is a valid backup of the data, and if there is not a valid backup, check to make sure that the databases that are located on the server are consistent. You should not use this switch to upgrade Exchange 2000 Server to Exchange Server 2003. This switch is read-only and makes no changes in Active Directory. What does command REMOVEORG option does on Exchange Server 2003? Removeorg option removes all Exchange organization information (such as administrative groups, routing groups, and server objects) from the configuration naming context in Active Directory.

What is Cached Mode in OL2003/2007? Cached Exchange Mode permits Outlook 2003 to use a local copy of a user͛s mailbox while Outlook 2003 maintains an online connection to a remote copy of the user͛s mailbox in Microsoft Exchange 2003.

What is DSACCESS ? DSAccess created a directory access cache that stores recently accessed information for a configurable length of time. This reduces the number of queries made to global catalog servers.

What is DSProxy ? It creates an Address Book for Older MAPI Clients that cannot access the Global Catalog Server. The older clients prior to Outlook 2000.

What is Message Categorizer ? The Message Categorizer is a component of Exchange Server transport engine that delivers mail messages to their proper destination. The Categorizer queries the DSAccess service to find an Active Directory server list. It then uses this information to deliver the message.

What is SMTP Categorizer? The SMTP categorizer is a component of the Exchange Server 2003 transport engine. When a message is submitted to the transport process, the categorizer uses the header information on the message to query Active Directory for information about how and where the message must be delivered.

What are Query Based Distribution groups? Query-based distribution group allows you to use an LDAP query to dynamically build membership in the distribution group.

What is the dumpster? When dumpster is enabled, a retention period is assigned to each deleted message, and the remove expired message from the dumpster maintenance task will permanently delete the message only after the retention period has expired.. How do I control the format of the addresses before the @ sign in a recipient policy? You can use the following variables: %g Given Name, %s Surname, %i initials in the recipient policy.

What is VM Fragmentation? VM fragmentation is when the virtual memory becomes fragmented and can prevent stores from mounting.

What are Exchange Recipient types? Mailbox enabled user ʹ Standard email account in Exchange Server 2003. A regular Active Directory user with a full MAPI mailbox. Mail-enabled user ʹ An Active Directory account with an email address, but no mailbox in your Exchange Organization. I call this the contractor object. Their email is delivered, not to your exchange mail store, but to their external account, e.g. hotmail or gmail. Distribution Group - The old Exchange 5.5 DL (distribution list). Big organizations may favour the Universal Distribution groups, while companies with one domain prefer Global Distribution groups. Query-based Distribution Groups - A great new idea in Exchange 2003. You must investigate these dynamic groups which are populated by LDAP queries. Security Enabled Group ʹ Where ever possible, avoid this object and use Distribution Groups instead. Contacts ʹ Easy recipient. These are your suppliers, customers with external email accounts. Contacts have no Active Directory account, just the email address of important people who your users regularly email. When you create a contact it appears in the Global Address List. Mail-enabled Public Folders ʹ These are public folder which are allowed to send and receive emails.

What is Message Journaling? It allows you to archive all incoming and outgoing e-mails for a specific mailbox store. There are three different types of journaling : - Message-only journaling : Message-only journaling captures all messages from users on a specific mailbox database and sends the message copy to a specified journaling mailbox. - BCC journaling : BCC journaling is message-only journaling with a capture of BCC recipients. When BCC journaling is enabled, Exchange Server captures all recipients (TO / CC / BCC). - Envelope journaling : Envelope journaling is different from message-only journaling and BCC journaling in that it allows you to archive P1 message headers (envelope headers). This includes information about the recipients, including BCC recipients and recipients from distribution groups.

ͶͶͶͶͶ RUS ͶͶͶͶͶͶ- What is RUS (Recipient Update service)? RUS is responsible for updating address lists and email addresses in Active Directory

What is Recipient Policy? Recipient Policy is use to generate email addresses for recipients.

What is Address List ? Address List displays recipient names (mailboxes, distribution lists, custom recipients, and public folders) in the directory. The Address Book can contain one or more address lists. What are the Default Address lists? There are five Default Address lists. Following are the default address lists All contacts All groups All users Public folders Default Global Address List

What is Offline Address List? Offline Address list are used to make address list available to the users who are all not connected to network. By default, Global address list is made to be default Offline Address List.

What are the basic steps to troubleshoot RUS? - The first step in troubleshooting the Recipient Update Service, like most other services is to check the Event Log, evets related to MSExchangeAL service. - The next step in troubleshooting the Recipient Update Service is to use ADSI Edit to check a mailbox that should appear in the Global Address List. We need to check and see if the ³show In Address Book´ attribute is populated If the ͞show In Address Book͟ attribute is not populated, the Recipient Update Service may not yet have run, in most cases manually forcing the Recipient Update Service to run will resolve the problems.

Which two different instances are created of the Recipient Update Service? 1. Recipient Update Service (Enterprise Configuration) Enterprise recipient update service is responsible for updating Email address of the recipients objects located in configuration partition of the domain controller. 2. Recipient Update Service (Active Directory Domain) The Domain Recipient Update Service is responsible for updating recipient objects located in the Active directory ͶͶͶͶʹ Message Transfer /ROUTINGͶͶͶͶͶʹ What is SMTP Mail Relay? It is the Process of sending email from a client computer to the Mailhost server which inturn send it to the destination MailHost Server using the standard messaging protocols is called SMTP Mail Relay. This allows Mail Hosts to be used as Remailer sites for Junk E-mail or SPAM.

What is a Smart Host? Smart host is a type of mail relay server which allows an SMTP server to route e-mail to an intermediate mail server rather than directly to the recipient͛s server. Often this smart host requires authentication from the sender to verify that the sender has privileges to have mail forwarded through the smart host.

What is Routing Group? Routing Groups is the the physical management of Exchange 2003 Organization. You use Routing Groups that map to your physical network layout. What is the Routing Group Master? Routing Group Master is used to coordinates routing information to all servers in the group. First Exchange server in the organization is by default assigned as a Routing Group Master.

What is Routing Group Connector? Routing Group Connector is used to transfer email to other servers.

What is Link State Table? Every Exchange 2003 server maintains its own routing table, called the link state table.

What is Virtual Server? Exchange Virtual Server is a collection of Exchange resources. Each resource in an Exchange Virtual Server represents a different component of Exchange.

ͶͶͶͶͶʹ Database ͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶʹ What¶s the difference between online and offline defrag? Online Defragmentation: Online defragmentation detects and removes database objects that are no longer being used. This runs as part of system maintenance, which by default is between 1:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M. After online defragmentation completes, the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service logs an event in the application event log (Event ID 1221) that indicates the amount of available free database space. It also rearranges Secondary indexes but not rebuilt. Offline Defragmentation: Offline defragmentation reduces the size of the Exchange databases by rearranging the data on the server͛s Exchange databases and discarding any unused database pages.

What is the e00.chk file? E00.chk file is a checkpoint file which keeps all the information on transactions files or the files which are required to bring the database into a consistent state.

What is circular logging? When would you use it ? Exchange relies on transaction or write-ahead logs to store events before they are committed to the database. When 4 logs have been filled up, Circular logging assumes that the first log must have been committed and recycles the logs to save disk space

What is Restore.env? When you restore an Exchange 2003 database, a file called restore.env is created automatically. It is used in Exchange 2003 restore process to find its files and matches them with the corresponding email stores.

What is the STM file? The .stm file is part of the information store database that contains the native internet formatted items. It is used to improve the performance of the database.

How to move Exchange databases and logs in Exchange Server 2003? If you want to move log files or database files to another drive: To move log files 1. Start Exchange System Manager. 2. Click Administrative Groups. 3. Locate the storage group where you want to change log file paths, right-click the storage group, and then click Properties. 4. Click the General tab, click the Browse button next to the Transaction log location box, and then specify the new drive or folder location for the log files.

How to increase the Database size limit in Exchange 2003 By installing Exchange 2003 SP2, it will increase the database size from 16 GB to 18 GB by default.If we want to extend it more we can add a key in registry to increase the size to 75 GB.we can add DWORD registry key named ͞Database Size Limit in GB͟.

What is RSG (Recovery Storage Group) ? The Recovery Storage Group (RSG) is a new type of storage group in Exchange 2003 that essentially allows you to mount a copy of a mailbox store onto a production Exchange 2003 server. You can then recover data within the restored mailbox store while the current store is still running.

How to run Eseutil on a computer without Exchange Server ? - We need to create a new folder on the computer that does not have Exchange Server 2003 installed. - Copy the Eseutil.exe, Ese.dll, Jcb.dll, Exosal.dll, and Exchmem.dll files from the Exchange Server 2003 computer͛s Drive:\Exchsrvr\Bin folder to the new folder that you created.

How to re-create STM File in Exchange 2000/2003 ? We need to run eseutil /p /createstm command to create of the *.STM file

How to run Offline defragment on Exchange 2003 Database? We need to go to Bin Folder and run the next command : C:\program files\exchsrvr\bin>eseutil /d c:\progra~1\exchsrvr\mdbdata\priv1.edb Why the Isinteg.exe tool is used in Exchange 2003 Server ? This tool to check and to fix the integrity of the information store databases including the private information store, Priv.edb, and the public information store, Pub.edb. example : c:\program files\exchsrvr\bin>isinteg -s servername -fix -test alltests

When we check The ³Last Backup Set´ check box during restore process what will happen? The Last Backup Set check box in Windows 2000 Backup determines if hard recovery should be run after the backup completes.

What is Restore in Process registry key means ? Restore in Progress registry key indicates that recovery must be run on the database using the information in the Restore in Progress key. It is controlled by a file called Restore.env that is created in the folder that you specify during the restore process in the Temporary location for log and patch files. ͶͶͶͶͶͶ- PUBLIC Folder ͶͶͶͶͶʹ What is Public Folder ? A public folder can contain mail items calendar item, task items or custom forms

What is Schedule FREE/ BUSY in Exchange 2003? It published information of a user͛s availability data based on the user͛s schedule. Exchange Server 2003 uses this information when users are scheduling meetings.

What are System Public Folders? Where would you find them? Folders - Public Folders -OFFLINE ADDRESS BOOK - /o=OABGen/cn=addrlists/cn=oabs/cn=Default Offline Address List - OAB Version 2 - OAB Version 2 - OAB Version 2 - OAB Version 3a - OAB Version 4

What are the Exchange Public folder permission types? Following are the Exchange server public folder permissions Client permission ʹ enables you to control the permission of users who are accessing the public folder Directory rights ʹ enables you to control which user can manipulate a mail enabled public folder object that is stored in AD Administrative rights ʹ enables you to assign administrative permission to administrator to run administrative utilities

Which services control the Public folder replication process? Exchange Information Store service is the primary mechanism used for public folder replication

What is the use of public store policy? Storage limits and public folder replication settings can be configured through public store policy, through and individual public store, or through individual public folders

What is public folder referral? When a user connects to a public folder store and the store does not contain the copy of the contentment the user is requesting exchange server 2003 automatically redirects the user to the server where the original content resides. This is known as Public folder referral. Usually the public folder referrals with takes place within the routing groups how to mail enable a public folder? 1. Open Exchange System Manager. 2. Expand the administrative group container. 3. Expand the Folders container 4. Expand the public folder tree. Right-click the public folder that you want to mail-enable and select All Tasks and then Mail Enable from the shortcut menu ͶͶͶͶ-Troubleshooting ͶͶͶͶ What is /3GB switch? /3GB switch makes more physical and virtual memory available to Exchange 2003 by adding line in boot.ini.

What is /USERVA= 3030? 3030 refers to 3,030 MB of memory allocated to each process. It append the /USERVA=3030 switch to your boot.ini.

What are the tools to monitor Exchange Server 2003? Following are the Tools to Monitor Exchange Server 2003 · Event Viewer ʹ Exchange Specific events are logged in application logs · Performance Monitor ʹ view real-time Exchange server statistics · Exchange System Manager ʹ enable Protocol logging for virtual server instance · Message Tracking center ʹ view the message flow · Monitoring and status tool ʹ monitor servers and connectors · Message queue viewer ʹ view messages waiting to be delivered · MBSA ʹ analyze security settings

What is the tool to diagnose queue problems? Queue viewer is the Tool to diagnose queue problems. The queue viewer shows the protocol, queue state, and the number of messages in the queue.

What is Exchange Diagnostics logging? Enable diagnostic logging for a server in Exchange System Manager to send Exchange event information to the Event Viewer. · Enable diagnostic logging to log events related to authentication, connections, and client actions. · When troubleshooting, activate the category specific to the problem at a medium or maximum level. · Use Event Viewer to view the logged information Disable logging when not needed to improve performance and reduce the amount of information sent to the Event Viewer How to configure the Exchange Diagnostics logging? 1. Open Exchange System Manager. 2. Locate the Exchange server that you want to configure. 3. Right click the Exchange server and select Properties from the shortcut menu. 4. Click the Diagnostics Logging tab. 5. In the Services area of the tab, click service. 6. Select the appropriate entry in the Category area of the tab. ͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶͶ What are the Reasons to migrate to Exchange 2003? - Clustering ʹ 4 or 8 Node Active / Passive clustering is now a feasible option. - Multiple storage groups ʹ Divide and rule for better performance and faster restore. Put the Boss and senior staff in their own mail store. - Multiple administrative Groups ʹ useful for delegation. - OWA (Outlook Web Access). - OMA (Outlook Mobile Access) - Front end / Back end Exchange servers, used in conjunction with firewalls to improve security. - RPC over HTTP allows OWA clients to collect their email by only opening port 80 - Volume Shadow Copy. - Query Based Distribution Groups. Let LDAP create distribution lists dynamically, based on users department or office. - ExDeploy and ExMerge new wizards to help you migrate and configure. - Better message queue management. (Also gives faster throughput) - Outlook Cached Mode (Laptops). - Junk email filtering. (Not perfect, but a step in the right direction) - Single mailbox restores. - Better support for mobile users thanks to OWA and OMA. - Enhanced junk mail filtering on both client and server. - Greater server availability. - Superior reliability, better manageability. - Reduced number of servers, less fragmentation. - Improved replication traffic, thanks to Windows Server 2003. ͶͶͶͶʹ Outlook ͶͶͶͶ What is Junk Mail Filter option in OUtlook 2003 ? Junk Mail Filter is full of features for you to block spam email which contains virus while allowing through email that you want to read.

What are Exchange Recipient types? Name 5.

The people and resources that send and receive messages are the core of any messaging and collaboration system. In an Exchange Server organization, these people and resources are referred to as recipients. A recipient is any mail-enabled object in the Active Directory directory service to which Exchange can deliver or route messages. This topic discusses the recipient types that are supported in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

User mailbox A mailbox that is assigned to an individual user in your Exchange organization. It typically contains messages, calendar items, contacts, tasks, documents, and other important business data.

Linked mailbox A mailbox that is assigned to an individual user in a separate, trusted forest.

Shared mailbox A mailbox that is not primarily associated with a single user and is generally configured to allow logon access for multiple users.

Legacy mailbox A mailbox that resides on a server running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server. Room mailbox A resource mailbox that is assigned to a meeting location, such as a conference room, auditorium, or training room. Room mailboxes can be included as resources in meeting requests, providing a simple and efficient way of organizing meetings for your users.

What is ADSIEDIT? What is NETDOM? What is REPADMIN?

When a new user is created in Active Directory, the Full name field is always generated in FirstName LastName format. In turn, this field sets the Display Name field on creation, therefore, you end up with a FirstName LastName formatted global address list. You can make this change by using the Adsiedit utility. Adsiedit not only changes the default way the Display Name field is built, but also the Full Name (that is, the "cn") field, therefore, users appear in the chosen format when you look in the Users and Computers snap-in.

You can use the Netdom.exe tool to reset the secure channel between a workstation, server, or domain controller. This article describes the syntax for variations that you can use with Netdom.exe.

Repadmin.exe is a Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit tool that is available in the Support Tools folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM. It is a command-line interface to Active Directory replication. This tool provides a powerful interface into the inner workings of Active Directory replication, and is useful for troubleshooting Active Directory replication problems. This article describes the basic use of the Repadmin.exe tool.

What are sites? What are they used for?

An Activity Directory site is a region of a network that has high bandwidth connectivity.A site is a collection of one or more subnets connected by high speed links. A site may span multiple domains. A domain may span multiple sites. Sites are used for the following functions: To optimize replication for speed and bandwidth consumption between domain controllers To locate the closest domain controller for client logon, services, and directory searches To direct DFS client to the server in the site To optimize the replication of Sysvol.

What's the difference between a site link's schedule and interval?

A site is a collection of one or more subnets that are defined by the administrator. When you define subnets, they should be "well-connected" with high-bandwidth local area network (LAN) connections. Sites can contain multiple domains, and a domain can span more than one site. If a domain spans more than one site, it must replicate by using the Internet Protocol (IP) inter-site transport. You can use the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) inter-site transport only for global catalog replication and replication of non-domain naming contexts, such as the configuration and schema. You define and administer a site in the "Active Directory Sites and Services Manager" snap-in. When you install a domain controller as the first domain controller in a forest, a new site is created by default. You can also create other sites.

What is the KCC?

The Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC) is an Active Directory component that is responsible for the generation of the replication topology between domain controllers. This article describes the role of one server per site, known as the Inter-Site Topology Generator, which is responsible for managing the inbound replication connection objects for all bridgehead servers in the site in which it is located. What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default?

Connection objects for bridgehead servers for inter-site replication are created differently. The KCC on one domain controller (regardless of the domain) in each site is responsible for reviewing the inter-site topology and creating inbound replication connection objects as necessary for bridgehead servers in the site in which it resides. This domain controller is known as the Inter-Site Topology Generator (ISTG). The domain controller holding this role may not necessarily also be a bridgehead server. When the ISTG determines that a connection object needs to be modified on a given bridgehead server in the site, the ISTG makes the change to its local Active Directory copy. As part of the normal intra-site replication process, these changes propagate to the bridgehead servers in the site. When the KCC on the bridgehead server reviews the topology after receiving these changes, it translates the connection objects into replication links that Active Directory uses to replicate data from remote bridgehead servers.

What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server? An NTFS partition with enough free space An Administrator's username and password The correct operating system version A NIC Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and - optional - default gateway) A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via a crossover cable) An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself) A Domain name that you want to use The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media How can you forcibly remove AD from a server, and what do you do later? Can I get user passwords from the AD database? Dcpromo /forceremoval , an administrator can forcibly remove Active Directory and roll back the system without having to contact or replicate any locally held changes to another DC in the forest. Reboot the server then After you use the dcpromo /forceremoval command, all the remaining metadata for the demoted DC is not deleted on the surviving domain controllers, and therefore you must manually remove it by using the NTDSUTIL command. In the event that the NTDS Settings object is not removed correctly you can use the Ntdsutil.exe utility to manually remove the NTDS Settings object. You will need the following tool: Ntdsutil.exe, Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Users and Computers What is tombstone lifetime attribute? The tombstone lifetime must be substantially longer than the expected replication latency between the domain controllers. The interval between cycles of deleting tombstones must be at least as long as the maximum replication propagation delay across the forest. Because the expiration of a tombstone lifetime is based on the time when an object was deleted logically, rather than on the time when a particular server received that tombstone through replication, an object's tombstone is collected as garbage on all servers at approximately the same time. If the tombstone has not yet replicated to a particular domain controller, that DC never records the deletion. This is the reason why you cannot restore a domain controller from a backup that is older than the tombstone lifetime.

What is REPLMON (ReplMon.exe) tool to determine the servers that hold the operations master roles in a forest as well as the domain controllers and global catalog servers for the forest. The five operations master roles that are defined in Active Directory are: Schema master Domain naming master Relative identifier (RID) master Primary domain controller (PDC) emulator Infrastructure master There is a very quick method to determine which servers in the forest hold these roles by using Active Directory Replication Monitor.

What are application partitions? When do I use them Application Directory Partition is a partition space in Active Directory which an application can use to store that application specific data. This partition is then replicated only to some specific domain controllers. The application directory partition can contain any type of data except security principles (users, computers, groups). How do you create a new application partition ? Create an application directory partition by using the DnsCmd command Use the DnsCmd command to create an application directory partition. To do this, use the following syntax: DnsCmd ServerName /CreateDirectoryPartition FQDN of partition To create an application directory partition that is named CustomDNSPartition on a domain controller that is named DC-1 1, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, click Run , type cmd, and then click OK . 2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER: dnscmd DC-1 /createdirectorypartition CustomDNSPartition.contoso.com When the application directory partition has been successfully created, the following information appears: DNS Server DC-1 created directory partition: CustomDNSPartition.contoso.com Command completed successfully.