Inter-site Replication - Page 2
Because IP is generally the replication protocol of choice, I'll be using IP in my examples. Once the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in is loaded, navigate through the hierarchy to Active Directory Sites and Services|Sites|Inter-Site Transports|IP. Right- click on the IP folder (use the SMTP folder if you're setting up an SMTP-based site link), and select New Site Link from the context menu.
At this point, you'll see a dialog box that asks you which sites will be used with the new site link. Select the involved sites and click Add. When you do, the sites will be moved to the Sites In This Link column, as shown in Figure 1. As the figure shows, you must also specify a name for the site link. Click OK to create the link.
Figure 1: Site links must be associated with at least two sites.
Step 2 Configure the Site Link's Associated Attributes
Once you've created a site link, you'll need to configure several attributes for the site. These attributes include things like the replication schedule and the link cost. To set the attributes for the site, navigate through the Active Directory Sites and Services snap- in to Active Directory Sites and Services|Sites|Inter-Site Transports|IP. Your newly created site link will appear in the column in the right, as shown in Figure 2. Right-click on the site link and select Properties from the context menu. When you do, you'll see a site link properties sheet similar to the one shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2: The IP folder contains your newlycreated site link. Figure 3: The site link's properties sheet allows you to set the site link's attributes.
As you can see, the properties sheet allows you to set various attributes for the site link. You can add and remove sites from the site link with the click of a mouse. Another field lets you enter a description of the link. However, toward the bottom of the window is a Cost setting that you may not be familiar with.
| Financial Cost |
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It may seem strange to use the name Cost when you're talking about bandwidth. However, you can use it for financial purposes. Some providers still charge a per-packet fee for the use of various types of leased lines. If your network includes such lines, you could base the Cost setting on the actual financial cost of using each connection rather than basing it on connection speed. |
