Recipe 11.14 Setting a Preferred Bridgehead Server for a Site

11.14.1 Problem

You want to set a preferred bridgehead server for a site.

11.14.2 Solution

11.14.2.1 Using a graphical user interface

1. Open the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in.

2. In the left pane, expand Sites, expand the site where the server you want to set as a bridgehead is contained and expand the Servers container

3. Right-click on the server you want to set as the bridgehead and select Properties.

4. Highlight IP, SMTP, or both, pertaining to the protocol(s) for which you want the server to be a bridgehead.

5. Click the Add button.

6. Click OK.

11.14.2.2 Using a command-line interface

Create an LDIF file called set_bridgehead_server.ldf with the following contents:

dn: cn=<DCName>,cn=servers,cn=<SiteName>,cn=sites,cn=configuration,<ForestRootDN> changetype: modify add: bridgeheadTransportList bridgeheadTransportList: cn=IP,cn=Inter-site Transports,cn=sites,cn=configuration,<ForestRootDN> -

then run the following command:

> ldifde -v -i -f set_bridgehead_server.ldf

11.14.2.3 Using VBScript

' This code sets a preferred bridgehead server for a particular transport ' ------ SCRIPT CONFIGURATION ------ strServer     = "<DomainControllerName>"  ' e.g. dc1 strServerSite = "<SiteName>"              ' e.g. Default-First-Site-Name strTransport  = "<TransportName>"         ' e.g. either IP or SMTP ' ------ END CONFIGURATION --------- set objRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE") set objServer = GetObject("LDAP://cn=" & strServer & ",cn=Servers,cn=" & _                           strServerSite & ",cn=sites," & _                           objRootDSE.Get("configurationNamingContext") ) objServer.Put "bridgeHeadTransportList", _               "cn=" & strTransport & ",cn=Inter-site Transports,cn=sites," _                     & objRootDSE.Get("configurationNamingContext") objServer.SetInfo WScript.Echo "Successfully set bridgehead server: " & strServer

11.14.3 Discussion

Setting a preferred bridgehead server can give you more control over which domain controllers participate in inter-site replication, but it is also limiting. The KCC typically selects bridgehead servers dynamically, but if you set preferred bridgehead servers, the KCC will not select new ones if the preferred servers become unavailable. Therefore, you should ensure that if you do select preferred bridgehead servers, you select at least two for a given partition in a site.

As a general rule, you shouldn't set preferred bridgehead servers if at all possible.

11.14.4 See Also

MS KB 271997 (Description of Bridgehead Servers in Windows 2000)