Create a site link

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To create a site link

Open Active Directory Sites and Services.
In the console tree, right-click the intersite transport protocol you want the site link to use, and then click New Site Link.

Where?
- Active Directory Sites and Services/Sites/Inter-Site Transports/inter-site transport protocol you want the site link to use
In Name, type the name to be given to the link.
Click two or more sites to connect, and then click Add.
Configure the site link's cost, schedule, and replication frequency. See Related Topics for information.

Important

If you create a site link that uses SMTP, you must have an enterprise certification authority (Enterprise CA) available and SMTP must be installed on all domain controllers that will use the site link.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
To open Active Directory Sites and Services, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Sites and Services.
Creating a site link between two or more sites is a way to influence replication topology. By creating a site link, you provide Active Directory with information about what connections are available, which ones are preferred, and how much bandwidth is available. Active Directory uses this information to choose times and connections for replication that will afford the best performance.

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