Add an attribute to the global catalog

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

To add an attribute to the global catalog

Open the Active Directory Schema snap-in.
In the console tree, click Attributes.

Where?
- Active Directory Schema/Attributes
In the details pane, right-click the attribute that you want to add to the global catalog, and then click Properties.
Select the Replicate this attribute to the Global Catalog check box.

Caution

If the forest functional level is not set to Windows Server 2003, adding a new attribute to the global catalog will cause a full synchronization of the global catalog. In other words, when you add a new attribute to the global catalog attribute set, all attributes that were previously part of the global catalog in addition to the new attribute are immediately synchronized throughout the forest. For more information, see Related Topics.

Important

As a best practice, it is strongly recommended that you use global groups or universal groups instead of domain local groups when specifying permissions on domain objects replicated to the global catalog. For more information, see Related Topics.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Schema 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.
The Active Directory Schema snap-in must be connected to the schema master to perform this procedure. The Active Directory Schema snap-in connects to the schema master by default when it is started.
If the Active Directory Schema snap-in is not installed, see Other Resources.

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