Configuring licensing replication
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
Configuring licensing replication
On a computer running Windows 2000 Server or a Windows Server 2003 server operating system, you can configure how often licensing data is replicated to the domain controller or site license server. On a computer running Windows NT 4.0 Server, you can also configure where the data is replicated. These settings can be configured either locally on a server or remotely.
To configure licensing replication locally on a server, use the Licensing option in Control Panel. For more information, see Configure licensing replication on the local server. To configure replication remotely for a server in your network, use Licensing in Administrative Tools, as described in Configure replication for a server.
Replication options
The following table describes the options for configuring replication.
| Option | Use to | Use when |
|---|---|---|
Start At |
Specify a time each day when licensing information is replicated to the site license server. |
You want to manually set up a starting time for replication on this computer. You must vary the starting times on servers replicating to a particular master or enterprise server. |
Start Every |
Set the frequency for licensing replication. |
The system staggers the times licensing data from each server is replicated. |
Balancing the license replication load
The Replication Frequency settings (Start At and Start Every in the table) affect how long licensing changes on individual servers take to propagate to the enterprise server. The default is to start every 24 hours, and the system automatically staggers replication to balance the load. You can lengthen or shorten the interval to change how quickly data is propagated.
If you want to control the time at which replication occurs, select Start At on each replicating server and specify a time. To balance the load, you must manually vary the starting time of each server replicating to a particular server. The actual replication might start up to 15 minutes before or after the specified time.
Additional replication options for earlier versions of Windows servers
Servers running Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 automatically replicate to the domain controller, and domain controllers replicate to the site license server. For Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 or Windows NT 4.0 servers on your network, you must configure where they replicate their licensing data. You do this with the Master Server options in the Replication Configuration dialog box. These options appear only for Windows NT 3.1 or Windows NT 4.0 Servers.
| Option | Use to | Use when |
|---|---|---|
Domain Controller |
Specify that this computer replicates to the primary domain controller. |
This computer is a member server or a backup domain controller in a Windows NT 4.0 domain. This computer is a standalone server or a primary domain controller, and you do not want to replicate further. |
Enterprise Server |
Specify that the master server is an enterprise server, and enter the name of the enterprise server. |
This computer is a standalone server and part of an enterprise, and you want to replicate its licensing information directly to an enterprise-licensing database. The computer is the primary domain controller for its domain, and you want to replicate to an enterprise-licensing database. |
For more information, see Configuring Windows NT 4.0 licensing replication and View licensing for a Windows NT 4.0 domain. To configure licensing locally on a Windows NT 3.1 or Windows NT 4.0 server, see online Help on the server.