Synchronizing Active Directory with Exchange Server Directory Service

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Examining Your Domain Structure and Exchange Server Site Topology

Before you can begin gathering information for your ADC Connection Agreement Plan, you need to understand the Exchange 5.5 sites, Windows NT Server domains, and Windows 2000 Server Active Directory structures in your organization. Once you have obtained the Exchange Server site topology and domain structure diagrams, it is recommended you consider doing the following:

Take inventory of your Exchange Server sites.   You will need to know how many Exchange Server sites you have, how they are managed, and whether they are candidates for synchronization. For those Exchange Server sites to be synchronized, you will need detailed information on their recipient containers and the objects to be synchronized.

Install ADC on a Windows 2000 Server.   For each Active Directory domain that participates in directory synchronization, you will need to install ADC on a Windows 2000 Server global catalog server, member server, or domain controller.

Identify the location of mailboxes for all users in a domain.   Many organizations have a multi-master domain topology where user accounts exist in more than one domain. It is important to identify where mailboxes reside for users in each domain. The least complicated scenario is when all mailboxes in a master domain reside in a single Exchange Server site.

Ensure that each directory has corresponding objects for synchronization purposes.   Exchange Server sites may contain mailboxes that are associated with Windows 2000 Server accounts from multiple domains. You can create multiple connection agreements from a single Exchange Server site to multiple Active Directory domains and the ADC will match Exchange Server mailboxes to a corresponding user object. For Exchange Server Custom Recipients, Distribution Lists, and Mailboxes which do not have a corresponding Active Directory user object, the ADC creates new objects in one of the Active Directory domains. You will need to decide in which Active Directory domain you want the ADC to create new objects.

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