Active Directory uses forests, trees, and domains to represent the logical organization of the network. Sites and subnets represent the physical layout of the network:
- A site represents a group of well-connected networks (networks that are connected with high-speed links).
- A subnet represents a physical network segment. Each subnet possesses its own unique network address space.
You should know the following about sites and subnets:
- Sites should be set up to mirror the physical layout of the company.
- Sites direct clients to local resources.
- Sites are used to manage Active Directory updates, referred to as replication, between locations.
- All Active Directory sites contain servers and site links.
- Site links specify how the sites are physically connected.
- Sites allow for the efficient resource use during replication.
- You will use Active Directory Sites and Services to identify network IDs and their associated sites.
- Site assignment is made dynamically, according to Internet Protocol (IP) address and subnet mask.