Greg,
Not trying to be a turkey here, but have you looked at each of these
objects?
You will notice that there are different 'values'. Meaning, one is from
DC02 and DC05 while another one is from DC02 and DC06 and etc. etc. etc.
Do this: install the Support Tools from the WIN2000 Service Pack CD-Media
( assuming that you are running WIN2000 ) and then run repadmin /showreps
and then run replmon ( use the graph to show you all of the connection
objects.... ). You will notice very quickly something interesting.
When you have two or three Domain Controllers all of them are 'partners'.
But when you get up to four then this is no longer the case. Things become
a little more interesting. There is a three hop rule ( meaning, no Domain
Controller will be more than three 'hops' away from any other Domain
Controller ).
This is a really good question. It is a question that will help you get to
learn a lot more about Active Directory replication. Just keep in mind that
Active Directory Replication ( which comes in two forms: Intra-Site
replication and Inter-Site replication ) is based on incoming connection
objects ( which you will clearly see when you use repadmin /showreps and -
sorry, I forgot one - repadmin /showconn ).
Just know that you have to have Active Directory Sites and Services set up
correctly ( by default, everything that you create will find itself in the
'Default-First-Site-Name' Site ). You do this by setting up the Sites ( say
that you have an office in Roanoke, VA and an office in Los Angeles, CA
....... you would have one Domain but two sites ) and then creating the
Subnets and associating each Subnet with the correct Site. Our friend the
KCC - with its little helper the ISTG - do most of the work for you -
assuming that you do not change this ( which you can: you can let the KCC do
everything for you; you can disable the KCC and set things up your self; or
you can do a little yourself and then enable the KCC again so that it will
'finish' what you started ).
--
Cary W. Shultz
Roanoke, VA 24012
Microsoft Active Directory MVP
http://www.activedirectory-win2000.com
http://www.grouppolicy-win2000.com