In a Windows 2000 Active Directory network that uses two separate sites, you decide that you want to manually specify a particular domain controller in each site that will be used for intersite replication traffic instead of relying only on automatic selection. What should you do to achieve this?

Introduction / Context:
Active Directory sites in a Windows 2000 domain are designed to control replication traffic and user logon behavior across different physical locations. When more than one domain controller exists in each site, the system can automatically choose bridgehead servers for intersite replication. However, administrators sometimes want to control exactly which domain controllers act as bridgehead servers in order to manage bandwidth, performance, and reliability. This question tests your understanding of how to manually influence intersite replication in a Windows 2000 Active Directory environment.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• There is a Windows 2000 Active Directory domain.
• The network contains two separate sites connected by a site link.
• Each site has at least one domain controller, possibly more.
• The administrator wants to manually choose the domain controllers that will handle intersite replication.
• Standard Active Directory site, replication, and bridgehead concepts apply.

Concept / Approach:
Within each Active Directory site, one or more domain controllers are selected to act as bridgehead servers for intersite replication. By default this selection is automatic. To control which servers handle intersite replication, you explicitly designate preferred bridgehead servers in each site. This does not require changing the site link itself, nor does it require promoting servers to global catalog status. Instead, you work with the site level configuration in Active Directory Sites and Services and mark specific domain controllers as preferred bridgehead servers for the relevant transport, typically IP.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Open the Active Directory Sites and Services console on an administrative workstation or server. Step 2: Expand the Sites container, then expand each site that contains candidate domain controllers. Step 3: Under each site, expand the Servers container, right click the desired domain controller, and open its properties. Step 4: On the properties dialog, specify the domain controller as a preferred bridgehead server for the appropriate replication transport, such as IP. Step 5: Repeat this configuration for the chosen domain controller in each site so that intersite replication is routed through the selected bridgehead servers.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify the configuration by reviewing the site configuration in Active Directory Sites and Services and checking which servers are listed as preferred bridgehead servers. Over time, you can also monitor replication topology and event logs to confirm that intersite replication uses these designated bridgehead servers. No changes to global catalog settings or user logon behavior are required for simply controlling bridgehead assignment.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is incorrect because creating a site link only connects the sites; it does not manually choose which domain controllers act as bridgehead servers. Option C is incorrect because making a server a global catalog affects how directory data is stored and searched, not which servers handle intersite replication. Option D is misleading because manual connection objects influence replication within and between servers but do not by themselves guarantee that the chosen servers become bridgehead servers for the site. Option E is incorrect because universal group caching affects how group membership is cached at a site and has nothing to do with the selection of bridgehead servers for intersite replication.

Common Pitfalls:
Many administrators confuse global catalog servers with bridgehead servers, assuming that designating a global catalog automatically controls replication routing, which is not the case. Another common mistake is to create extra site links or manual connection objects without properly understanding that bridgehead server selection is a separate configurable setting. Finally, administrators sometimes forget to consider transport types and attempt to configure bridgehead servers only for one protocol without checking how replication is actually configured between sites.

Final Answer:
The correct action is to designate the desired domain controller in each site as a preferred bridgehead server for intersite replication..