Change the Replication Topology

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The replication topology consists of the logical connections that DFS Replication uses to replicate files among servers. When choosing a topology, keep in mind that two one-way connections are created between the members you choose. These two connections allow data to flow in both directions.

To create a replication topology

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DFS Management.

  2. In the console tree, under the Replication node, right-click the replication group to create a new topology for, and then click New Topology.

  3. Follow the instructions in the New Topology Wizard to choose one of the following topologies:

    • Hub and spoke. This topology requires three or more members. For each spoke member, choose a required hub member and an optional second hub member for redundancy. This optional hub ensures that a spoke member can still replicate if one of the hub members is unavailable. If you specify two hub members, the hub members will have a full-mesh topology between them.

    • Full mesh. In this topology, every member replicates with all other members of the replication group. This topology works well when there are ten or fewer members in the replication group.

Note

Replication in the new topology does not begin immediately. The topology and DFS Replication settings must be replicated to all domain controllers, and each member in the replication group must poll its closest domain controller to obtain these settings. The amount of time this takes depends on AD DS replication latency and the long polling interval (60 minutes) on each member.

Additional references