Faster Replication

In Windows NT Server 3.5, synchronization of the User Account database was changed to better suit wide area networks (WANs) and to increase performance. In addition, each BDC can now support up to 2000 users. Since BDCs can help spread the load of logon authentication and replication, replication time will decrease in many organizations due to the following factors:

• • The new algorithm for replication ensures that only 10 BDCs are contacted at a time, in a round-robin fashion. The entire domain accomplishes synchronization faster because not all BDCs are vying for updates at the same time.
• • The PDC knows all of the replication levels of each of the BDCs, and sends only the information that each BDC needs for replication. This speed of replication reduces the need for and use of full synchronization.
• • A full synchronization of the user account database is no longer necessary when the PDC of the domain changes, if the PDC and the BDC are both running Windows NT Server version 3.5/3.51. This is because the PDC keeps track of the synchronization level of each BDC, which allows the PDC to control the rate of partial synchronizations.
• • The encryption format of the mailslot messages for user account database changes has been improved, making the messages 100 times faster, while maintaining security.