
In Active Directory, the logical structure is separate from the physical structure. You use the logical structure to organize your network resources, and you use the physical structure to configure and manage your network traffic. The physical structure of Active Directory is composed of sites and domain controllers.
The physical structure of Active Directory defines where and when replication and logon traffic occur. Understanding the physical components of Active Directory is critical to optimizing network traffic and the logon process. In addition, this information can help in troubleshooting replication and logon problems.