The Windows NT file system forms a namespace in which the name of a file can be resolved to the file itself. The AD forms a namespace in which the name of an object in the directory can be resolved to the object itself. Windows 2000 discussions will also include references to naming contexts. The Active Directory is made up of one or more naming contexts or partitions. A naming context is any contiguous subtree of the directory.
Naming contexts are also the units of replication.
Sites A site is not part of the Active Directory hierarchy. A site is defined as a Set of well-connected subnets. Each company will answer this differently, depending on the existing infrastructure and the size of the IT budget. In order to answer this question, every IT team that will have responsibility for a Windows 2000 migration will have to understand this new approach to sites and the replication ramifications. They also affect the manner in which information is replicated.