If an object is deleted from Active Directory while a domain controller is offline, what temporary artifact is created that must be replicated?

If an object is deleted from Active Directory while a domain controller is offline, what temporary artifact is created that must be replicated?

• A. A tombstone (lingering object) that must be replicated before expiration.
• B. A backup copy stored in the file system.
• C. A DNS record of the deleted object.
• D. A temporary user account.

Answer: (A)

When a directory object is deleted, Active Directory marks it in a special way so that other domain controllers, even if they’re currently offline, will eventually know about the deletion. This marker is a tombstone. If a domain controller deletes an object while another DC is offline, a tombstone for that object is created and must be replicated to all DCs. That tombstone has a limited lifetime (the tombstone lifetime); it must be propagated before it expires so the deletion is consistently enforced across the entire forest. If the tombstone isn’t replicated in time, the object can be permanently removed and you can run into lingering data issues when the offline DC comes back online. So the temporary artifact is the tombstone (often described with the lingering object concept), and it must be replicated before its expiration to ensure the deletion takes effect everywhere.

When a directory object is deleted, Active Directory marks it in a special way so that other domain controllers, even if they’re currently offline, will eventually know about the deletion. This marker is a tombstone. If a domain controller deletes an object while another DC is offline, a tombstone for that object is created and must be replicated to all DCs. That tombstone has a limited lifetime (the tombstone lifetime); it must be propagated before it expires so the deletion is consistently enforced across the entire forest. If the tombstone isn’t replicated in time, the object can be permanently removed and you can run into lingering data issues when the offline DC comes back online. So the temporary artifact is the tombstone (often described with the lingering object concept), and it must be replicated before its expiration to ensure the deletion takes effect everywhere.