Distinguished Name Tag (DNT)

An integer column that is maintained by the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE). Domain controllers use DNTs when they create objects, either locally or through replication. Each domain controller creates and maintains its own unique DNTs when it creates objects. DNTs are not shared or replicated between domain controllers. A domain controller can create a maximum of approximately 2 billion DNTs over its lifespan. Domain controllers that are installed with the Install from Media (IFM) option inherit the DNT values from the domain controller that was used to create the IFM backup. Therefore, using IFM installations can reduce the total number of DNTs that the newly installed domain controller can create over its lifespan, depending on the number of objects that are created by the domain controller from which the IFM backup was created.