Q. What's the default tombstone lifetime of my Active Directory (AD) forest?

John Savill

February 16, 2010

1 Min Read
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A. Normally the answer is 180 days, but it can actually vary depending on which version of Windows and what service pack you used to create the AD.

The default tombstone lifetime (TSL) values are:

  • Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 RTM: 60 day TSL

  • Server 2003 SP1: 180 day TSL

  • Server 2003 R2: 60 day TSL (This confuses most people. Essentially, the 180 day change was backed out in Server 2003 R2.)

  • Server 2003 SP2, Server 2003 R2 SP2, and later:180 day TSL

Related Reading:

  • Q. Is there an easy way to clean up the metadata of deleted domain controllers (DCs)?

  • Q. The Active Directory (AD) best practices recommend using a RAID 1 mirror set for the AD database and a separate RAID 1 mirror set for the AD logs. Is this really necessary and the best use of spindles?

  • Q. I need to perform an AD database restore. Can I just stop the Active Directory service (NTDS) on my Windows Server 2008 or later domain controller (DC), perform the restore, then start the service again?



Check out hundreds more useful Q&As like this in John Savill's FAQ for Windows. Also, watch instructional videos made by John at ITTV.net.

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