Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:
According to the Forescout User Directory Plugin Configuration Guide and supported integration documentation, Replica is NOT available when initially adding a server to the User Directory Plugin. Replicas are configured after the initial server setup is complete.
User Directory Server Initial Setup Process:
When initially adding a User Directory server, the following settings are available:
Server Name - The name to identify the server in Forescout
Address - The IP address or FQDN of the User Directory server
Port - The port number (typically 389 for LDAP, 636 for secure LDAP)
Domain - The domain name associated with the User Directory
Test - Option to test the connection and credentials
Advanced - Advanced configuration options
Replica Configuration - Post-Initial Setup:
According to the documentation:
"After configuring server settings, you can configure server tests and replicas."
The Replica settings are NOT available during the initial server addition. Instead, replicas are configured as a separate step after the primary server configuration is complete.
Replica Setup Workflow:
According to the User Directory Plugin configuration process:
Step 1: Add Server - Configure the primary server with Name, Address, Port, Domain
Step 2: Test Connection - Use the Test option to verify connectivity
Step 3: Configure Replicas - After the primary server is fully configured, then add replica servers
The documentation explicitly states:
"Refer to the following sections for server configuration details. After configuring server settings, you can configure server tests and replicas."
Why Other Options Are Available Initially:
A. Test -✓Available initially; allows testing of server credentials and connectivity before completion
B. Domain -✓Available initially; domain name is required during server setup
C. Domain Aliases -✓Available initially; additional domain aliases can be specified for the server
D. Advanced -✓Available initially; advanced options like authentication types, TLS, etc. are available during setup
Replica Purpose:
Replicas are used to provide redundancy and failover capability. According to the documentation:
When replica servers are configured:
If the primary User Directory server becomes unavailable, the Forescout platform can failover to a replica server
Multiple replicas can be specified for increased fault tolerance
Referenced Documentation:
Forescout User Directory Plugin Configuration - Server Setup documentation
Configure server settings - After configuring server settings section
User Directory Plugin configuration videos and tutorials showing initial setup flow
